I make a batch of chocolate truffles every Christmas, and they are always a hit with friends and family.  They make brilliant gifts, if you wrap them in cellophane and present them in a cute box or basket.  Truffles are time-consuming, in that they take about a day and a half to make.  You won’t literally spend this amount of time working on them, they just take so long because they have to set in the refrigerator in between each step.  They are certainly worth the wait though.

 

Before I start with the recipe, I wanted to add a little warning about cooking with chocolate.  There are two golden rules about working with chocolate.  The first is that water and chocolate don’t mix.  Be careful not to let even a single droplet of water into the melted chocolate, or it will be ruined.  The second rule is that you should never put chocolate in a saucepan directly on the stove.  This will scorch the chocolate and ruin it.  Instead, put the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.  Bring a saucepan of water to the boil on the stove, and then turn it down to a simmer.  Then, nest the bowl with the chocolate on the saucepan and stir until the chocolate is melted.

 

Ingredients

– 400g white cooking chocolate

– 1/2 cup cream

– 3 teaspoons peppermint essence

– 2 teaspoons orange rind

– 375g white chocolate melts

– 100g dark cooking chocolate.

 

Step 1.

Combine the cooking chocolate and the cream in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.  Stir until smooth, and let stand for fifteen minutes.

 

Step 2.

Add the peppermint essence and the orange rind.  Stir until thoroughly mixed.  Refrigerate for about 2 hours, or until firm.

 

Step 3.

Roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture (called ganache) into balls and then refrigerate overnight.

 

Step 4.

Use a fork to dip the ganache balls into the melted white chocolate melts.  Place the truffles on a plate covered in baking paper and refrigerate for about an hour.

 

Step 5

Drizzle the melted dark chocolate over the truffles.  Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

 

This truffle recipe is a fairly basic recipe, and you can adjust it to your own tastes.  You can use milk or dark chocolate instead of white chocolate to make the ganache, and you can also use milk or dark chocolate to coat the truffles.  You can also alter the flavorings to suit your tastes.  You could add orange essence instead of peppermint essence for a true orange taste.  You could add rosewater or lavender essence.  You don’t have to add any flavor at all, but rather leave the chocolate plain.  You can also top the truffles with crushed nuts, icing sugar or shaved chocolate.  The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

 

Enjoy!