Chocolate Truffles

One of my personal must-haves for the Christmas season is homemeade chocolate truffles. Great to have on hand for holiday entertaining or a quick and simple gift idea, perhaps even as a hostess gift for those Christmas parties on your schedule. The chocolate orange truffles pictured here are a particular favorite but there are so many other favorite combinations as well. Try orange and rum combined too, another of my favorites.

Chocolate Truffles
8 ounces dark chocolate chopped in small pieces
6 ounces whipping cream

The quality of the finished truffles depends on the quality of the chocolate that you use. Check the cocoa content of the chocolate and use one that has a minimum of 50% cocoa.

Chop chocolate and place in a bowl. Bring the whipping cream just to a boil and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt before whisking the mixture until smooth.

At this point you can leave them plain or add a flavouring of your choice. You can use 2 ounces of your favourite liqueur. Kahlua, Irish Cream, Frangelico, rum, bourbon or brandy all work well; basically any flavour that goes well with chocolate. The zest of a small orange that has been finely chopped is great for chocolate orange truffles as well. Boil raspberries with a little sugar and then strain the seeds out through a sieve and use 2 ounces of the finished seedless jam in the chocolate for chocolate raspberry truffles.

Line a baking dish with plastic wrap and pour in the chocolate mixture. Chill for several hours before cutting into bite size portions. These can then be left as squares or rolled into balls and then rolled in cocoa, icing sugar, chopped nuts or coconut.
These truffles will store for a few weeks in the refrigerator or several months if frozen.