Truffles, a rich and creamy chocolate dessert with fun additions like pineapple, coconut, pistachios, bourbon and bacon. You can’t go wrong with whatever you choose to go with rich smooth chocolate.
Taylor was home to watch football games with a friend last weekend so I used them to try out some new flavorings for truffles. Truffles are just pure melt in your mouth perfection, but of course I am always looking for something different. Truffles are just chocolate and cream, that’s it. I like other chocolate balls like Peppermint Oreo Balls rolled in peppermint, but there is nothing like the smooth richness of a truffle.
We divided a batch into four bowls and added something different to each before it cooled. Once cooled and shaped into balls we tried rolling them in different toppings. We tried graham cracker crumbs, pecans, powdered sugar, bacon, salted pistachios, toasted coconut and traditional cocoa powder. For the flavorings, we used Bourbon, Kahlua, and my favorite, dried pineapple. We discovered that the Kahlua was overpowered by the chocolate but not so with Bourbon. My favorite were the truffles mixed with dried pineapple and then rolled in toasted coconut. This combination of the sweet pineapple and the dark chocolate was amazing, and the toasted coconut was the icing on the cake. Others, liked the Bourbon truffle topped with salty bacon. All were delicious and my taste testers were good sports.
Truffles are so easy to make, just give yourself some time as the chocolate has to refrigerate before you can make them into balls. You can use a double boiler, but the microwave works fine as long as you’re careful and don’t get the chocolate too hot. Just heat the cream and pour it over the chopped chocolate so that the chocolate melts. If it doesn’t melt completely, warm it over a pan of hot water or microwave stirring every 30 seconds until the chocolate is just melted and smooth. Add any flavoring or dried fruit, liquor or whatever you like and then refrigerate until it’s slightly firm. If you let it get too hard, just let it sit on the counter until it’s soft enough to scoop into balls with a small ice cream scoop.
You can freeze them and share with friends on Valentines day. I sent out a batch to my favorite taste tester and can’t wait to hear what he thinks. I would love it if you would share some ideas for your favorite combinations.
Truffles Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate chopped
- ¾ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Place chopped chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. I use a large glass measuring bowl. Heat cream on stove or microwave, until hot but not boiling and pour over the chocolate. Stir until melted. If you still have chunks of chocolate after stirring, place in the microwave and stir after 30 second intervals until chocolate chunks have dissolved. Stir until smooth.
- Add any flavorings or additions while chocolate is still warm.
- Cover and refrigerate until firm but not too hard, 1-2 hours. Use a small ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon to form into balls. If the chocolate is too hard to scoop, let it sit at room temperature until manageable.
- Roll balls into toppings and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
- For flavorings, try 1 tablespoon of Bourbon, or 1 cup of chopped dried pineapple. Roll in toasted coconut, graham cracker crumbs, pecans, cocoa powder or powdered sugar, or top with nuts or bacon.
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