Vegan Nutella Dirt Cups
This vegan and gluten-free remix of the classic keeps things straightforward and chocolaty. Creamy chocolate-hazelnut pudding is tucked between layers of rich chocolate crumble (aka "dirt"). The pudding is made by blending together homemade hazelnut butter, bananas, avocado, cacao powder, maple syrup, a splash of vanilla, and a dash of sea salt. The "dirt" is made by combining hazelnut meal with a bit of cacao powder, coconut sugar, mini chocolate chips or cacao nibs, and a splash of water. The water adds just enough moisture to pull everything together into the most glorious little crumbles.
Servings: 4 to 6 cups
Ingredients
Vegan Nutella Dirt Cups
- 1 recipe Vegan Nutella Pudding*
- ⅓ cup hazelnut meal**
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips or 2 tablespoons finely chopped cacao nibs
- 2 tablespoons cacao powder
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 2 teaspoons filtered water
Optional Toppings
- Crushed hazelnuts
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the Vegan Nutella Pudding.
- Next, prepare the chocolate crumble (i.e., "dirt") layer. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the hazelnut meal, mini chocolate chips, cacao powder, coconut sugar, and sea salt. Add the water and stir well to disperse the water throughout, or until the mixture resembles a fine crumble.
- In 4 to 6 small jars or glasses, layer the pudding and the crumble, one after the other, creating four total layers (2 of each) in each glass.
- Keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve. (Note: I recommend chilling the cups for at least one hour to thoroughly cool and set the pudding.)
- If desired, garnish with a sprinkle of crushed hazelnuts just before serving.
Notes
*To make this dessert nut-free: Skip the roasting and substitute ¼ to ⅓ cup store-bought sunflower butter for the hazelnut butter in the pudding, and use ⅓ cup sunflower meal to make the "dirt".
**Make your own hazelnut meal by adding a few handful of raw hazelnuts to a food processor and processing for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until ground into a fine meal.
**Make your own hazelnut meal by adding a few handful of raw hazelnuts to a food processor and processing for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until ground into a fine meal.