‘Tis the season for small treats and treasures to share with family and friends; and the nice thing about this recipe from the barefoot contessa is that it is wicked simple to make.
But…
you’re gonna need some patience, along with parchment paper and space in your fridge to let the finished truffles firm up. After that, they’re good for weeks in a covered container in the fridge.
Just so you know to plan ahead, you’re gonna need about two hours to pull these together, tho’ you’ll only be working on ’em for about 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
•1/2 lb good bittersweet chocolate such as Lindt
•1/2 lb good semisweet chocolate such as Ghiradelli
•1 cup heavy cream
•2 tbsp Grand Marnier – I used Cointreau
•1 tbsp prepared coffee
•1/2 tsp vanilla extract
•Confectioners’ sugar
•Cocoa powder
A note on the chocolate: I used a couple of flavored dark chocolate bars I had laying around and made up the difference with Guittard dark chocolate chips.
Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife and place them in a heat-proof mixing bowl.
Or, you could pop the chocolate into the bowl of your food processor and pulse until nicely chopped. Worked for me.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils, then turn off the heat and allow the cream to rest for 20 seconds.
Place a fine meshed sieve over the bowl with the chocolate and pour the cream through it.
Slowly whisk the cream and chocolate together until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.
Stir in the Cointreau, coffee, and vanilla; then set aside to rest at room temperature for one hour.
Here’s another spot where I diverged from the contessa; she calls for shaping the truffles into balls using two teaspoons. I happen to have a small (about 1-1/4 inch) cookie scoop that worked a treat.
However you shape your truffles, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop ’em into the fridge for 30 minutes, or until they’re nicely firmed up.
Once the truffles have set, sift some confectioners’ sugar into a flat bottomed bowl and some unsweetened cocoa into another flat bottomed bowl.
Roll each truffle in your hands to roughly make a round (OK, roundish) ball.
Roll each truffle in confectioners’ sugar, then in the cocoa powder to coat.
I just keep ’em in a plastic container in the fridge, but for gift giving, I line a small decorative tin with parchment paper and arrange the truffles like this.
Nice treat, not too, too stuffy to make.
Be certain to tell folk that, yes, these should be stored in the fridge, but they should be served at room temperature.