Sunday Sweets: Chocolate Delights!

 

Another variation on a theme? From me...? Surely not!
This one is made using the truffle mix.
And it gives me an opportunity to use my chocolate moulds again!

Chocolate delights!

Makes lots!! (40 ish)

You will need...

• 200g White Chocolate
• 200g Dark Chocolate
• 100g Truffle mix (roughly!)

 -scoop tiny portions of truffle mix (~1/4 tsp sized scoops), roll them into balls and set to one side
 -melt the chocolates separately in bowls over a pan of freshly boiled water

Hmmm... I must've cleaned the oven especially ;-)

 -half fill each of the moulds with melted chocolate; manipulate the bottoms of the moulds with your fingers to ensure there are no gaps. Bang the mould on the counter to remove any bubbles.
 -drop a ball of truffle mix into each mould, and top up with more melted chocolate.
 

-bang the tray on the counter again
 -refrigerate until set and turn out

ooooh, a pretty stripey one!

Chocolate Tarts

This is a combination of two delicious recipes!

Mince pie tart cases: Recipe here and the truffle recipe here

Make up the tart cases according to the recipe - this will make about double the number of tarts as it did mince pies as there are no lids...
Blind bake the cases in the pre-heated oven - line each tart with greaseproof paper, and fill with baking beads. This will stop the cases bubbling up when they cook. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in their trays

Make up a batch of the truffle mix using orange flavouring, rather than rum.The difference in this recipe is that you need to use the mix while it's still liquid, so don't allow it to set.
When the cases have cooled, and been removed from the trays, pour some of the chocolate mix into each.
Tap each case gently on the work surface to level out the mixture.
Allow to set - this may take up to 2 hours at room temperature.

Sunday Sweet: Chocolate Orange Hearts

A variation on another theme!



Heart shaped truffles!

Ingredients:
200g chopped dark chocolate
30g butter
60ml single cream
1tsp orange essence






-Place the chopped chocolate into a heat proof bowl
-Melt the butter into the cream, in a saucepan over a hob, and heat until *just* boiling
-Add the orange essence to the hot mix and stir
-Pour the hot cream mix over the chocolate
-Let the cream begin to melt the chocolate before stirring thoroughly until nice and glossy
-Pour the mix into chocolate moulds (or a pretty looking ice cube tray)

-Level the mix with a pallet knife  


-Leave to set in the fridge
-Turn out from the mould and put in pretty little cases!


 

Sunday's Sweets - Rum Truffles

Rum Truffles 

200g Dark Chocolate
60ml Single Cream
30g Butter
1tsp Rum Flavouring (adjust to taste!)
Pot of chocolate sprinkles

-Chop the chocolate into small pieces, and place in a large heat proof bowl.

-Heat the cream and butter together in a small saucepan and stir regularly. The mixture should be very hot, but don't let it boil!

-Pour the hot liquid over the chocolate. The heat from the cream will melt the chocolate

-Stir together gently until smooth and glossy. Add the rum flavouring and stir again.

-Leave the mixture to cool slightly before refrigerating for at least two hours.

-Remove from the fridge for about 30minutes - just to soften slightly; it's too hard to work straight off.

-Pour the chocolate sprinkles into a saucer

-Using a pair of teaspoons scoop out dollops of mixture, and form into balls with your hands.

-Roll the balls in the sprinkles until they're well coated. (it helps if the ball is freshly rolled when you do this part - They're stickier then!)

- Pat the sprinkles into the surface, and place the truffle into a petit fours case

This recipe makes between 20 and 30 truffles, obviously depending on how big you make them...

If (for some bizarre reason) you're not going to eat them immediately keep them refrigerated, but for no longer than a week.

The recipe book suggested using 1 tsp of rum, but I found that didn't taste very rummy!  So I either use more rum, which risks making a very wet mix, or using the rum flavouring, which is more intense.

• It's easy to make other varieties of truffle. Orange flavoured ones are always lovely.
• Try some mint, that would work well with dark chocolate
• White chocolate and brandy was very popular, but be warned! White chocolate cannot be substituted in place of the dark. Since it has less cocoa solids (no cocoa solids?) it reacts very differently. You need far more chocolate, and less cream.