Chocolate truffles are the ultimate gift for the most avid chocolate lovers. With their bittersweet core of dark chocolate and their light coating of cocoa dust, there is no better way to get to to a chocolate lover’s heart. These bite size treats make surely wonderful gifts. However, chocolate truffles come with a high price tag, shopping around for them may therefore lead to unpleasant surprises due to sticker shock. But chocoholics will be pleasantly delighted in learning that decadent truffles can be made at home and with great results leaving the price tags at the stores.
Chocolate truffles owe their names to the fungi family truffles found buried in the woods in some special locations such as Northern Italy and France. What they share in common is their price tag, both easily making a nice hole in a wallet. Authentic truffles though found in the woods, may easily reach hundreds of dollars especially the prestigious “white truffles from Alba”.
Such truffles are not easy to find. Pigs or trained dogs are sent out in the woods to search for them. Chocolate truffles on the other hand are pretty easy to find, simply look in your favorite stores and supermarket aisles or better in your fridge if you follow the recipe below!
While truffles can be found in a variety of flavors, however chocolate truffles remain the most classical. Please do not substitute butter for margarine and only use a good high quality preferably Swiss bittersweet chocolate for best results.
Ingredients:
16 ounces bittersweet high quality chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup
4 drops rum extract or Grand Marnier
Whole almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or shredded coconut or chopped nuts
Directions:
Chop the bittersweet chocolate or better turn it in shavings with a knife. Heat the cream with the corn syrup without letting it boil, otherwise it will spill out. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate and liqueur until the chocolate melts and mixture appears smooth and silky. Refrigerate for about 8 hours. At this point, the mixture should have hardened allowing it to be rolled in balls. Place an almond in the middle of each truffle and shape them into balls. Roll into cocoa powder, chopped nuts or shredded coconut. Store in refrigerator and enjoy!
As seen it does not take much to become a master chocolatier! These truffles are quite inexpensive and easy to make and they will certainly cater to the the biggest chocoholics on earth!