Champagne and Truffles

Hand rolled truffles, to be exact. Buttery, dark chocolate truffles made by my own loving hands.

And the best part? They require very few ingredients and are impossible to screw up. In fact, if you plan on giving these away to someone special, the more irregular the shape of the truffle, the better. You want them to look like you made them, not like they came out of a mold in a factory.

You can roll these truffles in a variety of toppings, including (but not limited to) nuts, colored sanding sugar, white sugar, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, cinnamon and chipotle powder, nonpareils, sprinkles, cocoa nibs, and flaked coconut. You can also dip them in melted dark or white chocolate for a hard coating. Experiment with different truffle flavors by adding nuts or jam to the mix and different extracts. You just can’t go wrong, you guys.

Chocolate Truffles
Makes about 15 truffles
Adapted from allrecipes.com

• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (depending on how dark you like your chocolate)
• 1/6 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• White sugar, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, chopped nuts, sprinkles, melted chocolate etc. for rolling or dipping truffles

Slowly melt all ingredients over very low heat in a nonstick pan, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Cover chocolate mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cover a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Remove chocolate from fridge and roll into small balls using hands. If chocolate becomes too sticky, place in fridge again for another 15 minutes. Roll chocolate balls in topping of choice. If desired, refrigerate and re-roll balls for a thicker coating.