Truffle making 101

Here is the basic truffle recipe I snagged off the internet around 10 years ago and have been using ever since.

It is infinitely adaptable to variation by flavoring of the filling and/or how the truffles are coated, also can be multiplied or divided to vary the size of batch.

The basic recipe makes around 48 small truffles (I've found that people really prefer small truffles, pop 'em in your mouth- one bite, yum).

After the recipe, I have included some of my personal tips...

Generic Chocolate Truffle Recipe

Yield: 48 Small truffles

Ingredients and directions for this recipe:

8 oz Semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate; coarsely chopped 1/2 c Whipping cream (32% milkfat)

1/4 c Unsalted butter 2 teaspoons Vanilla

-or-

4 teaspoons your favourite liqueur

Place whipping cream and chocolate in a heavy saucepan over low heat and stir occasionally until chocolate melts. Add butter and continue stirring until butter is melted. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add liqueur or vanilla (or nothing! Works this way also). Let sit in refrigerator until hard (about eight hours or so). Dig out by the teaspoon and form into balls, then roll in finely chopped nuts (ground almonds are heavenly), cocoa, icing sugar, or coconut or dip in chocolate. Makes 36-48.

Karen's Notes:

-*Did you know?* In epicurean circles, the mixture of heavy cream and melted chocolate is referred to as a 'ganache'.

-The key to this filling recipe seems to be the ratio between chocolate/cream/butter. As long as you stick with these proportions, you will find it will set up firm enough that you can scoop it & roll it into balls without melting but it will still be soft enough in the finished truffle to be creamy when you bite into it.

-This recipe can easily be divided to make several different flavors. After the butter is added and melted, mix well then remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture into multiple small glass bowls, as many different flavors as you want to make. Let each cool to almost room temp (before it begins to harden), then add flavoring (adjust amount of liquid accordingly) and mix in well. Put in fridg to harden.

-The flavor of the chocolate used will have a big influence on the flavor of the truffles. Use what tastes good to you- **The most expensive chocolate does not necessarily make the best truffles!

** I once bought some very fancy ($$$) Scharfen-Berger dark chocolate bars from Rooster Bros for truffle-making and did not like the truffles at all. Next time I went back to my old stand-by, Hershey's Special Dark.

My favorites are:

• Hershey's Special Dark

• Baker's (even though they recently changed their packaging to give you half the product for the same price. Grrrr....)

• Hannaford makes a store brand ("Inspirations") I think could be good

• Pam suggests we try Dove brand, an excellent idea, I think.

• Others: Guittard, Lindt, Ghirardelli

• Callebaut is available in bulk and very good if you can find it. Jon Edwards in Ellsworth sometimes has it.

• Even if you like a very dark chocolate, you might want to go with a bit sweeter kind in the filling- keep in mind that the only sweetness will come from the chocolate, the rest is just cream and butter and no sugar is added

• Some people feel that bar chocolate is superior and chocolate chips are grainy when melted. I think it depends on the brand and have never had a big problem with chips. Maybe if you are seeking a perfectly silky smooth coating on your truffles, stick with bar chocolate.

• *Did you know?* If you use a partial container of heavy cream and want to save the rest for future use, you can freeze it in the carton. When you thaw it, it cannot be used for whipping (won't fluff up) but will work fine for this truffle recipe. Seal the carton in a ziplock bag so it doesn't pick up other flavors in the freezer. Nobody wants broccoli flavored truffles... probably. (Maybe on The Food Network...).

  -The recipe calls for unsalted butter but I have used both salted & unsalted and they seem to work equally well.

  -Flavorings: The recipe suggests liqueurs, which are very nice but I find you get a stronger flavor from extracts (i.e., almond extract vs Amaretto liqueur). Sometimes I use a little of each. Just take care not to add too much liquid or the filling will be too soupy and you won't be able to shape it.

  Some flavoring ideas:

  -almond/Amaretto

  -peppermint

  -orange/Grand Marnier

  -Bailey's Irish Cream

  -Frangelico (hazelnut)

  -Kahlua (can also add some finely ground coffee to the filling)

  -Rum (does anybody have any Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum? Let's try that!)

  -Just a bit of plain vanilla extract is very good too, the chocolate flavor comes through.

  -Mayan spice combo (i.e., cinnamon, nutmeg & cayenne)

  Coatings:

• Dip in melted chocolate, can be same kind as filling or different. Add decorations (if desired) before chocolate hardens.

• Chopped or ground nuts

• Powdered Sugar

• Cocoa Powder

• Chocolate jimmies or nonpareils

• Colored granular sugar

• Ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc)

For the kids:

Some kids don't like dark chocolate. Go figure. Here is a recipe that might appeal to kids better: Chocolate-covered Peanut Butter Balls: 1 lb powdered sugar, 1 1/2 C. peanut butter (smooth) and 1/2 C. butter, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well, chill dough and form into small balls, then dip in melted milk chocolate.

Storing the truffles: I have never had them hang around long enough to go bad, but there is that possibility as they are made with cream and no preservatives. They should be kept cool but if put under refrigeration, they may develop a "bloom", which is when the cocoa butter rises to the surface of the chocolate and gives it a white or greyish frosted look. Bloom does not affect the taste and they are still safe to eat, just not quite so pretty. Avoid putting the truffles in the freezer as the filling may develop unpleasant hard crystals (said from experience...).