Vegan, Paleo, Keto, Gluten & Dairy Free

This healthy Nutella pie is Incredible! Don’t let the title fool you, healthy doesn’t mean it tastes like cardboard. The combination of chocolate and hazelnuts has always been a favorite of mine and nothing commercial can come close to this mouthwatering dessert. The crust is cooked but the pie filling is raw. It is rich, filled with satisfying protein and fat, and healthy enough to have for breakfast! The typical Nutella is full of processed sugar and oils, I’ve always stayed away from it. When I discovered and then tweaked this alternative, I was so delighted and wanted to share it with you.  I make it using a springform pan but you don’t have to.

Crust Ingredients

1 ½ cup almond flour

3 Tbs coconut oil or cacao butter

2 ½ Tbs water

1 Tbs ground flax seed (flax meal)

Pinch of pink sea salt (or any sea salt you have)

Dash of alternative sweetener like pure monk fruit powder, stevia, coconut sugar, or date sugar. Depending on which I use: coconut sugar: ¼ cup, stevia and monk fruit are sweeter so you need much less, maybe 2 tsp, but do it to taste. It shouldn’t be too sweet as the pie filling is sweet enough.

Crust Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a springform pan with parchment paper
  3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients: flour, salt, dry sweetener.
  4. In a smaller bowl, combine the flax meal and water; allow to thicken.
  5. Melt coconut or cacao butter.
  6. Pour thickened flax meal and melted oil over dry ingredients and mix well. I often get my hands into it and squish it all together to incorporate well.
  7. Press the dough firmly into the lined springform pan. Using a fork, prick the crust all over. This will help it bake more evenly, if you skip this step, your crust will be dry and not nearly as good.
  8. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes, depending on the quality of your oven. I check it at 15 minutes, if it still seems doughy then go another 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool. And begin preparing the pie filling.

 

Pie Filling Ingredients

1½ cups roasted hazelnuts, with their skins all or mostly removed

1  13.6 oz can of full fat coconut milk or ½ this and ½ almond milk

3 Tbs cacao butter (gently melted)

1  6 oz bar of dark chocolate (or 2, 3 oz bars) I prefer 100% organic cacao paste, but a dark chocolate bar that is 75% or more is great. If you’re keto, consider using a bar that uses an alternative sweetener, such as erythritol (beware it can cause tummy upset and diarrhea in some). I prefer to go a little heavy on the cacao for this recipe.

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch of alternative sweetener like stevia, or pure monk fruit, or 2 Tbs maple syrup, or 2 Tbs coconut syrup. If you use pure cacao paste you may need more sugar than if you use a chocolate bar that already is sweetened. I prefer to use BochaSweet (which is a zero calerie, zero sugar, zero glycemic index sweetener made from the Kombucha squash). ¼ cup of Bocha sweet granulated sugar.

Pinch of pink sea salt

½ tsp cinnamon

Pie Filling Instructions

  1. In a food processor, blend the roasted hazelnuts to make a creamy butter. If it isn’t creamy, and seems too dry, keep it blending and begin to add the melted cacao butter, this will help it get creamy.
  2. Melt the dark chocolate or cacao paste on low heat or a double boiler. If it seems to be sticking to your pot, you can add some coconut milk and stir, this will help you avoid burning your cacao.
  3. You can also add your alternative sweetener to the chocolate as it is melting, along with a some of the coconut or almond milk. This will help a granulated sweetener (if using) dissolve well.
  4. Combine the melted chocolate, the coconut/almond milk, vanilla, cinnamon to the hazelnut butter and blend well in food processor.
  5. Pour into cooked crust in springform pan and refrigerate for 2 hours.
  6. Serve on its own, with fruit, or garnishes below

Garnish: Any one on it’s own or in combination works well

Option 1

Whipped coconut cream:

1 ½ cups full fat coconut cream with coconut sugar or alternative powdered sweetener. I prefer powdered Bochasweet (which is a zero calerie, zero sugar, zero glycemic index sweetener made from the Kombucha squash).

Blend with hand blender or in food processor until it’s whipped and has a nice consistency. Add a dollop to your piece of pie.

Option 2

Blend in food processor or crush up a few hazel nuts into crumbs and sprinkle on top

Option 3

Sprinkle cacao nibs on top of the pie, or on top of the coconut cream or with the hazelnut crumbs

This pie should be covered and refrigerated, lasting up to 4 days, but I can never keep it around that long.

Buen Provecho!

P.S. If chocolate isn’t your jam then check out this recipe for key lime pie.