Day 1: Homemade Chocolate Truffles

Okay, I give. It's time I say it. It's been long enough. No need to be ashamed, right? Together, I think we can make it through this. I'm ready. Here it is.... I am a Chocoholic. Don't laugh! It's a real thing. And a real problem. It started long ago when I was a kid.

My step-dad worked for a trucking company that shipped luxury and high end products. Every so often a box or crate would fall off of the truck and in such an event, the product could no longer be shipped and the trucking company had to pay for the damaged goods. On one such occasion my step-dad brought home a box of none other than Godiva chocolates. Now, before I go on, let me say I am NOT a chocolate snob. I can eat a King size Hershey Bar in about the time it takes you sing Happy Birthday and would be perfectly happy for the opportunity to to so. But... Godiva! Ooooo. You just.. don't.. know..

Godiva is this great preservative and chemical free untainted chocolate. It doesn't just melt in your hand. It melts pretty much at room temperature. It's smooth and creamy on your tongue and rich like things you could only dream of. One bite and I was hooked. And the best? Their truffles! Things of legend and lore. Perfect soft bites of chocolate, wrapped up in a silky chocolate blanket, and often flavored with fruits and nut. But me? I go for the simple, honest milk chocolate covered, bittersweet cored truffle. No frills. And guess what? After one, I'm satisfied. And thank God for that because truffles are expensive!

Or are they? Once again, the Barefoot Contessa Ina saves the day and for one, my wallet! Homemade chocolate truffles. I was nervous at first to attempt this recipe. First, no one wants to spend money on good quality ingredients for the recipe to just be a dud. Second, they are a more time consuming process. Chilling and rolling and chilling and dipping and more chilling. Lastly, Ina recommends you wait until the next morning to eat them. I'm assuming to let the flavors meld and set but honestly, that wasn't happening in my house so I didn't fool myself.

The result? Perfection. Honestly, not missing a thing on expensive store of boutique bought truffles. Three people who have tried them so far agree. They were a bit of a hassle but one bite and all was forgiven. I followed Ina recipe pretty closely, only changing a few things the second testing. Below is the link and also some quick recipe notes to hopefully make your first attempt easier. Don't walk, run, to the store and make these for your holiday party. People will still be talking about them on New Years.

I almost forgot! The BEST part! All of the ingredient only cost $8.00 and they made 28 truffles! Thats $.29 a truffle! A box of 24 from Godiva costs 24 dollars. How's that economical for you!

Homemade Chocoalte Truffles

NOTES:

1. I used 2 tablespoons LESS of cream then the recipe called for because the first time they didn't set as I was hoping and were difficult to work with.
2. After I poured the cream over the chocolate, I had to microwave the mixture for ONLY twenty seconds to make sure all the bits were melted.
3. I had to chill the mixture way longer than suggested but it is necessary the ganache be well chilled.
4. I didn't use any of the liquor or coffee in my recipe. I wanted pure chocolate for my first attempt. If you do, you might want to reduce you cream a smidgen to make sure the ganache sets.
5. I scooped mine with a spoon and rolled them in my hands, about a tablespoon size each. This was messy, time consuming, and frustrating. In the future, I will but the 1 1/4 inch ice cream scoop Ina reccommends. No rolling necessary with this
6. I dipped mine in chocolate. To do this is easy.
  - First, melt 6 ounces good quality baking chocolate, whatever sweetness you desire, for thirty seconds at a  time until JUST melted, no longer. Stir in between thoroughly to ensure this.
- Then let the chocolate cool to the touch slightly so your ganache centers do not melt.
- To cover them I found that putting them on a FINE mesh cooling rack and spooning them over the centers worked best. You can get both the cooling rack and the ice cream scoop at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and other like retailers.
7. Let them rest five minutes on the cooling rack and then transfer them to a baking pan with a fork slid underneath them. let them cool and set in the fridge for an hour and then pack them up.

KEEP THEM STORED IN THE FRIDGE! Oh, and enjoy!