Recipe: Two(ish) Ingredient Truffles

Because February is synonymous with chocolate, we figured a delicious truffle recipe is the perfect way to get creative in the kitchen and whip up a dessert worth sharing with loved ones.  You can stick with a traditional chocolate truffle or get creative with toppings for this tasty treat.

Two Ingredient Truffles:

Makes about 32 truffles

Ingredients
For the truffle base:

2/3 cup heavy cream
12 ounces good-quality finely chopped milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate, or chocolate chips

Preparation
Make the truffle base: Set a heat-safe medium bowl over a medium saucepan filled with an inch or two of water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water in the pot). Heat over medium heat until water is simmering, then add cream to bowl and heat until warm, about 3 minutes. Add chocolate and cook, stirring constantly, until melted, about 3 minutes (or up to 5 minutes if using chocolate chips).

Carefully remove the bowl from the saucepan and pour chocolate mixture into a second heatproof bowl or pie pan (metal is ideal because it cools quickly). Let cool at room temperature 15 minutes, then freeze until truffle base is firm, about 1 hour.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Once chocolate mixture has chilled, use a teaspoon, melon baller, ice cream scoop or other or small scoop to drop heaping spoonfuls of truffle mixture onto the prepared sheet. Quickly roll spoonfuls between the palms of your hands to form truffle balls.

Freeze truffles on prepared sheet for 20 minutes.

Finish the truffles with toppings: Once chilled, roll truffles in the topping of your choice (see below), pressing slightly to adhere the ingredients to the truffles. Store finished truffles in the refrigerator up to 5 days. (Remove to room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.)

For additional topping(s):

• Pistachios: Finely chopped pistachios add the perfect crunch to every bite. (You can also top this with walnuts, pecans, cashews, etc..)
• Espresso Beans: Place espresso beans in a food processes or coffee grinder until roughly ground. This will add a bold flavor perfect for coffee lovers.
• Coconut: Finely chopped coconut adds a crunchy sweetness to chocolate truffles.
• Cocoa and Chili Powder: Many truffles are simply rolled in cocoa powder, try adding few pinches of chili powder to the cocoa for a hint of spice.
• White Chocolate: Thin white chocolate shavings ad a beautiful color contrast for the chocolate lover.
• Candied Ginger: Finely chopped, candied ginger into small chunks for a sweet and spicy combo that won’t disappoint!

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.