Chocolate Truffles - With Coffee Liquor

A nice big bar of bitter-sweet dark chocolate has been catching my dire attention for a while to be used. Never takes me too long for me to decide on how to use when it comes to chocolates ;) Often, it's consumed as is. Biting into a bar of bittersweet chocolate is quite therapeutic for me. Or do I call it an addiction???

I am so immorally self-indulgent in chocolate mesmerism that my husband recently got a nice catchy magnetic sticker that read, "Chocolates can make your clothes shrink!". It was meant for me to cut down on my on-going affair with chocolates and desserts. Poor guy deals with it all the time. Probably he's fed so liberally with my sweet tit-bits that he's now fed up being the experimental guinea pig!

The magnetic sticker is now stuck on the door of our refrigerator for my undue attention. So every time I walk towards or even pass by the fridge, I am supposed to take a conscious effort to understand it's implications on my waist-line. But that least catches my eye! That's me I say! It probably did for a day or two when I would hear voice from my back telling me it's time I should resist. Now it barely gets a glance, forget the second look!

These truffles are not just for chocolate addicts, they have a subtle hint of coffee flavors emitting from coffee liquor. We both don't consume liquor. Surprised! Strangely, I don't hesitate to buy them if it requires for any recipe! These were purchased to recreate my Tiramisu again. Instead, they have been rapidly poured and pampered on several desserts which I have been stirring up unendingly in my kitchen these days. I have lot more recipes to come forward which use coffee liquor. I am hoping they stay for least a helping of Tiramisu!

Chocolate and coffee combo flavors blend and compliment each other well. These are simple treats which can be whipped in minutes. They require no-bake and are great as take-aways for picnics, parties or even pot-lucks. It requires preparing the chocolate ganache, then chilling, rolling and the final coating.

Chocolate Truffles (With Coffee Liquor)

INGREDIENTS

125g bittersweet dark chocolate
30 ml single cream
10 ml coffee liquor

Coat:

About 40g unsweetened cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS

Chop the dark chocolates into small pieces. Melt it in a pan on a double boiler with hot water. Allow the chocolate to melt gracefully. Avoid overheating the chocolate as it loses it luster. Let it come to a stage where it just begins to melt. Now add coffee liquor to the chocolate.

Meanwhile, heat the cream over medium heat until the cream just comes to a boil. Add the molten chocolate to the cream and stir well till well combined. Now transfer this mixture to the refrigerator to chill for few hours. The mass should solidify on chilling.

Sometimes, the ganache may be soft and semi-solid in state. Mine did, probably because I used single fat cream instead of double fat one. In that case, rolling into balls may become quite a challenging task. You may add a little ground digestive biscuits for crunch and denser texture which will help in easy rolling. Adding almond or pistachio powder would also ease binding and add to nutty flavors.

Decorating is optional, but if done will surely give a wow factor to your creations. Roll these truffles well in unsweetened cocoa powder. Coat them completely. Serve.

You can play a around a lot with ingredients. While the ganache remains the base of this recipe, add in complimenting flavors to enhance it's rich base. Mocha, orange, mint, rum, apple vodka flavors or even chopped nuts can do justice to these. Even the coats can be of your choice. Glaze them with molten dark chocolate or get whacky with white chocolate coats for these tots.

I'll be coming out with more chocolate recipes, so keep watching this space for more to come.