Updated post on 1/12/2016

Prepared some truffles and decide to upload new pictures. Today I have used almond marzipan icing wrap with a macadamia nut. On the outer surface, mostly pecan nuts and macadamia nuts.

If you are interested in making marzipan which is not sweet if home made, you can refer to this post : German Classic Christmas Bread Stollen (德国圣诞面包 – 史多伦）. In fact it is very easy .

Updated post on 17-11-2014

Decided to take some new picture for this post and prepare Baileys almond truffles.. Preparing this is definitely not difficult but a bit messier. Any attempt with melted chocolate is messy as  I would say. Just remember to use hot water to wash your utensils.

For this batch, instead of coating all with cocoa powder, I have decided to coat some with melted chocolate. There is no big deal for this. Just have some cooking chocolate, microwave in the microwaveable bowl for 30 seconds. Take out your cold truffles, roll against the melted chocolate and it can dry rather fast at room temperature.  Melt some white chocolate in microwave, transfer to a piping bag, cut a small hole and pipe the white chocolate with your desired pattern on the chocolate coated truffles…

INTRODUCTION

When I am writing my “Homemade Macadamia Chocolate” post yesterday, it reminded me that I have some leftover chocolate that I want to use it to make some Chocolate Truffles. Oh, my waist line is expanding uncontrollably since I started blogging half a year ago despite I gave away so many bakes and sweets.. Ha-ha. However, I still can’t stop exploring recipes that I think are interesting to share with readers.

It may not be common in this part of the world to home make chocolate truffles, however, you may heard of the world famous chocolate truffles such as Godiva, Lindt’s Lindor Truffles, Chocmod Truffles, Carnat Belgium Truffles etc… As usual, let’s learn together about this famous sweets from Wikipedia:

“A chocolate truffle is a type of chocolate confectionery, traditionally made with a chocolate ganache centre coated in chocolate, icing sugar, cocoa powder or chopped toasted nuts (typically hazelnuts, almonds or coconut), usually in a spherical, conical, or curved shape. Other fillings may replace the ganache: cream, melted chocolate, caramel, nuts, almonds, berries, or other assorted sweet fruits, nougat, fudge, or toffee, mint,chocolate chips, marshmallow, and, popularly, liqueur.” (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_truffle)

Making chocolate truffles, depending what you want, is definitely not difficult and ingredients are simple. However, as with all other bake items deal with chocolate, it is MESSY. What I am sharing is a simple version of chocolate truffles. Traditional truffles were coated with cocoa powder, resembling those real truffles (a type of very expensive mushroom) grow in the forest, squeezing itself out of the dust and dead leaves in the forest.

In fact, it came across my mind to get some 24 carat gold leaves to sprinkle or put on the truffles, however, the costs are just too high for my blogging purposes. It costs SGD102 for 25 edible 24 carat gold leaves. I shelved the idea of having gold leaves…Taking pictures for these brown chocolate floury balls were extremely difficult. After half an hour of taking the pictures, I felt that the picture are “ugly” and I decide to coat the truffles with additional dark chocolates, another messy attempt. Well it looks better than the chocolate mouldy balls but is still a brown ball.

I then decided to use the leftover melted chocolate to coated with some beautiful candy beads (if there is such a word) and came out with my 3rd version, candy beads coated chocolate truffles. I could still have many alternatives if I want to, to coat with chopped nuts, shelf chocolates, desiccated coconuts and etc.… But I think that is adequate to share with readers about the process of home making some chocolate truffles. Well, images are still less than satisfactory.

WHAT IS REQUIRED

Recipe adapted from: Chocolate Truffles

• 250 grams of compound dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup of normal whipping cream or heavy whipping cream
• 30 grams of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons of hard liquor such as brandy, whisky, Bailey, Tia Maria etc.. ( I have used Bailey) – not in picture

For coating, either or all (Not in picture)

• 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder with 3 tablespoons of icing sugar
• 50 grams of compound dark chocolate, melted in microwave for 1-2 minutes.
• Adequate of candy beads (of your choice) for coating

STEPS OF PREPARATION

• Melt the chocolate in the microwavable bowl for 1-1.5 minutes (depending on your microwave). Stir it until smooth. When the melted chocolate is still hot, add in the butter and normal cream. Stir using a spatula or balloon whisk until smooth. You have to be fast in your action because it can solidify rather easily.

• Transfer it into a piping bag, pipe it into a plate or baking tray with baking paper. Chill the chocolate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Well, the timing is rather subjective. As long as there is a shape and you can easily take out from the parchment paper, it is consider as okay for the next step.

• There is no picture for the following steps as my hand is full of chocolate but it is not hard to visualize the procedures.

• Before you take the truffles out of the refrigerator, get ready a bowl or some container and put your ingredients for coating (cocoa powder + icing sugar, or melted dark chocolate, or candy beads).

• Take the piped chocolate out from the refrigerator, use your hands to roll into a ball. It will still be a bit sticky. However, if it is too sticky, put it back to the refrigerator and wait for another 10-20 minutes. Otherwise, put some of the coating in your hand and continue rolling. Remember, as it is a ganache (meaning chocolate plus cream and butter), it will not turn hard like pure chocolate. Immediately after you rolled, just coat the truffle with the cocoa powder/candy beads in the bowl. As for dark chocolate coating, just drop the balls into the melted chocolates and take it out using a fork and let the excess chocolate the drip through the fork.

• Remember that it is common that after your rolling, your hands will be full of soft chocolate which is rather messy. Don’t stain your cloth and drip all over the place. You can consider using a glove if you want to. When you clean your utensils, splash some hot water to your utensils before you wash with detergent.

• Pack in nice boxes for guests or serve as desserts after dinner. If you are adventurous enough, you can try to add fillings like waffles, coconut fillings, nuts and change the flavour to strawberry, coffee and etc..

CONCLUSION

Another idea for your Christmas gifts. Remember, anything deal with chocolate is messy but I believed your guest will you impressed by your hard work. Yes, before I end, just one word of advise, prepare this to give it to your dearest ones, otherwise, I am not responsible for your expanding waist lines.. Ha-ha