There is nothing like receiving a handmade gift! Choosing the right present for your a friend or relative can be difficult, particularly when you’re shopping for somebody who seems to have absolutely everything already! The last thing you probably want to do is spend money on something that’s going to sit on a shelf, unused. Everyone loves chocolate, right? There is nothing more indulgent and easier to make than truffles.
You can flavour the truffles according to taste and can be made with or without alcohol and they are gluten free. I have chosen raspberry, because they are a favourite fruit of mine, ginger because it’s fabulous with dark chocolate and the last is rum and coconut, a tropical bend sure to please.
The truffles keep very well in the fridge for up to two weeks or frozen for up to two months although I recommend dusting the ginger truffles and the raspberry truffles an hour or two before you serve them, alternatively if you’re gifting them roll them in chopped nuts along with either the cocoa or raspberry powder.
Ginger & Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
- 125 ml Whipping cream
- 250 g fine-quality Dark chocolate 54%, finely chopped in a food processor
- 25 g unsalted Butter
- 2 Tbl stem ginger The kind you find in syrup, diced finely
- 4-5 Tbl cocoa sieved
Instructions
- Bring the cream and butter just to a simmer in a saucepan over moderate heat. Remove from heat, then add chocolate and diced stem ginger and stir gently with a heatproof rubber spatula until ganache is smooth.
- Pour into a bowl, cover and chill the ganache mixture for 2-3 hours or until firm.
- Remove the ganache from the fridge and roll into 25 balls. When you’re ready to coat them simply pour the cocoa powder into a shallow bowl or dish. Drop two or three truffles onto the powder and shake the dish to and fro, proceed with the remainder. Chill on a tray until needed.
Notes
Rum & Coconut Truffles
Ingredients
- 125 ml whipping cream
- 250 g Dark chocolate, fine quality 54% fine;y chopped in a food processor
- 25g Unsalted butter
- 2 tsp Maple syrup
- 1 1/2 tbls Desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Bring the cream and butter just to a simmer in a saucepan over moderate heat. Remove from heat, then add chocolate and then the rum, stir gently with a heatproof rubber spatula until ganache is smooth.
- Pour into a bowl, cover and chill the ganache mixture for 2-3 hours or until firm.
- Remove the ganache from the fridge and roll into 25 balls. When you’re ready to coat them simply pour the desiccated coconut into a shallow bowl or dish. Drop two or three truffles onto the coconut and shake the dish to and fro, proceed with the remainder. Chill on a tray until needed.
Raspberry & Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
- 125 g Whipping cream
- 250 g Dark chocolate, fine quality 54% finely chopped in a food processor
- 25 g Unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tbls Framboise, raspberry eau-de-vie Replace the alcohol with seedless raspberry jam if desired
- 5-6 tbls Freeze dried raspberry powder sieved to remove the seeds
- 1 handful Unsalted shelled pistachio nuts
Instructions
- Bring the cream and butter just to a simmer in a saucepan over moderate heat. Remove from heat, then add chocolate and jam if that's what you're using and stir gently with a heatproof rubber spatula until ganache is smooth. Now stir in framboise if you’ve decided on adding alcohol.
- Pour into a bowl, cover and chill the ganache mixture for 2-3 hours or until firm.
- Remove the ganache from the fridge and roll into 25 balls. When you’re ready to coat them simply pour the freeze dried raspberry powder into a shallow bowl or dish and sprinkle over the caster sugar. (If you're using pistachios mix them with the raspberry powder) Drop two or three truffles onto the powder and shake the dish to and fro, proceed with the remainder. Chill on a tray until needed.
Christmas Saffron Wreath with Cranberries and Orange
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