Truffles

I saw this recipe in FamilyFun awhile ago and hung onto it because I saw that it could easily be made "safe." I am thinking these would be really cute to give to Sunday school teachers (since Valentine's Day is on Sunday). I bought little truffle wrappers dirt cheap after Valentine's Day last year (be on the lookout for those types of deals on Monday). I can't wait to try these!

Truffles

This recipe is free of milk, eggs, wheat, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, fish and shellfish

Ingredients

Basic Ganache

1 1/3 cups safe semisweet chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life)
1/3 cup vanilla soy milk (I am sure you could use rice milk to make this soy free)

CHERRY CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
Flavoring: 1/2 cup dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped
Coating: Unsweetened cocoa powder

CHOCOLATE MINT TRUFFLES
Flavoring: 1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
Coating: Chocolate sprinkles

CUSTOM TRUFFLE COATINGS

unsweetened cocoa powder
Crushed cookies

sprinkles, etc.

Directions

Make the base ganache: Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water, then bring the water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to low. Make a double boiler by placing a large metal or glass bowl over the saucepan but not touching the water. Add the chocolate chips and soy milk to the bowl and melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and shiny. Remove it from the heat.

Pick a variety: Choose one of the recipe variations above, then stir the flavoring into the warm ganache (to make plain chocolate truffles, omit the flavoring.) Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate it until it's firm enough to scoop, about 4 hours.

Shape and coat the truffles: Place the coating of your chosen recipe in a shallow bowl (for other options, see "Custom Truffle Coatings," above). Scoop out a heaping teaspoon of the chilled ganache and, using your hands, shape it into a ball. (Tip: Lightly greasing the spoon and your hands with vegetable oil prevents the chocolate from sticking.) Roll the truffle in the coating, then place the truffle in an airtight storage container. Repeat with the remaining ganache.

Storing, serving, and packaging: Cover the truffles and place them in the refrigerator until you're ready to wrap them or serve them. If you give the truffles as a gift, they can be kept at a cool room temperature for the day but should be refrigerated thereafter. Makes 24 truffles

Recipe adapted from Familyfun