How to Make Homemade, Liquor Infused Truffles.
TRUFFLE COMES IN THREES ...
Limoncello Coconut Truffles
8 Oz. Good Quality White Chocolate
1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, Cut into Pieces
4 Pieces of Lemon Peel
1 Tbsp. Toasted Coconut Flakes
2 Tbsp. Limoncello
Extra Toasted Coconut Flakes for Coating Truffles
Melted White Chocolate for Coating Truffles
Lemon Sugar Crystals for Decorating
8 Oz. Good Quality Dark Chocolate
1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, Cut into Pieces
1 Tbsp. Coffee Grounds
Pinch of Sea Salt
2 Tbsp. Coffee Liqueur
Mixture of Ground Espresso and Cocoa for Coating Truffles
Melted Dark and Milk Chocolates for Coating Truffles
Dark Chocolate Decorations
Spicy Rum Cherry Chocolate Truffles
8 Oz. Good Quality Dark Chocolate
1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, Cut into Pieces
2 Tbsp. Benjamin Twiggs Cherry Pepper Jelly
2 Tbsp. Drunken Cherry Rum*
24 Drunken Rum Cherries*, Chopped Small*
Spiced** Cocoa Powder for Coating Truffles
Melted Milk and Dark Chocolate for Coating Truffles
Dried Cherries for Decoration
*I took 24 of the Benjamin Twiggs Dried Cherries and macerated them in 3 tablespoons of Bacardi Torched Cherry Rum overnight. Then I drained off the rum and kept both the cherries and the rum for the recipe.
**I used just a pinch of cayenne and chili powder with a pinch of sea salt.
THERE'S TRUFFLE BREWING ...
First, I infused the cream with flavorings - here it was lemon zest and toasted coconut for the LEMONCELLO COCONUT WHITE TRUFFLES and ground coffee for the COFFEE LIQUEUR TRUFFLES. I set the cream infusions aside to get more flavorful in the fridge.
Second, I chopped up all my chocolate into very small pieces while I watched television.
Next I melted my chocolate in a double boiler, stirring constantly.
When the chocolate was pretty much melted, I got my cream out of the fridge and into a small saucepan to scald. It only takes a minute or so for the cream to get warm, please note I said "scald" not "boil". You only want the cream to start bubbling around the edges so it's warm enough to melt the chocolate.
Then I poured the warmed cream over the melted chocolate, stirring as I poured. This is now officially a ganache! I continued to stir as I added the pieces of butter, the liqueur and/or jam and the truffle additions (this is where I would add in chopped nuts, bits of dried fruit.)
After the ganache was completely blended and nice and shiny (from the butter), I applied a layer of plastic wrap right to the surface and put it in the refrigerator to set up for a few hours.
This type of ganache sets up pretty hard so when you want to make the truffles you'll need to take it out of the fridge and allow it to warm up until you can scoop and roll it into balls. I brought mine out 2 hours ahead of shaping time.
BTW, this ratio of cream to chocolate is specifically for making truffles. If you want a ganache to spread or pipe you need to bring the ratio of cream up to equal proportions with your chocolate. This mixture can also be whipped for a lighter frosting.
HOW I ROLL WITH TRUFFLES...
Once my ganache has reached a warm enough temperature to roll I simply grab a round shaped spoon and scoop out enough to roll a 1" ball in my hand and roll it! I place each ball on a parchment lined cookie sheet until I've finished the amount I want.
Since you can keep ganache for a few weeks in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer, I often only do what I intend to serve and save the rest for another day. I have also been known to take the remaining ganache, warm it up a bit and add a little more cream then use it as a frosting.
I roll my truffles in a number of coatings like cocoa powder, crushed nuts, crushed coconut, crushed candies - the type of dry coating here is wide open to your own preferences.
I also save a few truffle balls aside to dip in a tempered chocolate coating. You can use all types of chocolate here like dark, semi-sweet, milk and white chocolate, and these can be dipped into the dry toppings as well.
THE TROUBLE WITH TRUFFLES.....
is they are so good you're going to want to eat them all. Don't. At least not all at once. Unless you want a big butt. Share that big butt opportunity with your family, friends & neighbors! Package your sweet truffles up in some pretty little candy papers and a fun gift box tied all up with a fancy ribbon and hand some over to others to share the wealth....and the calories!
NOBODY KNOWS THE TRUFFLES I'VE SEEN......
Yes, I tried latex gloves but they kept slipping
around so I gave up and just dove in!
Truffles are easy to make, really! But they're not a quick process. It took me two days to complete all the truffle recipes here but it was two days of fun. It was also two days of making a complete chocolate mess of my kitchen and myself but in the end I had over 60 handmade truffles in a variety of flavors, colors & coatings. I had eaten at least 5 before they were finished from tasting along the way!
I shared the rest. Let them deal with the big butt issue........
DOUBLE, DOUBLE, TOIL AND TRUFFLE;
Chocolate Melt and Cauldron Bubble
