Remember how much fun we had with those Nutella & Banana Parisian Crêpes last year?

Loving Earth even joined the party and asked if they could share the delicious love. Ooh la la, now that was a decadent brunch!

I got to thinking that healthy Nutella might be about ready to stage a comeback. This time in the form of a delectable, healthy dessert that could pop up and sparkle at any time of the day.

A dessert full of Hazelnuts boasting high levels of Vitamins B1, B6 and E, manganese and antioxidants, and Raw Cacao Nibs bursting with glittering antioxidants, magnesium and bliss nutrients to help keep you looking and feeling young, healthy and happy.

If you prefer to keep it strictly raw, look for raw, skinless hazelnuts and you can skip the toasting part altogether. The roast hazelnut flavour obviously won’t be as deep but you could always up the ante on the cacao and vanilla to compensate.

If you can get your paws on skinless hazelnuts and are happy to toast them, you’ll still save yourself some hard work in trying to remove the skins so it’s definitely worth the search!

The pie shells will crumble under the weight of the Nutella as they thaw, so these babies are best kept in the freezer until you’re ready to serve. Plus it’s super exciting when you find a forgotten one hiding in the back of your freezer one day! Score!

xx

Almost Raw, Vegan Nutella Cream Pies From the kitchen of: Rebecca Weller - Vegan Sparkles Prep time: 35 mins Total time: 35 mins Print Goodies Nutella 200g raw hazelnuts

½ cup non-dairy milk (soy / almond, etc)

1½ tbsp pure vanilla extract

⅓ cup raw cacao nibs

½ cup pure maple syrup

2 – 3 tsp coconut oil (optional – for extra smoothness)

Pinch sea salt Pie Shells 1 cup pecans

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

4 medjool dates, pitted

Pinch sea salt Instructions Nutella Roast hazelnuts in a baking tray at 180C/350F for about 10 minutes until toasted and aromatic and the skins turn a couple of shades darker. Remove from oven and while the hazelnuts are still warm, rub between a towel or paper towel or your fingers to remove the skins. Aim to remove at least 70% of the skins (which can be quite bitter). If there are some stubborn ones, you can pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes and try again. Let the hazelnuts cool completely – preferably overnight – or they will not blend as finely as they should (and will be hard work for your blender). The next day, in a high-speed blender or food processor, blend hazelnuts until fine/buttery, then add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Pie Shells Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend on low speed until well combined and a sticky 'dough' forms. If the mixture doesn't feel sticky enough to stay together, add another date and process again. Take a spoonful at a time and press it into a muffin tray with your fingers. Be sure to make the shells thick enough on all sides so that they won't break when removed from the tray (just under half an inch thick is perfect). Pop tray into the freezer and allow to freeze solid - an hour or two if you can wait that long. Cream Pies Remove tray from freezer and gently lift shells out, using a knife to nudge them out from one side if you need to. Use a piping bag to fill shells with Nutella. Eat immediately or place in an airtight container and return to the freezer, removing them just before serving. 3.2.2089