I’ve made a lot of truffles in the past year (hundreds for Christmas presents!), but these ones are my favourite. I actually prefer them to the usual truffles that I make with cream! The coconut cream used instead of cream and/or butter goes really well with the dark chocolate, and they are healthier, besides. Their only downfall is that they are a little bit more difficult to shape into balls/truffle shapes, because when it cools the coconut cream has more of a tendency to crumble than regular cream truffles. They are indeed worth the effort, though. Before trying these I made vegan truffles with oil instead of cream, and these ones are yummier and have a nicer texture.
All you need is:
1 cup good dark chocolate
1/2 cup coconut cream (thicker is better, please don’t use ‘light’)
Shave or cut up your chocolate if it’s not already in manageable pieces. Heat up the coconut milk in a small pot on the stovetop. Get it nice and hot, but it doesn’t need to boil. If you want to add some additional flavouring to your truffles, you can add it directly to the coconut cream and stir it in well. You could try fruit jam or syrup, tea, spices, liqueurs, or whatever suits you. Then, you have a choice to make: you can melt your chocolate in a double boiler on the stove before mixing the heated coconut cream in, or you can just pour the hot cream over the
chocolate pieces and stir-stir-stir until all the chocolate has melted and the two have smoothly become one.
Now you must wait until this choco-coco ganache has set. I recommend trying some of the ganache on your finger or a spoon while it’s still warm–it’s seriously delicious. They might take awhile to set, depending on how warm your kitchen is. I wouldn’t put these in the fridge to firm up–I tried, and they became a bit crumbly and hard to handle. Just be patient. When they are of a solid yet malleable texture, roll or cut them into your preferred truffle shape. Mine are (roughly!) spherical. Have a bowl waiting with your desired couverture–I used cocoa for half and good matcha (green tea) powder for the rest. As you form each one, place it into the bowl to be coated. If you’re more ambitious, you could also dip these into melted chocolate to coat, or roll them in chopped nuts or shredded coconut.
The ganache can also be used anywhere you might use a regular ganache–in tarts, in sandwich cookies or between cake layers.
This recipe should make about a dozen truffles, but it does depend on how large or small you make them.
Enjoy!
xo
Tags: Treats
Those look seriously yummy! Do you eat a lot of coconut, Meggie? I’ve always been confused about coconuts place in my diet, as I know it’s chock-full of saturated fat, and yet they are plant-based, sooo… hence my confusion!
Tea, vegan chocolate, and books…your blog makes me happy.
Thank you Mary! My blog is still quite new, so I really appreciate getting feedback. I’m really glad you like it!
Jennie-penny-pumpkin-pie, I have no real wisdom to offer on coconuts, sadly. Like you, I’ve heard different things about them–lots of saturated fat, but I’ve also heard that it isn’t bad for us the way that other saturated fats are. I’ve heard that coconut can make us happier (something about serotonin levels?) and I know that it is widely used as a ‘cooling’ oil in Ayurvedic medicine (most oils are ‘heating’; cooling foods should ease inflammatory conditions). I probably eat it once or twice a month, so it’s not very often. It’s delicious and filling, and goes REALLY well with chocolate, I find, and we also eat it in Thai red curry every so often. Just keep trying it in your diet to see if you feel good or bad, and go by that. Your body should tell you if it’s bad for you, I think.
ayurvedic medicines really work and it is cheaper than conventional medicines too.~.:
i tried ayurvedic medicines and chinese medicines and both are great-;-