Chocolate Truffles

At this time of year, I love to make chocolate truffles flavored with my organic Artemesia liqueurs. So delicious, such a nice gift, (so tasty with a sip of my liqueur!) And truth to tell, although they are time-consuming on a large scale, they really are not hard to make at all. Maybe I shouldn't admit that.....

I have been making truffles flavored with Artemesia Buddha's Hand Citron liqueur, Artemesia Orahovica Walnut Liqueur and Artemesia Kumquat Liqueur to delicious effect for several years. This year, I decided to experiment, and tried flavoring them with my Artemesia Oro Blanco Grapefruit and Meyer Lemon with Rosemary Liqueurs. Wow! Although the recipe doesn't incorporate much liqueur, the flavors really shine through the chocolate. I made three whole batches of truffles in the last week, (about 58 truffles per batch) and I'm already down to a very small handful. That's how popular they are!

Truffles are made by making a ganache (chocolate and heavy cream) and flavoring it in a variety of different ways. There are many, many recipes out there, each with slightly varying proportions of chocolate and cream. Some call for butter, too. This recipe really focuses on the chocolate, so choose a good quality, bittersweet one to be your base. Likewise, use a good quality, unsweetened cocoa powder to roll them in. (I use Trader Joe's Organic 73% super dark chocolate for the ganache, and Trader Joe's Organic Cocoa Powder; very good quality at a very good price.)


Chocolate Truffles

Yields about fify 1/2 ounce truffles

20 ounces 73% organic chocolate, chopped fine
1 1/2 cups heavy organic cream
9 TB full-flavored Artemesia Liqueur
Unsweetened organic cocoa powder for rolling

Put the chocolate in a large, heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a medium-sized, heavy sauce pan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, and continue to boil for about 1 minute; this will prolong the shelf-life by killing any rogue organisms. Keep a close watch on it - don't let it boil up and over! (Did you just accidentally let it boil up and over, because you got distracted for 30 seconds? No worries, you don't have to toss it, but you will have to beat it into the chocolate with more effort, and stir it occasionally as it cools in the fridge to keep it from separating.)

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, and let it sit for a few minutes. The heat of the cream will melt the chocolate. With a wooden spoon, stir the chocolate/cream mixture until they are well blended and all the chocolate bits are melted and incorporated.

If you wish to make three different flavors, subdivide this into 3 even portions in 3 smaller ceramic or glass bowls or containers, and use 3TB of each of the flavors of liqueur for the smaller batches. Now add the liqueur(s), stirring vigorously with your spoon to incorporate the liqueur. At this point, the base begins cooling and separating, and it looks like it will never come together. Do not panic! Keep stirring, and I promise that the whole thing will become smooth and emulsified again. Cover, label, and repeat with each flavor. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally if necessary to incorporate the butterfat. Refrigerate the base until the whole is solid, at least an hour.

About an hour before you roll the truffles, take all of them out of the refrigerator to warm up a little. If they are completely chilled, it can be a little hard-going when you scoop. The glass or ceramic bowl keeps each batch at the desired temperature until you can get to it.

Sift about a 1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder into a pie dish. Using a 1/2 ounce (1.25" wide) cookie dough scoop, melon-baller, or a teaspoon, scoop the ganache into even-size balls. Roll it a little in the palm of your (very clean) hand or with your (equally clean) fingers to round it off, and drop it into the cocoa powder. Roll it to coat well with the cocoa, and then put it on a plate until you are ready to package them up, or put them all in a covered container in the refrigerator for later. Don't forget to label your containers! You may need to roll the truffles in the cocoa again when you package them later, as they tend to "sweat" a little in storage.

The truffles will last for a few weeks at room temperature, and a few months in the refrigerator.

For a larger batch of four flavors, 1 1/2 times as big, use 30 ounces of chocolate, and 2 1/4 cups of heavy cream. Divide the ganache into four even portions, and to each add 3 TB + 1 tsp of liqueur.