I know what you’re thinking: that old chestnut? Because I’ve made fudge before. Remember the cake batter white chocolate sprinkle fudge and the Nutella sea salt fudge? Oh yeah, so do I.

But this one’s different. Because it is not full of white sugar. But it’s sweet. It’s delicious. It’s chocolatey fudge happiness.

I found the recipe on Pinterest {no surprise there – it is my other home after all!} and as an added bonus the original recipe took me to a new fabulous vegetarian site: Oh My Veggies. I’ve already pinned a few of their recipes for the test kitchen.

So, what do you need?
½ cup raw cacao powder
½ cup coconut oil {room temperature}
1/3 cup raw hazelnuts
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fleur de sel {sea salt} or cacao nibs for topping {optional}

Now, what do you do with it?
Combine all of the ingredients in your food processor and process until mixture is completely smooth, which takes a few minutes so be patient! Transfer the fudge mixture to a small rectangular baking dish that’s been lined with parchment paper and use a spatula to spread it in an even layer. {I found it a bit sticky so pressed it down with damp fingers.} Sprinkle top with fleur de sel or cacao nibs, if using. Refrigerate until solid, then remove the fudge from the baking dish and cut into squares. Keep it in the fridge or freezer.

{If you keep it in the freezer it may slow down your consumption because you need to leave it a few minutes when you get it out before you can eat it!}

I followed the recipe to the letter. And would do the same again. I thought I might try it with different nuts for different flavours … and I preferred the sea salt sprinkled on top to the cacao nibs.