Chocolate Truffles
- Prep: 15m
- Cook: 10m
- Serves: 25
These are the work of moments and make lovely gifts. They are proper grown up treats with rich, dark chocolate and strong flavours.
Method
- Chop the chocolate into small chunks and put it in a glass or metal bowl set with the cream. Set over a pan of gently simmering water for 5-8 minutes until the chocolate melts into the cream. Stir occasionally. The knack is to stir enough to combine the cream and chocolate but not so vigorously that the chocolate seizes from overwork. Remove from the heat and mix in the orange zest.
- Pour the mixture into a tuppaware. Don’t put a lid on the tuppaware or the condensation will collect on it and drip onto your mixture which might make it split. Refrigerate until set, at least an hour but ideally longer.
- Sprinkle the cocoa powder onto a baking tray. Then, using a teaspoon or melon-baller, scoop out lumps of the set truffle mixture and shape it into rough balls with your hands. Drop each truffle into the cocoa and toss it around to coat. Repeat until all the mixture is used up.
- Shake the excess cocoa off the truffles then put them into bags, tins or jars to give away. Store in the fridge. They will keep until the cream’s best before date.
- Variations: you can replace the orange zest with almost any flavouring and the cocoa with any coating. See ingredients list for suggestions. Just add your chosen flavouring once the mixture has melted and use the coating in place of the cocoa.
Ingredients
All to be sourced organic where possible
- 150g 70% dark chocolate
- 150ml double cream
- 2 oranges, zested
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- Other flavourings such as pink peppercorns, stem ginger, rum, chilli (optional)
- Other coatings such as poppy seeds, chopped nuts (optional)
