OH MY goodness, these guys are good.

They're dense, very hazelnutty and sweet. They're soft, chewy and melt-in-your-mouth.

A-ma-zing.

They're also incredibly simple to make. There's no added sugar, just dates. The dates do a couple of things here; they add a lovely, gentle sweetness to these bars and they give them they're incredible softness and chewiness. I find that healthy fudge recipes (those that generally consist of coconut oil and a nut butter of some sort) are a bit over the top for my taste. A bit too rich. They LOOK delicious and photograph beautifully, but I can't manage to enjoy them all that much. The inclusion of dates changes all of that. They cut that over-richness with a lovely light sweetness. Perfect.

Pit and chop about 12 dates and throw them into a small sauce pan with 1/4 cup of water. Simmer this over med-low heat for about 5 - 8 minutes.

When the dates have softened a bit (they start to become mash-able with a fork), add 1/2 cup of coconut oil.

Heat all of this together for another 5 - 8 minutes, until the coconut oil has completely melted and everything is bubbling away. Your dates should be nice and soft now.

Transfer the soft dates into a heat-proof cup and puree with a submersion blender. If you don't have one, pop them into a food processor or a good blender.

Puree until they're pretty smooth.

Combine your pureed dates & coconut oil with 1 cup of hazelnut butter, 1/4 cup of a good raw cacao powder, a pinch of sea salt and a splash of vanilla.

Process until it's well combined and very smooth.

Press the fudge into a 8x8 square baking dish (you're not going to bake it, but you need a good, strong vessel). Don't do what I just did and skip the parchment paper. If you've got it, line the dish with it so that you can remove your fudge with ease when it's ready. 

Spread.

Cover and pop this into the freezer until it's firm, about 1 hour.

When it's good and firm, remove it from the tray and cut into squares. Store these guys in the freezer.

You can enjoy them frozen (they're soft & chewy, frozen or not!) or you can let them rest on the counter for a few minutes to soften up a bit.

Chocolate Hazelnut Squares

• 12 pitted dates, chopped
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup hazelnut butter
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Roughly chop the dates and place them in a small sauce pan with 1/4 cup water
2. Heat on med-low for about 5 - 8 minutes, until dates are somewhat soft
3. Add coconut oil to dates, heat until coconut oil has melted and dates are completely soft, another 5 - 8 minutes
4. Puree the dates in a heat proof cup (use a submersion blender or place them in a good blender)
5. Combine the pureed date mixture with the remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender
6. Process until completely smooth
7. Place in a 8x8 square baking dish lined with parchment paper
8. Cover and freeze for about 1 hour until fudge is firm
9. Remove from dish, cut into squares 
10. Store in the freezer

Enjoy!