Valentine’s Day brings with it an overabundance of chocolates for you to consider… including chocolate truffles. Every candy maker on the planet fights for shelf space to showcase their red and pink dressed confections. Specialty chocolate shops manage lines of would-be lovers purchasing sweets for the sweet.
Today’s treat of the week is going to put you in the best possible position… chocolate presenter and genius handmade gift giver. Today’s treat is going to make you seem like a culinary genius. When we are finished here you will have a box of chocolates to present your sweetie that will outdo anything you could get at the mall.
savour… handmade heaven
WANT TO SEE HOW IT’S DONE? WATCH ONE OF OUR VERY FIRST VIDEOS BELOW.
Before you start:
Chocolate truffles take quite a bit of time to make, but you will be pleased to know that the majority of the time is for chilling. You will still have plenty of free time, but be sure to plan the process accordingly.
The chilling parts are essential to success. If your truffle middles are not cold enough when you begin to dip they will fall from the pick or the pick will shoot right through the coating before it sets.
You can add flavoring (sparingly) just at the point when you pour in the warm milk. Extracts are fine in small amounts. Liqueurs can work, too, but be wary of changing the consistency too much.
We sprinkled ours with a little colored sugar just for Valentine’s Day, but you could certainly leave that out.
Be prepared to move your pan of picked middles to and from the freezer to keep them cold.
Be sure to completely cover the chocolate truffle middle when dipping in tempered chocolate. Otherwise, the filling will ooze out.
Tempering chocolate is ideal for this application. It is not required for recipes that call for melted chocolate to be incorporated into the recipe. However, when the chocolate will be seen it is the only way to ensure that the finished result has a shiny, smooth texture and a bright snap when you bite it.
Treat of the Week: Truffles
You’re a little like Wonka… without the oompa loompas.
- Prep Time25 min
- Cook Time10 min
- Perform Time4 hr
- Total Time4 hr 35 min
- Yieldabout 20
The ingredients:
FOR THE CENTERS:
FOR DIPPING:
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate + 2 ounces more semisweet chocolate
- toothpicks
- styrofoam
- cocoa powder
- finely chopped nuts
- shredded coconut
- confectioner’s sugar
- white chocolate
The Method:
FOR THE CENTERS:
FOR TEMPERING CHOCOLATE:
