Chocolate Holiday Truffles

These luxurious Chocolate Holiday Truffles are a rich and velvety concoction of chocolate and cream that is then rolled into cocoa powder.

The holiday season, for all its good cheer, purposeful memory-making, and good intentions, can feel a bit like a gauntlet. Expectations are high, and responsibilities to loved ones and strangers alike are at their yearly peak. After all, we must bedeck our halls in boughs of greenery laced with silver sparkles, while graven images of rotund icemen must be raised upon our lawns and set amidst tangles of clumsily arranged electrical lights - fire hazards be damned. Then, of course, the ferns must be set within our living rooms, and offerings of cookies prepared for an ancient sleigh driver, whom legend tells us is curiously adept at reverse burglaries.

All of this, of course, is aimed at creating an atmosphere of seasonal joy unique to the height of winter, even if the ever-elusive 'White Christmas' evades us yet again.

In my home, food is at the core of nearly every 'big' event, and the Christmas season is no exception. From a child, some of my fondest memories revolve not only around food or sweet treats themselves, but in the preparation these goodies, whether helping my mother in the kitchen as a child, or inviting my own kids into the kitchen with me to help prepare the holiday feast. In other words, sweet treats become three-holiday gifts in one, time with the family, the treat itself, and then finally serving them to guests.

Of course, little has changed over the years in that regard, though there have been some key tweaks to the food in question. This, naturally, brings us to today's recipe - Chocolate Holiday Truffles which are quickly becoming one of my new holiday favorites. Truth be told, I prepared a test batch of these before Thanksgiving, and had every intention of creating little 'truffle pyramids' for the dessert spread, but amidst the hectic lead up to the holiday, I simply never got the chance. Needless to say, I'm not skipping the opportunity to showcase these to the family for Christmas.

Ingredient Checklist - Everything You'll Need

• Semi-sweet chocolate - Semi-sweet is best here. The truffles are balanced out by the bitterness of the cocoa powder they're rolled in. I think dark chocolate would produce a very bitter end result unless you fancy a bite to your truffles. When I originally posted this recipe, I had at the time, melted down semi-sweet chocolate candies which you can also do.
• Butter - Butter smooths the chocolate out as it melts and produces a nice gloss to the texture. Don't skip the butter. Alternatively, coconut oil can be used here as well.
• Heavy Cream - It goes without saying that the fresh cream adds to the richness of the chocolate. You'll get a gorgeous ganache base which is exactly what you want.
• Confectioner's Sugar - Powdered sugar mixes in the best in today's recipe and I prefer it over granulated sugar for the smoothest texture. It helps to thicken the chocolate as well, so it is easier to shape.
• Cocoa Powder - You can get creative here and roll your truffles in a lot of different toppings. You can coat them in melted chocolate, drizzle them with white chocolate, or roll them in nuts, coconut flakes, or even dried fruit. Cocoa powder is the traditional topping and is the easiest. It produces an elegant bite-sized treat but the bitterness of the cocoa powder brings out all the flavors too.

Chocolate Holiday Truffles

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• Author: Living the Gourmet
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 dozen 1x

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups chopped semi-sweet chocolate
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• Cocoa powder for coating

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Instructions

1. In a double broiler, melt down chocolate, honey, and butter. Once the chocolate has melted down, turn the heat off and stir in the cream until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the confectioner's sugar and stir until the mixture is thick.  Refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
3. Take a rounded teaspoon and scoop chocolate, shaping with the palm of your hands into a spherical ball.  Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Return to the refrigerator again for another 20 minutes.
4. In a small bowl of cocoa powder roll each truffle until evenly coated.
5. Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator to preserve freshness.  Take the truffles out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

Prep Time does not include Inactive Prep Time

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour - Overnight
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: French

Obviously, these are great decorative pieces, able to set around the edges of a larger dessert platter, set into pyramids on their own, or even just set in a nice holiday tray and served as the side to a larger spread, making them supremely versatile.

What are some of your favorite holiday desserts? We would love to hear from you!

^{This post was originally published 11/30/2016 in partnership with MARS Incorporated through Collective Bias media. The images and print have been updated.}