{originally posted on my friend Ashlee’s blog as part of her Valentines series! See the series here}
I might not be big on holiday decorating, but I’m big on holiday food! Valentines Day is the perfect time to make something simple and sweet for yourself or someone you love. I can’t resist recipes that are as decadent as they are simple to make, and for these beautiful little truffles you only need four ingredients, and no special cooking skills. No really, I promise!
I can’t think of a better way to inspire love than a serving of some homemade truffles, they’re guaranteed to impress and couldn’t be less intimidating to try.
Overnight Truffles
Grab:
8 oz Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate (about 3/4 of a bag)
1/2 C heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Cocoa Powder for coating
Okay!
1. In a small saucepan simmer whipping cream until it starts to reduce (look for lots of bubbling and some evaporation)
2. Pour chocolate in a separate bowl, pour the hot cream over it and add vanilla. Allow to stand for a few minutes, then stir until smooth.
3. Pour into a large, flat container and allow to cool in a refrigerator for two hours.
4. Scrape up the truffle mixture with a teaspoon, and form into small balls.
Tip: Rolling the truffles works best when done with cold hands! After every other truffle is made, rinse your hands in cold water and pat them dry before starting. If you can keep the truffles from melting in your hands they’ll have a polished and professional looking finish once they’re coated.
5.Place on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment papers, and refrigerate overnight.
6. Roll in cocoa powder to coat and serve, or return to refrigerator until they can’t be resisted any longer.
Ideas…
You can make your truffles fancier by adding mint leaves, cinnamon sticks or cardamom pods to the whipping cream as it simmers and then skimming them out before moving to step two.
And you can coat them in anything you like! Finely chopped walnuts or almonds would be amazing.
Enjoy- and be sure to treat yourself this Valentines Day! :)
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I love making truffles! It is so simple and so indulgent!!
MMM, I’ve made them before and I recall them being kind of a pain. Maybe it was just that the process was so messy? So good though!
Oh I’m totally sneaky and found a way to make it manageable! If you visit the guest post there’s a tip in the middle of it that will make it much less of a headache! :)
OOH yum. I WISH I were in the neighborhood. Those look good.
Yum!!! I totally would indulge if someone was making them..but I would never make for fear of inhaling the entire batch on my own!!
TFS :-)
Why can’t I be in the neighborhood!? Drat.
I just had an email about cheap flights to Canada. Perhaps I should revisit that. These look fabulous and I’m jealous of your friends in the neighborhood!
YES! I love making truffles!
Oh my word! Those look so good. Ah! Truffles are *the* best. ♥
xo.
ah! drool. i’m having a valentine’s day celebration with my (7) housemates, and i think these are a must-have on the hor’dourve menu!!
Omg – these kind of truffles are my *favorite*! I used to work in a chocolate store for years during school, so Valentines always has me craving it! om nom. :) Thanks for the recipe!!
They look wonderful. I’d have never thought it would be easy enough to try and make your own truffels. You might just have changed my mind ;)
Those look incredible. I’ve never ventured into candy-making land. It all seems a bit intimidating…
Dude! I made truffles a while back and I photographed them in almost the exact same bowl. Great minds, Kyla Roma, great minds… However, I’ve gotta say, I do think your truffles look a little more tasty than mine. i dont think that I put enough cocoa powder on mine. they soaked in all of the powder i put on them within about 30 minutes, and in 15 more minutes, started to turn into big, gooey messes! they were still delicious! i flavored mine with fresh raspberries and steeped raspberry tea in the cream after it has boiled, a method i will certainly try again. i dont usually link myself, but in case you want to see the uncanny truffle bowl… http://laurenlyles.blogspot.com/2011/01/sweet-tooth.html
I just made these, however mine turned into melted blobs even at the forming balls stage. :(
On the bright side, they have now been made into chocolate sauce :)
Oh no! That sounds to me like you might have added a little too much cream into them? They should be just a little looser than a fudge consistency when you’re going to roll them, and keeping your hands really cold when you roll them can be really helpful :)
At the same time, that must be awesome chocolate sauce! Enjoy :) :)
In Hungary, the true truffles are very expensive. So I skip this recipe. Addigis read books in a little mushroom.
http://www.konyv-konyvek.hu/book_images/93a/285501393a.jpg