Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

I can’t deny that I’m a chocoholic, particularly if it’s dark chocolate.  Truffles are a favorite too.  I discovered amaretto quite by accident years ago with a free taste of amaretto fudge at a county fair.  Since then I’ve had the opportunity to try other amaretto chocolate delights and liked every one of them.  So combining dark chocolate, truffles, and amaretto all into one treat seemed like the perfect way to try making something with amaretto.  First, of course, I had to actually find the amaretto.  Not being a drinker, I’ve never actually shopped for liquor before.  Just one of the several stores I checked had amaretto in their liquor section, and that store had only one choice in a rather large bottle.

Amaretto

I looked over other people’s recipes as a guide, but since I rarely ever follow recipes exactly, why start now?  There wouldn’t be much point to publishing a recipe if someone else already had the exact same one.  I took ideas from several, changed things around a bit, added my own touches, and came up with a rather tasty treat.

truffle toppings – for better coating chop the nuts smaller and use finely shredded coconut – I just had flaked and it is really too big

Pick chocolate that you like for both the dark and bittersweet chocolates because the truffles will only be as good as the chocolate that goes into them.  If you are not a dark chocolate fan try semi-sweet chocolate in the filling and milk chocolate for the shell, or milk chocolate in the filling and white chocolate for the shell.  (I have only tried the dark so can’t say how the others would turn out.)

unfinished truffles rolled into balls

Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

8 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons amaretto

4 – 6 oz dark chocolate

finely chopped nuts, finely shredded coconut, and/or candy sprinkles

Break bittersweet chocolate into bits in heat-proof bowl.  Mix sour cream, butter, and milk in a small (preferably non-stick) saucepan.  Cook over relatively low heat until butter melts, then turn up a bit higher until mixture begins to boil.  Stir frequently.  Pour boiling cream mixture over chocolate and stir.  As chocolate begins to melt, add amaretto and stir until smooth.

Put in refrigerator and chill for about 50 minutes to 2 hours or until chocolate sets enough to handle, but does not harden to the point where it will crumble when shaped.  Line a pan with wax or parchment paper.  Stir chocolate and roll into balls.  The size is up to you, but keep in mind the candies are quite rich so try not to make them too big.  Somewhere between 1/2 inch to and 1 1/2 inches diameter should work fine.   Place balls on paper-lined pan and put back in the refrigerator.  Chill at least 1 hour.

Line another pan with wax or parchment paper.  Melt dark chocolate in small double boiler.  If you have made very small truffles you may need extra dark chocolate as you will have more surface area to coat.  Remove top of double boiler from over the hot water when chocolate melts.

Roll truffles around in the melted chocolate until coated.  You can do one or several at a time, whatever works best for you.  Once coated put them back in the pan they came from briefly.  Before the chocolate sets, pick truffle back up and dip top into finely chopped nuts, finely shredded coconut, or candy sprinkles.  Place finished chocolate on clean paper in new pan.  If rolling balls one at a time, the chocolate is cooled to about the right temperature for dipping after rolling 2 or 3 more, so coat several and then dip them into the topping before moving on to the next few because if you try to coat them all before dipping any the chocolate will get too hard for the coating to stick.

Refrigerate at least an hour before serving, and store in the refrigerator when done.

Yield: about 15 – 25 truffles depending on size

These truffles are also delicious with a white chocolate coconut filling.

16 this batch, but they’re big

If you want quick and easy truffles, try these.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013