“Be Mine” Chocolate Truffles
Chocolate truffles! The very name brings a smile to my face. You can pick up truffles from the shops for a small fortune or you can really make your special someone swoon by making them yourself, using just four ingredients. I like to add a nip of Chambord or Grand Marnier to flavor the cream but if you don’t have it in the cupboard, you can forego the liqueur. These truffles are super simple to make - you can even cook along with me by playing this how-to clip. However, if you’d like to get a little cheffy with it, you can coat the truffles in tempered chocolate for glossy truffles with a nice crisp snap: here’s how to temper chocolate.
Ingredients
1 cup heavy whipping cream
7 ounces high-quality dark chocolate (71% cacao), melted and cooled
2 tablespoons Chambord (raspberry liqueur) or Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, for coating
Directions
PREP TIME
HRS
MINS
COOKING TIME
MINS
Makes
Make-Ahead:
The truffles can be made up to 1 week ahead, covered and refrigerated. Let the truffles stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften slightly before serving.
In a small heavy saucepan, heat the cream over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the liqueur. Slowly pour the warm cream into the melted chocolate, whisking until smooth. Pour the mixture (ganache) into a shallow container, cover, and refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until set.
Dip a 1-inch melon baller or cookie scoop into a cup of hot water, shake off the excess water, and scoop out the ganache to form a small ball. (Dipping the baller into hot water makes it easier to scoop up the ganache and release the truffle.) Scoop the truffles onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat to scoop the remaining truffles. Refrigerate the scooped truffles for about 20 minutes, or until firm.
In a shallow, rimmed container, pour the cocoa powder in an even layer. Roll one truffle at a time between the palms of your hands to shape into round balls and place in the cocoa powder. Spoon some cocoa powder over the truffles to cover. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the truffles and shake off any excess cocoa powder. Serve immediately or transfer them to a container, cover, and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.
