Stay Cool And Make Truffles

Chocolate truffles are easy to make and don't heat up the kitchen!

Don't get me wrong, I love and always will love baking — it's just that heating up the oven isn't quite as appealing in an 85-degree kitchen without air conditioning.

Good thing there is still a way to stay cool while whipping up some killer sweet treats. Homemade truffles are a great summer dessert alternative because you can use a microwave to heat the heavy cream for the ganache and you can get creative with the use of different flavorings and coatings.

For my recent batch of truffles, I added espresso powder to a dark chocolate ganache and rolled them in three different coatings — toasted walnuts, toasted coconut and dark cocoa powder.

Another option is to coat the truffles in melted chocolate and sprinkle the tops with nuts, candied fruit, colorful sugars, crushed espresso beans or fine sea salt...just about anything works.

The only hard rule is that if you want to add a flavoring the ganache, be certain to use alcohol-based extracts, not water-based, or your chocolate will seize. Flavorful alcohols like Kahlua, Amaretto, Grand Marnier and Kirsch work really well.

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Truffles 
1 pound of chocolate, chopped or in chip form (My favorite is dark chocolate but milk or a combination of dark and milk also works.)
1 cup of heavy cream
alcohol based flavoring or 1 tablespoon espresso powder, optional

Place the chocolate in a mixing bowl.

Heat the cream in the microwave in 30-second intervals until it is simmering, stirring between intervals. Watch the cream closely so that it doesn't boil over. In my microwave the cream was simmering in just 90 seconds.

Pour the simmering cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. This is the time if you choose, to add flavorings to the ganache, just make sure the flavoring is alcohol-based. Water and chocolate do not mix! Set the mixture aside to cool until it's firm and scoopable. This takes about 1 hour. You can put the mixture in the fridge to speed the process.

When it's ready, scoop portions of the ganache onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I used a 1-inch ball scoop for the task. Place the scoops of ganache in the refrigerator on a parchement lined sheetpan to chill for 20 to 30 minutes to firm them up enough so that you can use your hands to roll them into balls.

The scoops of ganache before chilling.

After the chilling, the scoops of ganache were easy to roll into balls.

After rolling the truffles into balls, roll them in the coating of your choice or dip them into melted chocolate.  I chose to roll them dark cocoa powder, chopped toasted walnuts and shredded coconut.

Rolling a truffle in chopped walnuts. You have to work quickly and get the truffle back into the fridge as soon as possible. Once chilled, place the truffles in candy papers and keep them stored in the refrigerator  until you are ready to serve.

Valentine Treat Preview

I just finished packaging my last batch of cookies for tomorrow's Valentine Sweet Sale at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and am happy to say everything is looking great and I'm anxious to start selling and raising funds for Hunger Ministries. 

Here are a few pictures from a busy week preparing for the sale and a few previews of what will be for sale tomorrow from 9 a.m. to noon in Kempton Hall at the church (147 NW 19th Ave, Portland Oregon). I hope to see you there!

I dedicated Thursday and Friday to cookie baking and decorating. These brushed embroidery cookies were the first design I tackled.

I also had to include a heart design. I used a heart cookie cutter to make an impression in the cookies before baking. The first step in decorating these was to paint the heart with pink royal icing.

These cookies demonstrate the three steps to decorating the heart cookies.

Finished cookies that just need to dry before packaging.

Of course I also had to make some French Macarons. I thought cherry would be a good choice for Valentine's Day.

I filled the macarons with a Morello cherry buttercream.

I also made some salted caramel macarons because they are always well received and I thought they would look nice packaged alongside the  cherry macarons.

The final touch in packaging the macarons was a homemade tag and some butcher's twine.

Saturday morning it was truffle packaging time. Here I am filling truffle boxes with Dave who with his wife Cheryl made all of the truffles. Our friends Cindy and Terri also came by to help with the packaging.

Each five-piece box contains three dark and two milk chocolate truffles.

The final touch to the truffle boxes was adding a pretty bow and a paper heart. Terri and Cindy tied all of the ribbons and did a wonderful job. I love the way the boxes turned out and I have my friends to thank. If the bow tying was all up to me, I'd still be struggling — it's definitely not my talent.  But like Terri said today, "many hands make light work." It was a team effort and I'm grateful.

Valentine Sweet Sale

These mini Valentine cookies will be for sale!

It's time again for the Valentine Sweet Sale to benefit Trinity Episcopal Cathedral's Food Ministries which supports The Wednesday Community Meal. The annual sale is one of Food Ministries' largest fundraisers but last year's sale sadly had to be cancelled because of icy winter weather. We're hoping to make up for it this year and sell out.

I've been busy making cookies and my friends and cohorts Cheryl and Dave Richardson have been busy making Belgian chocolate truffles. All of the sweets will be beautifully packaged and ready to give to your loved ones.

Here are the details:

Valentine Sweet Sale to Benefit Food Ministries
Sunday February 8, 9 a.m. to noon in Kempton Hall at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (147 NW 19th Avenue, Portland, Oregon). Buy Belgian chocolate truffles and cookies for all your loved ones and at the same time support Trinity’s Food Ministries. The sweets are handmade by chocolatiers and bakers from The Wednesday Community Meal and will be beautifully packaged and ready to give.

Packaging Truffles

Homemade truffles make wonderful gifts, especially when packaged beautifully with some loving care and attention to detail.

Now don't get me wrong, no one is going to reject a pile of truffles delivered on a paper plate but it's definitely more thoughtful to present them in way that's aesthetically pleasing and looks professional. Packaging truffles is also inexpensive to do with a little recycling, crafting and creativity. I actually think the packaging part is fun. Adults need art projects too!

Here's how:

After coating the truffles, I used chopped walnuts, shredded coconut and dark cocoa powder, chill the truffles for at least 30 minutes before packaging them.

After they've chilled, place the truffles in individual paper candy cups. The cups are inexpensive and can be found in craft and baking specialty stores as well as the baking department of many grocery stores. The papers keep the truffles secure and tidy.

I reused and upcycled a 4-piece candy box by covering it with craft paper.  I adhered the paper to the box with double-sided adhesive squares. Double stick tape would also work and I used my trusty large paper punch to make a tag. You could also fold your own box using the easy Origami method.  Click here for an instructional video showing how.

I covered the bottom of the box by cutting paper to fit and adhering it with adhesive squares.

To cover the top, I cut a piece of paper large enough to cover the top and sides plus 1/2-inch extra all around. Then from the corners, I cut diagonally to the corners of the top of the box.

Then, using the adhesive squares to stick the paper, I wrapped the box.

A tag made with the paper punch and an adhesive label adds that final touch.  I also padded the box with a bit of tissue paper and snugly placed the truffles in the box.

Another packaging option is to use self-sealing cellophane bags and attach a homemade tag with butcher's twine or ribbon. There are of course other options too so get creative and share some homemade truffles with your family and friends. It's fun!

Dark Chocolate Truffles

I used my recent batch of Dark Chocolate Truffles to garnish a cake.

Dark Chocolate Truffles are the answer if you are searching for a homemade treat that is as impressive as it is easy to make.

Truffles are rich, creamy and elegant yet can be made in no time with minimal ingredients and effort. They're just chocolate ganache, cooled, scooped, shaped into balls and rolled in a coating.

The only trick really is to use good quality dark chocolate. My preference is Callebaut Belgian Dark Chocolate. I use the callets which are chocolate bits similar to chocolate chips but without the peak on top. I like to use the callets because it eliminates having to chop the chocolate.

My chocolate choice.

I also like that you can make an assortment of different kinds of truffles by splitting a single batch and just adding different flavorings or liquors to the ganache and rolling them in different coatings like cocoa powder, sprinkles, nuts or coconut.

For a recent batch that I used to decorate a tiered Anniversary Cake, I make the most basic kind — just dark chocolate ganache coated with dark cocoa powder — Simple but soooo goooood!

Here's how I made them:

Place one pound of dark chocolate pieces in a mixing bowl.

Measure out one cup of heavy cream. Heat the cream in the microwave in 30-second intervals until it is simmering, stirring between intervals. Watch the cream closely so that it doesn't boil over. In my microwave the cream was simmering in just 90 seconds.

Pour the simmering cream over the chocolate and whisk until smooth. This is the time if you choose to add flavorings to the ganache, just make sure the flavoring is alcohol based. Water and chocolate do not mix! Liqueurs like Grand Marnier and Ameretto and extracts like peppermint and raspberry are a few of my favorites. Set the mixture aside to cool for 1 hour.

After one hour, scoop portions of the ganache onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I used a 1-inch ball scoop for the task. Place the scoops of ganache in the refrigerator to chill for 20 to 30 minutes to firm them enough so that using your hands you can roll them into balls.

After rolling the truffles into balls, roll them in the coating of your choice. I chose dark cocoa powder.

Here are the finished truffles that I used to decorate the cake.

A closeup of the finished cake. To keep the truffles secure, I piped buttercream around them.

Oreo Truffles

A box of Oreo Truffles for my husband to take to work and share. Seriously, these are so addictive that I had to get them out of the house.

A truffle close-up.

How can something that is so easy to make, taste so good?

These Oreo Truffles are crazy good. After tasting one for the first time, my husband who is usually very articulate, couldn't even talk when I asked him what he thought. His eyes just got really big and he smiled and smiled.

I came about making these no-bake chocolate treats because the couple whose wedding I am going to prepare a dessert buffet for this summer, specifically requested them. The bride is a teacher and apparently a mom brought some to the school to share and they were a huge hit.

It was easy for me to find a recipe for these online because they are very popular. There are a lot of variations though. Some use white chocolate for the coating, some add vanilla extract to the truffle center and some add a sprinkling of Oreo crumbs to the chocolate coating.

Because I was making them for the first time, I went basic and kept the recipe to three ingredients for my variation — Oreo cookies, cream cheese and dark chocolate.

Here is the recipe:

Oreo Truffles
(makes 40)
1 14.3-oz. package classic Oreo cookies (not Double Stuffed)
1 8-oz. cream cheese, softened
12-oz. package dark chocolate chips

Put all of the cookies into a food processor.

Process until you have fine cookie crumbs.

Put the cookie crumbs in a mixing bowl and add the cream cheese.

Mix until the cream cheese is thoroughly combined and a soft chocolate dough forms.

Use a 1-inch scoop to make even sized blobs of truffle centers. Place the centers in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

Once the centers have chilled, roll them in your hands to shape them into balls.

 Melt 9-ounces of the chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl by heating the chocolate in 30-second intervals on medium high heat, stirring after each time. Once the chocolate is thoroughly melted, add the remaining 3 ounces of chocolate and stir until it is also melted. This method is called seeding and tempers the chocolate.

Dip the truffles, one at a time, into the melted dark chocolate and place them on a parchment lined sheetpan to set up. I at first thought I would use a skewer to dip the truffles but it didn't work well. Inserting a skewer into the centers weakened them and they fell apart. I found it best and easiest to just use my hands and work as quickly as possible while still being gentle with the truffle centers.

To help encourage the chocolate coating to set up, you can place them in the refrigerator.

Little truffle cups and a pretty box make for a nice presentation. Keep the truffles stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator — that is if they last that long!