If you're looking to upgrade your mooncakes to the next level, this Nutella Chocolate Mooncakes Recipe may be your answer. Made with just 2 ingredients, chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella or Nutiva), coconut flour, these delicious chocolate mooncakes take less than 20 minutes to make and bake!
I love just about anything that tastes like chocolate & hazelnut so I was really excited to try developing a recipe around these two flavors. The crust of these mooncakes simply requires chocolate hazelnut spread (Nutella or Nutiva) and coconut flour, then just a little kneading and molding for you to get your fingers on these amazing little treats.
Ingredients Used to Make Nutella Chocolate Mooncakes
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
- Chocolate Hazelnut Spread– You can use whatever chocolate hazelnut spread you have on hand. I've used both Nutella and Nutiva which produced the same delicious results and similar texture.
- Coconut flour – Coconut flour does not substitute well, and I can’t recommend swapping coconut flour with other ingredients in this recipe.
For the Filling You'll Need
- I used Nutella for this mooncake filling, but you can also use the vegan-friendly chocolate hazelnut spread (like the Nutiva brand) to keep this recipe vegan
Equipment
The main highlight of mooncakes is their beautiful engraved patterns and shapes. Mooncake molds are readily available at different Chinese grocery stores. You can also find it online, especially on amazon. They are of premium quality and quite affordable. I got the 50g mooncake molds here
Step by Step Guide
How to Make 2-Ingredient Nutella Chocolate Mooncakes
STEP 1
Prepare the filling: scoop Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread of choice (like Nutiva) into 1-2 Tablespoon sized portions into a clean parchment paper
Freeze the scoops of Nutella for 1-2 hours until completely solid.
NOTE: You can also use other mooncake fillings of choice like white bean paste. Check out my ULTIMATE LIST OF MOONCAKE FILLINGS post for more ideas!*
STEP 2
Mix chocolate hazelnut spread and ½ of the coconut flour together.
STEP 3
Depending on whether you use Nutiva or Nutella you may need more or less coconut flour. For best results, add the coconut flour 1 Tablespoon at a time and use your hands to knead the dough until the dough comes together.
You want to get a soft and firm dough that can be rolled up into a ball without sticking to your hands. Add more coconut flour (1 Tablespoon at a time) if the dough seems too soft. Once done, divide the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces and roll into a ball (about 20-30 grams of dough each).
STEP 4
Flatten the dough into a thin disk using the palms of your hands, place about 30g of filling in the middle.
Cover the filling with the dough and gently squeeze the dough into a ball. The ball really does not have to be perfect or smooth, because you'll be using the mooncake mold to press these rough edges into shape anyways.
STEP 5
Use a well-greased mooncake mold to press the dough into shape. A non-stick cooking spray works well to ensure that the mold is properly greased.
STEP 6
Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 12-14 minutes until the tops are golden and dry. The bottom of the cakes should be lightly browned.
Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins for Vegan Chocolate Mooncakes:
Here's one using a coffee bean paste filling (filling recipe here)
and another using a Vegan Nutiva Chocolate Spread (Use the Dark Chocolate kind for the darker color) with a matcha flavored white bean paste (to make: mix the sweetened 180g of white bean paste filling with 1 tsp matcha powder, then roll into balls to use as filling.
There are many other types of fillings used in traditional mooncakes. Here are some ideas below:
- Lotus paste – classic! You can buy these in the refrigerated section in a Asian grocery store, or buy them online (like Amazon, here)
- Shiro-an (sweetened white bean paste) – on Amazon, here, or here's a Shortcut White Bean Paste Recipe I make when I’ve run out of Shiro An
- Koshi-an (sweetened red bean paste) – on Amazon, here
- Mung Bean paste - sweet and delightfully yellow, homemade mung bean paste is a perfect mooncake filling for those who are looking for a healthier bean paste alternative. Here's my 2-Ingredient mung bean paste recipe here
- Coffee paste : ½ cup Shiro-an mixed with 2 tsp coffee extract (click on the link to see my 2 ingredient coffee bean paste recipe here)
Crust Variations
Instead of the chocolate hazelnut spread, you can use other creamy spreads such as cashew butter or peanut butter.
How to Store 2-Ingredient Nutella Chocolate Mooncakes Recipe
- You can store these cakes covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours. For longer storage, you can place them in a plastic freezer bag or airtight container to store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze up to 4 months.
Final Tips
- Depending on the brand of the cashew butter, you may need more coconut flour to hold the dough. You want your resulting dough to be soft but still firm enough to be rolled into a ball.
- I found that these mooncakes taste WAY better the day after they are made. I don't know how to explain it other than that these mooncake crusts have a better flavor and develop a more melt-in-the-mouth, tender texture when they have a chance to rest in the fridge overnight. So for the best flavor and texture, I recommend that you store these mooncakes inside an airtight container and let them cool in the fridge for at least 8 hours before eating.
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2-Ingredient Nutella Chocolate Mooncakes Recipe
Ingredients
Mooncake Crust
- ¼ cup chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella or Nutiva
- ½ cup coconut flour (read note if substituting with almond flour)
Filling
- 6 Tbsp chocolate hazelnut spread such as Nutella or Nutiva
Instructions
Prep the Filling First
- Prepare the filling: scoop Nutella or other chocolate hazelnut spread of choice (like Nutiva) into 1-2 Tablespoon sized portions into a clean parchment paperFreeze the scoops of Nutella for 1-2 hours until completely solid.NOTE: You can also use other mooncake fillings of choice like white bean paste. Check out my ULTIMATE LIST OF MOONCAKE FILLINGS post for more ideas!*
Make the Mooncake Crust
- Mix the chocolate hazelnut spread and coconut flour in a bowl
- Add more 1-2 Tbsp more coconut flour (or Nutella) if needed, a tablespoon at a time, until a soft but firm dough consistency is achieved.
- Divide dough into 6 equal pieces
- Flatten each piece of dough into a disk, then wrap the prepared filling with the mooncake dough.
- Use a mold to press the dough into mooncake shapes and set onto a clean parchment paper.
- Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 12-14 minutes
- For best texture, store in an airtight container overnight in the fridge, then eat next day.
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