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Chocolate Truffles Make for Excellent Desserts
By Joanne Fletcher

Chocolate is a delicious dessert, and one that people all over the world enjoy both on a regular basis and for special occasions. The one downside of chocolate is that is can be rather fattening. People who are looking for smaller chocolate desserts (to be eaten in moderation of course) in an effort to maintain their weight should consider chocolate truffles.

What is a Chocolate Truffle?

A chocolate truffle is a treat that is in the shape of a small sphere. It is called a chocolate truffle because it resembles the truffle fungus in its shape. The middle of chocolate truffles always contains some type of filling. These fillings can include fudge, marshmallows, fruit, cream, melted chocolate, nuts, and more.

A Popular Chocolate Truffle Recipe

While chocolate truffles might often be associated with decadence, they are actually not very complicated to make if one chooses to do so at home. One of the most popular kinds of chocolate truffles is the standard one, which just has a simple chocolate filling.

To make these truffles at home, several ingredients are needed. These ingredients include: a half-cup of heavy cream, 1 teaspoon of light corn syrup, 8 ounces of chopped semi-sweet chocolate, plus another 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate for dipping, 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, and half a cup of sifted, Dutch-process cocoa butter.

Once the ingredients have been assembled, mix the corn syrup, cream, and butter together in a saucepan. Place the mixture on the stove with medium heat. Once the mixture reaches full boil, turn off the heat. Add the 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate to the mixture. At this point the pan should be swirled gently. After this has been done, allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.

When the 5 minutes are over, whisk the mixture. Place the mixture in a bowl and put it in the refrigerator for 45 minutes. Stir the mixtures every 15 minutes during that time. Line some baking sheets (at least two) with parchment paper. After 45 minutes in the refrigerator, the mixture should be noticeably thick. Allow the mixture to stay in the refrigerator for another 15 minutes, and stir it every 5 minutes.

Using two spoons or a mini ice cream scooper, scoop the mixture out into 1 inch balls and place them on the baking sheets. Allow the balls to chill for about 15 minutes, and while that is happening, melt the remaining 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate. After the chocolate is melted, allow it to cool just a little bit.

Taking the prepared chocolate balls (now truffles), and dip each one into the semi-sweet chocolate and cover it with the cocoa. As each truffle is done, place it back on the baking sheet and let all the completed chocolate truffles sit in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Once this is done, the truffles are good for about a week, and can be stored in an airtight container (preferably in the refrigerator). Chocolate truffles do require some patience to make, but the end result is certainly worth it.

Author Details:
Joanne Fletcher for various sites including the A-Z of and Information Junkie

Source: Simply Top Article Directory

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