Chocolate is a must have for any occasion but especially over the Christmas holidays. Ok I’ll be honest – any excuse for chocolate.
In the Northern Hemisphere chocolate is most widely consumed as a hot beverage. In the Southern Hemisphere we have a hot Christmas so chocolate is given as a gift on Christmas Day or as a snack on the table. Either way chocolate makes its friendly appearance during the holiday season.
Let’s not forget Advent Calendars. For children this is a fun treat; to go and count down the days until Christmas and get a little chocolate. As a mom, that comes in handy as an incentive to get my boys to eat their food. What can I say – a little motivation never hurt anyone.
My family had a slightly different tradition growing up. Instead of using Advent Calendars we would buy a bag of Quality Streets and tie ribbons on the little toffees and chocolates. We would hang our treasure on our Christmas tree and each night we would all have one chocolate or toffee. Of course we all had our favorites which we would hunt for.
Ok enough of my nostalgia. Let me give you my recipe for Chocolate Truffles. They are easy to make and have a variety of flavors.
Chocolate Truffles
This is a very easy recipe for truffles. If you love alcohol in your chocolate, I would suggest trying a peppermint liqueur, coconut liqueur, berry liqueur. If you prefer non-alcoholic truffles you can add chili flakes, cinnamon, vanilla essence, or espresso.
Ingredients
1 Slab of Lindt (70%) or flavored Lindt
250ml of Cream or Coconut Milk
1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract or alcohol liqueur
Method
Heat the cream or coconut milk with vanilla or alcohol liqueur over a low heat until it is hot. Do not bring to the boil.
Add the finely cut chocolate
Leave to stand for two minutes.
Place on the stove and gently stir for another few minutes until you have a glossy and shine smooth sheen on your chocolate.
Pour in a container and refrigerate overnight. Alternatively place in the freezer for an hour or so
Once it is cooled take a mini ice cream scoop and scoop chocolate balls.
Place the chocolate balls on a bed of cocoa powder, coconut, or vermicelli and roll until coated.
Various Uses of Chocolate Truffles
Chocolate Truffles have several uses. You can serve your chocolate truffles as a snack; or gently arrange in a box as a Christmas gift for family and friends. You can eat them with a cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. If you want to be a bit adventurous, you could put one or two in your hot chocolate instead of marshmallows, giving your hot chocolate an extra chocolate kick.
Have a Happy Chocolate Christmas Holiday!
