Friday, December 17, 2010

Christmas Peppermint Truffles

This year I received a great present from my wonderful friend, Carrie (who needs to open her own bakery), a cookbook made just for me, "Kate's Just Desserts". It is full of her amazing dessert recipes. I received it a couple of weeks ago and have just been drooling over the recipes deciding what to make this year for my Christmas baking. Finally it's crunch time for holiday baking and I have a week long schedule of at least 2 treats a day. Whew. Today, day one, was truffles and day one prep for gingersnap cookies (a recipe I need to share with Carrie). The truffles are for the Sweet Swap at my kid's holiday party at school. I actually chose this recipe because I like to handwrite all my recipe cards and this one is the shortest recipe of all the sweets I am making in the next week. Also great is they are safe in the fridge for weeks and yield 60 a batch. Awesome to make ahead and not have to worry about them. I made two batches today, one is Carrie's original recipe for Chocolate Truffles and then my improv to make a festive Christmas Peppermint Truffle.

Carrie's recipe Chocolate Truffles from "Kate's Just Desserts"

1/2 pound good bittersweet chocolate
1/2 pound good semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp prepared coffee, optional
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
confectioners sugar
cocoa powder

Chop the chocolate finely with a sharp knife. Place them in a heat proof mixing bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until just boils. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. Pour the cream through a fine mesh sieve into the bowl with chocolate. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolate together until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in vanilla and coffee, if using.  Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

With 2 teaspoons, spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll each ball of chocolate in your hands to roughly make it round. Roll in confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, or both. These will keep refrigerated for weeks, but serve at room temperature.

Now here's Arubula's Kitchen modified version for
Christmas Peppermint Truffles
as with anything that happens in my house, it has to be dairy free so in parathesis I have added the dairy free version

1/2 pound good bittersweet chocolate (vegan)
1/2 pound good semisweet chocolate (vegan)
1 cup heavy cream (Silk non dairy creamer)
1 Tbsp prepared coffee
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup smashed to powder candy mints

In a food processor chop chocolate until a fine powder. Place in a heat proof bowl.

Heat cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Turn off the heat and allow cream to sit for 20 seconds. Pour cream through fine mesh sieve into the bowl with chocolate. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolate together until becomes creamy. Whisk in peppermint extract and coffee. Set aside at room temperature for one hour.

With 2 teaspoons, spoon blobs of chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined in parchment paper. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove, roll blobs into balls in your hands to roughly make it round. Roll in powdered candy mints. Roll again in hands, then again in powder. Place back on baking sheet. Finish all truffles.
This will keep for refrigerated for weeks, but serve at room temperature.
*For extra holiday sparkle, 1/2 cup powdered candy mints, 1/2 cup red colored sugar

Now here's the really exciting part! I've just talked to Carrie and she has said I can give away a copy of her fantastic cookbook that was made just for me. So to one lucky reader you too can have Carrie's fantastic dessert cookbook! Thanks, Carrie!!! All you have to do is comment on this blog post. Share what you are baking for the holidays, a family tradition, something festive. For an extra entry you can "like" Arubula's Kitchen on facebook, retweet this contest on twitter, and/or mention in you blog comment that Carrie should open her open bakery. Winner will be chosen randomly Dec 26, 2010 at 12pm EST.


Merry Christmas!

3 comments:

  1. Well my friend I wish I could have made truffles with you today. I made spritz cookies with a new toy an electric cookie press. I hope to make a bouche de Noel this year for the first time. Hope I win the cookbook I'm sure I could have lots of fun trying out the recipes.

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  2. Lets see how many people comment for me to open my own bakery :)

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  3. Those look yummy would love to win the cookbook : )

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