Truffles!!

Truffles!

Decadent, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth, chocolatey goodness!

Brett, Moira, Audrey, and Isabel came to try out a recipe for truffles. If successful, they would make them again in a few weeks for the dessert auction at their church. This great activity is a scholarship fundraiser for the college students of Hope Mennonite. Over the years they have raised thousands of dollars!

The auction is held on Super Bowl Sunday. Bidding takes place during the fellowship time between church and Sunday school. After Sunday school is over, bids are finalized and the lucky bidders have delicious desserts to take to their Super Bowl parties. We think it is a fabulous idea for a wonderful cause!

It's so much fun to cook and experiment together!

Brett had seven different ingredients for coating the truffles, toasted coconut, chopped pecans, chopped pistachios, cocoa powder, diced Andes peppermint chips, diced Andes mint chips, chocolate sprinkles, and a milk chocolate for dipping. All received rave reviews except the cocoa powder, which was too bitter for Dewey palates.

It took all of five minutes to bring the cream to simmer, add the butter cubes and stir in chocolate chips. It had to chill in refrigerator at least two hours. Brett went back home to work out so he could justify sampling. :) The girls stayed for a game of Spoons and then went back home to finish their Saturday cleaning.

After the chocolate had chilled, Brett scooped it into balls, using the small end of a melon baller. The girls rolled the truffles in the coatings and placed in mini candy papers. With all of them working together, it went very smoothly and quickly. Then the really fun part began - the sampling! They agreed that the nuts, coconut, mints, and the dipping chocolate were coatings of choice. Next job? What will they name their dessert? Maybe Dewey Delights.

So how to present? This was an idea, using one of my plates. A nice plate with three rows of six truffles, all tied up in cellophane and ribbon. Brett thought he would prepare two plates, one for each Super Bowl team, tied with ribbon in team colors. So how much would you bid???  I bet this will go for at least $50!

Recipe (which he got from allrecipes.com).

Truffles
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons butter, cut in cubes
1-3/4 cups 60% Ghiradelli chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, bring cream to a simmer. Add butter to melt. Stir in chocolate until melted. Put in shallow dish and cover. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Scoop with melon baller and roll in coatings of choice.

Our note: This is a rich, very dark chocolate. You may want to mix in some semi-sweet chocolate chips to offset the bitter chocolate.