Chocolate Truffles
INGREDIENTS
- 16 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate (Scharffen Berger 62%)
- 8 Oz Heavy Cream
- 6 TB unsalted butter
- 2 - 3 TB Fine Liqueur such as Grand Marnier, Frangelico, Tuaca, Rum, Cognac, Cointreau, Poire William, bailey's, Kirschwasser, Chambord, Creme de Cassis, Marachino, Benedictine, or Marc.
- 12 oz Semisweet Chocolate for coating
- Cocoa Powder, either natural or Dutch, it's your choice.
DIRECTIONS
- Place 16 oz Chocolate and the cream in the top of a double boiler or a heat proof bowl over simmering water.
- Stir until melted but do not let the mixture reach above 110 degrees or the chocolate will UN-Temper and not set properly.
- Remove from heat and add room temperature butter and liqueur and stir until butter melts and is incorporated.
- Pour mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and let set until cooled to room temp, then refrigerate until VERY cold but still pliable, about 3 hours.
- Meanwhile... Prepare your double boiler with 12 oz semisweet chocolate, heated and maintained at about 100 degrees.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove truffles mixture from refrigerator and utilizing a 1/4 oz ice cream scoop, drop filling onto on of the prepared baking sheets.
- Once the sheets are full, go back and roll into loose balls (They do not have to be round, in fact they should not be round, thus the truffle shape.)
- Chill for 10 - 15 minutes
- Remove from refrigerator again and coat hands with 100 degree chocolate, roll one of the balls between your hands then drop into a small bowl filled with cocoa powder... Roll to coat, then place back on baking sheet... Repeat till all truffles are coated.
- Return to refrigerator to ensure chocolate shell sets up.
- Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
- BE ADVENTUROUS:
- Use Grand Marnier & Orange Peel or Orange oil (Not extract, it will seize the chocolate)
- Use Frangelico and wrap filling around a toasted Hazelnut
- Add Finely ground hazelnut or almond praline to your truffle mixture then roll in nuts.
- Use Chambord and Wrap filling around a raspberry
- Use Godiva Liqueur for a double chocolate flavor
- Use Malibu Rum and roll in ground coconut
- Use Amaretto and roll in ground toasted Almonds
- Use All BitterSweet chocolate
- Use 8 oz Semi Sweet & 8 Oz Bitter sweet
- Use White 'Chocolate' and Lemon oil, then roll in Ground macadamia nuts (The chocolate should never reach over 100 degrees for white)
- Use Powdered sugar instead of Cocoa
- Just leave the chocolate coating, without any dusting.
- Roll in Ground up Cocoa Nibs.
- Think of the truffle as your canvas to phenomenal works of culinary artistry.
- Rules of thumb:
- This recipe is based on the Cocoa Butter content of Semi to Bittersweet chocolate.
- If you use Milk Chocolate, Multiply the amount of chocolate by 1.5.
- If you use 'White Chocolate' multiply the amount of Chocolate by 2.
- Thus you will need 8 oz Heavy Cream and 24 oz Milk Chocolate; or you would need 32 oz of White Chocolate