Chocolate hazelnut balls (bombice od lješnjaka, lešnik bombice) are a luxurious and slightly crunchy treat blending rich chocolate and nutty hazelnuts. Quick and easy to prepare, these truffles are a no-bake dessert that's on your table in thirty minutes. Shall we?
Background
Hazelnut chocolate balls (bombice od lješnjaka, lešnik bombice) are an easy, delectable dessert you'll find in many Balkan homes throughout the year.
Bombice (little bombs) is slang for truffles and dessert balls, while surrounding words indicate the type. For example, lješnjak and lešnik both mean hazelnut.
Truffles pack a lot of flavor and a slight crunchiness.
Easy to prepare, they require only a few ingredients. Also, these are a perfect coffee companion, an after-dinner treat, or a thoughtful gift.
Trust us when we say, hazelnut truffle balls are a taste of pure bliss!
The downside is that these are nearly impossible to stop eating. Because of this, we highly recommend you make two batches at once!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed for hazelnut chocolate balls.
- Hazelnuts - roasted and peeled. You'll grind most of them, and chop some. You can roast hazelnuts yourself, but it's a tedious process we don't recommend. Substitute with walnuts, however the taste will be different.
- Egg White - one raw egg white is required for binding the mixture. Substitute with aquafaba (water from canned chickpeas). Use about 40 milliliters or 1.4 ounces, or the equivalent volume/weight of your egg white.
- Sugar - confectioner's sugar. Avoid substitutions.
- Chocolate - almost any kind of chocolate can be used, but it's best to stick to baking chocolate. If using another kind, adjust for the sweetness. Avoid chocolate chips, unless you plan to melt the chocolate instead of grating it.
- Rum - rum and/or liqueur work to enhance the flavor and assist the binding. Substitute with lemon or orange juice reduction.
- Oil - any type, to grease the hands.
- (Optional) cookie crumbs (ground biscuits), dried fruit, nuts, sprinkles, etc.
Instructions
Here are the instructions to make hazelnut chocolate balls.
Step 1. Combine chocolate, sugar, egg white, ground hazelnuts and rum. Mix with a wooden spatula as much as the mixture will let you. (You can grate the chocolate, or melt it.)
Step 2. Grease your hands and work the mixture until you get to a consistency of wet sand. Take some batter in between your fingers and form a small ball the size of a ping pong ball and smaller. Roll in chopped hazelnut and set aside.
Expert Tips
- Bigger batch. Hazelnut chocolate balls are worth making in larger batches. Moreover, the first batch will disappear before you know it. Doubling up ingredients somehow doesn’t double up the effort needed to go into making these.
- Oil your hands. Above all, to easier shape the dough into balls, oil your hands with vegetable (or other) oil before you start forming them, and in between. This eases the stickiness factor.
Handling
- Storing: After forming hazelnut chocolate balls (bombice od lješnjaka/ lešnika), let them dry for a few hours, and then transfer them to a cookie box. Keep in a dark, cool place, or the fridge. They will keep for 5-7 days.
- Serving: serve 2-3 balls per person along with coffee, or a refreshing drink.
More Chocolate 💙
We love these chocolate dreamy desserts!
Thoughts?
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Prijatno, Dobar Tek, and Bon Appetit!
Hazelnut Chocolate Balls (Bombice od Lješnjaka/ Lešnika)
Ingredients
- 5.5 ounces hazelnuts roasted, skinned, and ground; substitute with walnuts
- 5.5 ounces baking chocolate grated or melted
- 5.5 ounces powdered sugar
- 1 egg white or 1.4 ounces (40ml) aquafaba
- 1 teaspoon rum or sour cherry liqueur; non-alcoholic option: orange or lemon juice reduction
- 1 teaspoon oil to grease the hands
- 2-3 ounces chopped hazelnuts roasted, peeled and chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine ground hazelnuts, baking chocolate, powdered sugar, egg white, and rum. Using a wooden spatula combine the ingredients as much as you can.
- Note: you can use grated chocolate (our preference, look at the photos), or melted chocolate (look at the video).
- Grease your hands generously. Using your hands, mix the batter vigorously. At first, it may feel as if the ingredients will not stick together. Keep mixing them with some strength and in about a minute or two, the batter will take on a consistency of wet sand.
- Taking some batter in between your fingers, form little balls. Start by sticking the batter together, and then roll it between your palms until a small ball forms (sized between a large marble and ping pong ball). You should have between 28-30 balls, approximately.
- Pour chopped hazelnuts onto a plate and roll each ball in it. Set balls aside on parchment paper for a few hours, so they dry up. Transfer them to a cookie box.
- Storing: Keep hazelnut chocolate balls in a dark, cool place, (or the fridge). They will keep for 5-7 days.Serving: serve 2-3 balls per person along with coffee, or a refreshing drink.
Video
Notes
- Melted vs grated chocolate: both taste delicious, but we prefer the grated version. It takes a little bit more time, but it's well worth it. If grating by hand, grate in a deep bowl so the chocolate doesn't 'fly' around.
- Making a reduction: boil lemon or orange juice on low until they achieve a syrup consistency.
- Bigger batch: these are worth making in larger batches as the first batch will disappear in front of your eyes!
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