Chocolate Truffles for my Valentine

The best part about creating this blog for me is motivation to always try and learn something new and share it with others.  I cook a lot of savory foods too, but somehow making desserts tends to always feel like something a little more special.  Dessert making has become sort of an outlet for my mind to focus, and using my hands to make something is so satisfying.  Typically, I go at it alone in the kitchen though and the sharing comes afterwards to family, friends, and coworkers.  However, this time I decided to sign up others to help me and it was so fun (and much faster)!  With a little help from Martha Stewart (her recipe) and recruiting 10 friends to help me out, my kitchen became a chocolate making factory, producing about 120 homemade truffles just in time for Valentine's Day.  Easy as pie!... actually a lot easier than pie and super delicious.

Starting with a bittersweet chocolate base, I quadrupled (!) the recipe so that I could try 4 variations.  The base flavors were Mint, Orange, Rum, and Almond-Vanilla.  The coatings we used to roll the truffles in were cocoa powder, coconut flake, pistachios, almonds, and hazelnuts.   I found some cute Valentines' goodie bags to wrap up our confections so everyone was able to take some home to share with their honey (or a gift to themselves for their hard earned work:)).  After this experience, I don't think I will ever look at boxed Valentines chocolates the same way again.

One year ago: Pear Almond Galette
Two years ago: Triple Chocolate Tart
Three years ago: Honey and Chocolate Madeleines


Chocolate Truffles
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Makes about 30 truffles

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (morsels or finely chopped)
1/2 cup heavy organic cream
1 tablespoon Rum (or optional liqueur of your choice)
Other flavor options include 1 - 2 tsps orange zest, peppermint, almond, or vanilla extract.
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Coatings (one or more of the following): unsweetened cocoa powder, fine coconut flakes, chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts)

Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment and set aside.  Weigh 8 oz of chocolate using a  kitchen scale and set aside.  Bring cream, rum (or other flavoring), and salt just to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, quickly pour chocolate in and whisk vigorously.  Quickly transfer to mixing bowl and continue whisk until chocolate becomes fully incorporated and develops a sheen. Pour chocolate mixture into a prepared dish and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight. Mixture should be cold and set.  Cut into small squares using a sharp knife.  Then roll each square between palms (recommend using disposable gloves as this gets messy) to create sphere ball.  Dip each truffle in topping to coat.  Refrigerate truffles in an airtight container until ready to serve.  These should keep up to 2 weeks stored in the fridge.