Chocolate Truffles
1 cup vanilla nondairy milk (I use soy)
2 large (3 1/2 ounce) bars dark vegan chocolate, very finely chopped
splash vanilla extract
1/2 to 1 cup cocoa powder
sugar, to taste, optional
1. Set the milk to boil. Place the chocolate pieces in a medium glass or ceramic bowl.
2. Pour in the milk, through a strainer, a little at a time. You will not likely need the entire cup, but use your judgment. The heat of the milk will melt the chocolate, so only use as much as you need to melt all the chocolate.
3. Use a whisk to blend it all together. Add vanilla extract, and mix again. It should look like very thick chocolate sauce. Allow mixture to cool. It should be somewhat firm. If it isn't, chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
4. A cookie scoop works best for this next part. You want them to be round but you can't roll them with your hands because your body heat will melt the mixture and it gets messy! Anyway, scoop out small balls of the chocolate mixture (should be bigger than marbles but smaller than golf balls (bite size).
5. Dredge them in the cocoa powder or the blend of cocoa and vegan sugar. Now they're ready, so enjoy!
Variations: Add chopped nuts to the mixture for crunchy truffles, and/or roll them in finely chopped nuts instead of cocoa. Or do the same with coconut. Or try it with flavored vegan chocolate, Endangered and Terra Nostra and Tropical all have good ones!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Wow I cant live without chocolate, I love everything of chocolate. It is great.
Wow. He is definitely right about the milk. I used a full cup of almond milk and the batter turned out pretty runny. I attempted to thicken it with cornstarch and a little bit of confectioners sugar (ran out of cocoa powder) which sorta helped. I too recommend a cookie scooper to form the balls. Even though my first batched needed to be kept in the freezer to keep their shape, they tasted fantastic, especially the ones with peppermint extract. Hooray chocolate!
REALLY TERRIFIC!! I am was a major chocoholic prior to becoming vegan 8 years ago, so my standards are very high. I have now made this recipe twice (in the last 3 days). After the first time, I realized that you have to REALLY be careful with the amount of milk.
The second time I made the truffles, I used 20 Endangered Species dark bite-size chocolates (these are .35 ounces), and split it and made a batch with vanilla extract and the other with almond extract. I heated the milk as suggested in the recipe, but I used no more than 1/4 cup (split between the two flavors). Just before the chocolate was complete smooth, I put the chocolate in the microwave for 15 seconds -- this was just enough to be able to make the chocolate completely smooth.
After firming up (I suggest letting the chocolate sit for up to 1 hour, to the point where it is almost crumbly), I scooped the chocolate with a small cookie scoop (just a little larger than a melon baller), placing then balls onto wax paper on a cookie sheet (you can use your hands to make a nice ball -- if you are fast!).
Then, I borrowed an idea from my favorite (pre-vegan) local family owned candy store. I decided to dip the truffles in a coating of dark chocolate. I used more of the bite-size Endangered Species chocolate, and melted it in the microwave (melt in 30 second incrimants so as not to burn) -- you want about a 1/2 an inch in a bowl. Once that chocolate was melted, I then dipped each of the truffles into the chocolate (use a toothpick, but only push it into the truffle just deep enough that you don't drop the truffle), spooning the chocolate over the truffle. Return the coated truffle back to the wax paper, and using another toothpick, gently remove the other toothpick. Before the chocolate set, I also put a few jimmie sprinkles on top.
Find a room temperature place to let the truffles set. If it's late in the evening, and you haven't used the oven at all, place the cookie sheet into the oven (make sure that the oven is OFF and that it is not even slightly warm!!). This allows them to set, and then the following morning, you can remove them from the pan and put in a sealed container. Otherwise, I figure you want to leave them in the oven for a couple of hours or until you can handle them without getting chocolate on your hands.
It sounds like a long process, but it isn't and boy is it worth it!!
these were so so so good. and so very easy. i used regular old vegan chocolate chips. they didn't firm up quite as much as i'd have liked, but i might have added too much soymilk. however i really didn't add much soymilk. anyway, i rolled them in powdered sugar, sprinkles, or cocoa powder. the cocoa powder made the truffles taste like dark chocolate. thanks for the recipe