A box of Ferrero Rocher right in front of you, the urge to bite into one, and then… no. The store-bought version is neither gluten-free nor lactose-free, which means being left out over something as simple as a chocolate treat.
Here, we keep the spirit of the original: a whole hazelnut, a chocolate shell, and plenty of crunch all around. The difference is that you make it with ingredients you can control, right down to the sugar if you like. This recipe is filed with my gluten-free sweet treats.
What is a gluten-free Ferrero Rocher?
A Ferrero Rocher is, at its core, a layered confection: a whole roasted hazelnut in the center, chocolate-hazelnut filling, a wafer shell, and finally a coating of chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. The wafer is the part that causes the problem, since it contains wheat flour and therefore gluten.
In this gluten-free, lactose-free version, the wafer is removed and its crisp texture is replaced with roughly chopped roasted hazelnuts. For both the filling and the coating, we use 70-80% dark chocolate, which also keeps milk out of the recipe, since the original filling is made with milk chocolate, and milk chocolate is not lactose-free.
Main ingredients
The 70-80% dark chocolate does double duty here: it goes into both the ganache and the coating. Most dark chocolates are gluten-free and lactose-free, but it’s still worth checking the label carefully and choosing one that clearly fits your needs if you’re strict about it.
Full-fat plant-based cream, used like lactose-free heavy cream, gives the ganache its texture. Rommel Reyes emphasizes one simple point: choose a non-dairy cream with a neutral flavor, otherwise it will add an off-note to a bite that should taste purely of chocolate and hazelnut.
Hazelnut paste, or praline paste, rounds out and deepens the flavor. Use an unsweetened hazelnut paste: you can make it at home or buy it at the store, but the main idea is to stay in control of the sweetness.
Roasted hazelnuts bring all the texture. They serve as both the center, with one whole hazelnut per candy, and the outer crunch, in two different sizes: coarsely chopped to mimic the wafer, and more finely crushed for the chocolate coating.
Technical notes and pitfalls to avoid
This recipe is written by weight, using metric measurements, so it can be reproduced accurately. If you need to convert the measurements, do it before you start, but keep the spirit of the recipe in mind: here, you weigh ingredients rather than measuring by the cup.
Roast, cool, peel
Preheat the oven to 170°C, then roast the hazelnuts for 10-12 minutes. Let them cool before handling, otherwise you’ll burn your fingers and the skins will cling.
To remove the skins, rub the hazelnuts between your hands. Set aside 25 whole hazelnuts for the centers, then chop the rest: some into fairly coarse pieces for rolling the balls, and some more finely crushed for the chocolate coating.
Chocolate-hazelnut ganache: gentle heat, smooth texture
Heat the cream over medium heat just until it begins to simmer. There’s no need to go further: you want hot cream, not a boiling saucepan.
Remove from the heat, add the chopped dark chocolate, and stir until smooth and fully melted. Once the mixture is homogeneous, stir in the hazelnut paste until evenly combined, then set the ganache aside.
Shape the domes, or make them without a mold
If you have a silicone half-sphere mold about 2-3 cm in diameter, it will give you the neatest result. Fill each cavity halfway with the still-warm ganache, then place a whole hazelnut or half a hazelnut in the center; either works. Freeze for at least 15 minutes, just until firm.
Unmold the thoroughly chilled half-spheres and join them in pairs to form 2-3 cm balls. Roll and press them in the coarsely chopped roasted hazelnuts to recreate the crunch that replaces the wafer. Insert a toothpick into each ball, then chill again in the refrigerator or freezer so they stay firm before coating.
If you don’t have a mold, you can shape them by hand. Take 1 tablespoon of cooled ganache, flatten it slightly in your palm, place a whole hazelnut in the center, then close the ganache around it to form a 2-3 cm ball. Insert a toothpick and chill again, just as you would with the molded version.
Coating: chocolate + hazelnut, with very cold centers
Melt the coating chocolate, then stir in the finely crushed hazelnuts. Keep the balls very cold for dipping; that’s the key to a clean coating that sets quickly.
Hold each ball by the toothpick, dip it into the chocolate-hazelnut coating, then let the excess drip off for a few seconds. Transfer it straight to the refrigerator so the coating can set.
Storage
Once coated, refrigerate the candies until the chocolate is fully set. For presentation, you can wrap each one in an 8.5 × 8.5 cm square of aluminum foil, in gold or silver, then place it in a small gold truffle cup. It’s a handy touch if you’re giving them as gifts or simply want a neat presentation.
If you’d like to keep baking without animal products, browse my gluten-free vegan recipes.
Recipe developed by chef Rommel Reyes. Discover more of his work on Instagram, his Substack newsletter, and his YouTube channel.
Ingredients
- 150 g hazelnuts whole
- 150 g 70-80% chocolate gluten-free, dairy-free
- 150 g full-fat cream dairy-free, gluten-free
- 50 g hazelnut paste or praline
- 250 g 70-80% dark chocolate gluten-free, dairy-free
- 50 g chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
Roasted hazelnuts
- Preheat the oven to 170°C. Roast the hazelnuts for 10-12 minutes, then let them cool.
- Rub the hazelnuts between your hands to remove the skins. Set aside 25 whole hazelnuts and chop the rest.
Chocolate-hazelnut ganache
- Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to simmer.
- Remove from the heat, add the chopped dark chocolate, and stir until smooth and fully melted.
- Stir in the hazelnut paste until smooth and fully combined. Set aside.
Chocolate-hazelnut coating
- Melt the chocolate, then stir in the chopped hazelnuts.
Assembling the chocolate balls
- Prepare a dome-shaped silicone mold with cavities 2-3 cm in diameter. Fill each cavity halfway with the warm ganache, then place a whole hazelnut or half a hazelnut in the center. Freeze for at least 15 minutes.
- Unmold the frozen ganache and press two half-spheres together to form a 2-3 cm ball. Roll and press each one in the chopped roasted hazelnuts. Insert a toothpick into each ball, then chill or freeze.
- If you don’t have a dome-shaped silicone mold, scoop out 1 tablespoon of cooled ganache and flatten it slightly in your palm. Place a whole hazelnut in the center, then wrap the ganache around it to form a 2-3 cm ball. Insert a toothpick into each ball, then chill or freeze.
Coating, wrapping, and storage
- Hold each ball by the toothpick, then dip the chilled chocolate balls into the chocolate-hazelnut coating. Let the excess chocolate drip off for a few seconds, then refrigerate.
- Wrap each chocolate in an 8.5 x 8.5 cm square of gold or silver foil, then place it in a small gold truffle cup.
