We’re celebrating because we’ve hit 100 likes on our Facebook page, so we’re making something special- truffles! And not just any truffles either! We came up with some unique coatings including crushed banana chips and smashed chocolate covered espresso beans. Truffles are essentially 2 parts chocolate to one part heavy cream with the addition of butter, liquor flavorings, or flavored extracts in some recipes. The fun, and sometimes the hardest part, is deciding what you will roll your truffles in. After much deliberation, here’s the 6 coatings we settled on:

• Choolate Truffles:
  • non-pareils (rainbow colored sprinkles)
  • shredded coconut flakes
  • crushed banana chips
• White Chocolate Truffles:
  • chopped dried cranberries
  • crushed cashews
  • smashed chocolate covered espresso beans

Ingredients:

Chocolate Truffles

• 10 oz. chocolate chips, 60% bittersweet
• 5 oz. heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. butter, unsalted
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Coating 1 – 1/4 c. non-pareils (rainbow colored sprinkles)
• Coating 2 – 1 oz. shredded coconut flakes
• Coating 3 – 1 oz. crushed banana chips

Method of Preparation-

1. In a saucepan, over a low flame, heat the 5 ounces of heavy cream with the 1 tablespoon of butter until just bubbling around the edge of the pan.
2. Place 60% bittersweet chocolate chips into a bowl. Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir to combine. The mixture should be glossy with no lumps of chocolate. ** If not all chocolate melted, place into the microwave at 10 second intervals, removing the bowl and stirring each time.
3. Allow to come to room temperature, place plastic wrap over the bowl, and set in the refrigerator to set; about 1 and 1/2 hours.
4. Using a 1 teaspoon scoop, scoop the chocolate (level it in the scoop) and place onto a sheet tray covered with a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper.
5. Return the tray to the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
6. Prepare your coatings:
   1. In a bowl, measure out 1/4 cup of non-pareils. Set aside.
   2. In a bowl, place 1 ounce of the shredded coconut flakes.
   3. In a mini food processor, crush the banana chips until pulverized. Set aside in a bowl. Rinse the pieces.
7. Now the fun part! – roll each truffle in between the palms of your hands to smooth the edges. Divide equally and press the coatings into each truffle. We had 12 of each kind for a total of 36 chocolate truffles.

White Chocolate Truffles 

• 10 oz. white chocolate chips
• 5 oz. heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. butter, unsalted
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• Coating 1 – 1 oz. chocolate covered espresso beans
• Coating 2 – 1 oz. crushed cashews
• Coating 3 – 2 oz. chopped dries cranberries

Method of Preparation –

1. In a saucepan, over a low flame, heat the 5 ounces of heavy cream with the 1 tablespoon of butter until just bubbling around the edge of the pan.
2. Place the white chocolate chips into a bowl. Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir to combine. The mixture should be glossy with no lumps of chocolate. ** If not all chocolate melted, place into the microwave at 10 second intervals, removing the bowl and stirring each time.
3. Allow to come to room temperature, place plastic wrap over the bowl, and set in the refrigerator to set; about 1 and 1/2 hours.
4. Using a 1 teaspoon scoop, scoop the chocolate (level it in the scoop) and place onto a sheet tray covered with a non-stick baking mat or parchment paper.
5. Place this tray in the freezer (not refrigerator like the chocolate ones) for about 20 minutes.
6. Prepare your coatings:
   1. In a mini food processor, crush the chocolate covered espresso beans until pulverized. Set aside in a bowl.
   2. Rinse the pieces and repeat with the cashews.
   3. Finely chop the dried cranberries by hand (it didn’t go so well in the food processor!)
7. Now the fun part! – roll each truffle in between the palms of your hands to smooth the edges. Divide equally and press the coatings into each truffle. We had a total of 32 chocolate truffles which we divided into 3 equals piles of 10 each. The extra 2 became taste testers! 🙂

Enjoy!