You know, the ones that don’t have eyeballs or gummi worms all over them. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I saw a spiderweb chocolate tart a week or two ago that was so gorgeous it made my mouth drop open.
These truffles are easy and a perfect Halloween party treat. They’re simply marzipan dipped in chocolate with some orange flair! Orange is the new black and all. At least, this time of year.
The onslaught of holidays between October and January makes the descending temperatures more bearable. I mean, we’re distracted, making cute crafty things and getting our inner Martha Stewarts on. It’s fun. But what happens January 2nd? Ever thought about that?
Pure freezing sadness, people. Seriously. It’s cold and bleak, and the winter stretches on through the next two and half to three months. Maybe Valentine’s Day helps a bit, but there’s just no way to love February.
I’m not sure where I’m going with this, except to tell you to get your holiday on while you can. Because after that, it’s all about those sad trees with no leaves. That’s why the yellow, orange and red-leafed trees give me pause. Beautiful, yes. The beginning of the end, also yes.
Okay, now that I’ve depressed you, I’ll lift your spirits with these truffles. I dipped them, but my kids helped with the piping. Can you tell? I decided to sacrifice straight lines for happy children. Besides, they look more Halloween-like this way anyway, with all the twisted lines. Right?
These could not be easier to put together. Buy marzipan at the store, check. Dye it orange with food gel, check. Roll into balls and dip into melting chocolate, check. The orange candy melt flair is optional. Just use a chocolate melting candy you like. Ghirardelli is my favorite, since the quality of their melting chocolate is pretty great.
The best thing about dipping marzipan is that it doesn’t want to fall apart in the chocolate melts. It goes in and out like a charm. No worries, mates!
When all’s said and done, you have yet another Halloween treat, and this one is cute and snazzy. It would be a welcome addition to any grown-up costume party, so if you’re lucky enough to have plans, take these along! If not, join me. I’ll be cowering behind my front door, avoiding trick-or-treaters and thinking about summer. Because those cold months, they’re a-coming!
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the red and yellow food coloring gels into the marzipan until you reach a desired shade of uniform orange. I opted for a brighter orange for Halloween.
- Roll the marzipan into one-inch balls. Place on waxed paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Heat the chocolate melts according to package directions. Carefully dip each marzipan ball into the chocolate, using a fork to pick up each truffle so that chocolate drips through the tines. Slide each truffle onto the paper or baking mat with a toothpick. Allow the chocolate to set.
- Heat the orange candy melts according to package directions. Place it into a piping bag with a narrow round tip.
- Pipe the orange candy melts carefully onto the truffles in whatever pattern you desire. Allow to set.
- Store in an airtight container.
Wham, bam, thank you…egg-free peanut butter cookie dough. Filled with peanut butter and butterscotch chips. Covered in chocolate with peanut butter drizzle. Because boy, do you make life that much better.
To be honest, I need a little more chocolate therapy than usual this week. My body is sore thanks to a tubing incident, and I need to dull the pain, doctor.
This past Friday, Kenny and I decided to go on a summer adventure together. Sometimes when our kids are at camp, we have daytime dates. In the D.C. area, there’s so much to do. This time, we decided to drive out to a creek near Antietam (yep, the Civil War battle site) and go tubing. As a Civil War nerd and a lover of the water, I thought it would be the perfect day trip.
A local magazine had described this particular journey as relaxing. The article painted the picture of a lazy day on the creek, with an extra tube for your cooler. According to everything I read, you could float on down slowly, beaching the tube when you felt like it and eventually winding up at your destination. That’s what I thought we were in for.
When we got to the rental place, Kenny and I were given our tubes. The only thing we were told to do was avoid the trees. Sounds easy, right? Maybe, if you have a paddle and some control over your mode of transport. For the first time, the expression “up a creek without a paddle” made complete sense to me. Especially when I wound up tubing (and screaming) my way through a downed tree, emerging several scratches later with my hat gone.
But the real kicker was when Kenny’s tube flipped over in the rapids. We had been told there were light rapids, and I guess everyone’s definition of “light” differs. In any case, these rapids were strong enough to dump Kenny, his shoes, and his phone right into the water. His tube started to float away and I, still on my tube, began to face the reality that unless I did something, I’d be one husband down for the rest of the day. Without shoes, Kenny had no way to walk on the rocks at the bottom of the creek without being in a lot of pain and without moving very slowly.
So I bailed out of my tube, dragged it over to his rapidly disappearing tube, and used a makeshift oar (a giant stick I named “Oarie”) to struggle my way back toward Kenny. The most fun part was lifting both tubes and Oarie over my head while going the wrong way against the rapids to get to him. I’m guessing that’s why my entire left side flew into spasm, and why now, two days later, I’m in a ton of pain. But no fear. I’ve got my massage therapist on speed dial and a plate full of these butterscotch peanut butter cookie dough truffles.
These come together in a snap, and the best thing about the recipe is that it only makes about eight truffles. That means you don’t have to worry about going too crazy with eating a lot. If you’d like, double it, or triple it. But if you do that, use a mixer. In a small batch, a small bowl is needed, no mixer. Your decision!
The combo of butterscotch chips with the peanut butter chips and PB cookie dough is what you find if you look under the word “addictive” in the dictionary. You can leave these plain, or do what I did and dip them in melting chocolate. For flair, I melted some peanut butter chips and piped lines across the top.
Guys, I’m happy to be alive, even if I’m in pain. I’m also thrilled to brag to Kenny now that I saved him, even though he would’ve maybe made it down the river 10 hours later. So all’s well that ends well, especially if there are truffles!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cream the butter with the peanut butter until smooth. Add the two sugars and mix until well combined. Stir in the vanilla. Finally, add the salt and flour, mixing until a smooth cookie dough forms.
- Fold in the butterscotch chips and peanut butter chips.
- Roll the dough into balls about one-inch in diameter. Place on a plate.
- Refrigerate the dough balls for about an hour. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Melt the chocolate according to package directions. When the dough is fully chilled, dip each ball quickly into the melted chocolate, lifting each truffle out of the chocolate with a fork. Let the excess chocolate drip through the tines. Use a toothpick to slide each truffle carefully onto the prepared cookie sheet. Allow each truffle to harden.
- If desired, melt the peanut butter chips in a bowl for about 40 seconds and stir until smooth. If not melted, heat for an additional 20 seconds.
- You can use a spoon to drizzle the melted chips onto the truffles, or you can use a small round piping tip to make the lines, as shown.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Last week, I once again had a snow day, even though there was very little snow in evidence. That’s the great thing about moving to the DC area from the Midwest. When I lived in the Midwest, snow days were rare and precious, not to mentioned hard-earned. Here, they happen at the drop of a hat. But hey, this teacher is not complaining!
When my daughter got to the icy driveway, she just stopped completely and started crying. She was that petrified to walk to the car. But after some coaxing and the promise of truffles, she made her way toward her car seat.
Yes, my daughter loves truffles. She’s only 4 and a half, but she eats everything, including salad. And dark chocolate is her favorite. Every year, she gets a rich, dark chocolate birthday cake. But I had to appease my other children, who prefer something lighter. So I made these milk chocolate goodies instead!
Truffles are easy to make, relatively quick, and a heckuva lot cheaper than what you buy in any store. All it takes is some cream, a smidge of butter, and milk chocolate. When you’re done, you have a plate full of rich truffles, perfect to eat while staring out at icy driveways.
When these were ready to roll, I coated them in almond meal, which is just finely ground almonds. It comes in a bag at Trader Joe’s, or you can grind your own with a food processor. Either way, I am a chocolate almond addict, so this coating made me a lot happier than the classic dusting of cocoa. It added an extra something to the flavor, too!
The truffles are definitely better chilled, at least, in my humble opinion. They get fudgier and denser. Essentially, these truffles are a thicker ganache, so one will probably go a long way toward satisfying any cravings.
That is, until the next snowfall. There’s something about truffles and snow that just goes together, so whip up a batch and keep them handy for inclement weather. Or hey, if you live in a more temperate climate, that works too! Just think how lucky you are not to be driving through icy streets and dirty snow.
But you know, a snow day is still kind of magical. And a snow day with truffles is perfection. Savor the moments!
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat the cream until it's moving at a healthy simmer. Add the butter and stir until melted.
- Mix in the chocolate, stirring until all ingredients are melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
- When the saucepan is cool enough, put it in the refrigerator and chill the truffles for at least 4 hours, though overnight is preferable.
- When you're ready to roll, put the almond meal in a small bowl and take the saucepan out of the fridge.
- Working quickly, roll the truffles into balls. They'll be a little sticky. Immediately immerse them in the ground almonds and set on a plate. Repeat until done.
- For best results, store the truffles in a container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
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My mom used to say that to me when I was growing up and I’d be all miserable because the girls in my class were mean evil witches. My goodness, when it comes to psychological torture, girls have it down pat. I’m still bowled over by the behavior my classmates exhibited toward me when I was a kid, and I kind of wonder how they live with themselves today. Are they telling their own kids to go out there and make fun of the kid in class who doesn’t have the perfect designer outfit?
Anyway, I could write about this forever, so I’ll pause here and talk about the proverbial lemonade from lemons thing. Or in this case, brownie truffles from an epic fail.
I was testing out another recipe yesterday and it just tanked. I’ve been working on developing the Bronut (my brownie/donut mashup, premiere date TBD) and I couldn’t get them out of my donut pan in one piece. So instead of smacking myself on the forehead, I dug the brownies out of the pan, mashed them up with frosting, shaped them into balls and dipped them in chocolate melts. Voila! Brownie truffles!
And very high quality ones, too. This brownie recipe is my all-time favorite for fudgy factor. So you can be sure that these truffles are rich.
And gluten-free. My first test batch had oat flour in it. Unfortunately, I think my next batch is going to use flour. But these truffles are safe for all tummies!
We all love truffles. And basically, this is a brownie pop without the stick. I don’t like to fool with sticks unless I have a ton of time, which I don’t. So you get to hold this in your hands and revel in the fudge overload. You can make your own chocolate frosting, but again, we all are short on time. I did my favorite time-saving trick of heading to my local bakery and buying a small tub of their chocolate frosting. That way, you don’t have to deal with the stuff in a can (I’m not the biggest fan of that taste), and you can still cut down on steps.
Remember, every problem is an opportunity. I’m grown up now and I’d flatten any of those mean girls with all the sassiness in my adult arsenal if I could, but the truth is, I’m stronger and a better person because of what they put me through. And these brownie truffles are equally formidable.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8 X 8 pan with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the cocoa into the melted butter until it dissolves. Add the sugar and stir again. When the sugar is incorporated, mix in the vanilla and eggs. Add the salt and oat flour, mixing until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool.
- When the brownies are cool, crumble them with your hands into a medium-sized bowl. Add the frosting and mix until the brownies and frosting are fully combined. It will be very sticky.
- Place the mixture in the freezer for 20 minutes until chilled and easy to handle.
- Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Quickly roll the brownie mixture into balls and place onto the cookie sheet.
- Refrigerate the truffles for at least 30 minutes.
- When you're ready, melt the chocolate according to package directions. Dip each truffle into the chocolate, covering it fully.
- Using a fork, pick up the truffle and let the excess melted chocolate drip through the tines. Place on the cookie sheet.
- Decorate as desired. Allow to harden.
- If you want a fudgier truffle, store in the refrigerator. Otherwise, keep in an airtight container.
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I’m a failure.
It’s true! I fail constantly. Daily, if you must know. And I have a darn good time doing it. Because how else is the really great stuff supposed to happen unless I get stomped on and rejected and keep my humility? Stuff like this awesome cake that I worked on in cake decorating class?
Even Pepe the Cat, a family friend, loved it.
But life ain’t always so grand. In fact, I just spent a despairing hour with a piping bag. So I’ve dedicated this post to my baking fails. Believe me, there are many. And my pride is so low that I don’t mind sharing them with you. Here we go, folks. Hang on and enjoy the ride!
Fail #1: Peanut Butter Truffle Photo Shoot
In case you haven’t noticed, I am not very good at photography. I’m a hack. But I love baking and I love taking pictures, so deal with it. I’m gonna keep trying. In the meantime, I might take pictures like this:
Yep, that’s a peanut butter truffle that I made using this recipe, which is one of my favorites from my blog. Look, I took a bite! Not so appetizing, huh? For some reason, the aesthetic gods were not smiling on me that day. I took crappy pic after crappy pic. Even though the recipe rocked and these tasted A-MAY-HAY-HAY-zing, it didn’t much matter if I couldn’t make them look good.
Insert sniffle here. Okay, I’m over it. Moving on…
Fail #2: Sacher Torte
I made this for my mom’s birthday. It’s one of her favorite all-time cakes, and it comes from Vienna, so she doesn’t get it often. I figured I’d surprise her. We started out with things being fairly promising!
Five hours later, total despair. My glaze flopped. Shoulda used that candy thermometer! See? It’s all…not smooth. Bumpy, really. What a shame!
I tried to make up for it with some cute marzipan decorations (that’s an apricot, BTW, not a pumpkin or an orange butt), but nah. Couldn’t fix it. It wasn’t bad. Just wasn’t good.
If you’re curious, the recipe is here on Epicurious. But yeah. My confidence is totally shattered! Feel free to try it, get it exactly right, and then brag to me how much better you are. I’m cool with it!
Failure #3: Pancake Cookies
No, don’t get excited! It was just awful. Chocolate chip cookies that I tried with oat flour. They went flat. Flatter than a pancake. Totally embarrassing. I can’t show you a pic. That’s how mortified I am! Instead, I’ll show you this lovely photo of the side of my daughter’s Frozen birthday cake:
Two tiers of megawatt chocolate with purple. Lots of purple. And some pink. And that thing on top isn’t paper. It’s edible. Hey, what a mom will do…
It’s not the prettiest cake, but she liked it. I’ll show you a prettier cake next time. I’ve been having fun in cake decorating class!
Because we can always learn. And we eventually produce awesome results like this:
See? Pancake cookies, this time with real flour. Presto! They are now chocolate chip cookies. Oh, what a difference!
Okay, kids. Over and out. I’m including a link-up here if you’d like to add your hard work. Go nuts! Or comment and that will link up to your latest recipe.
Happy weekend, pals!
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The truth is, I’ve been known to hoard…truffles.
Oh, I’m so ashamed. You see, I love throwing things away. I know it sounds wasteful, but it makes me feel like I’m finally getting organized and cleaning up the constant mess that my kids throw around the house each second they’re home. I don’t save anything except the rare, unquestionably special school project.
And truffles.
These? These are a keeper for sure.
A few days ago, I posted these Nutella Cookie Dough S’mores. In that post, I indicated that there were lots of ways you could use the egg-free, no-bake amazing cookie dough. And here is one of them!
When I made the s’mores I had some extra dough, so I ate a bunch of it. Full disclosure, right? But then I realized it would be so much more fun if I rolled the dough into balls, covered it in white chocolate and sprinkles, and ate the truffles as quickly as possible. No hoarding here!
Even my kids liked them. I think the pink sprinkles sold them. And my supposedly chocolate-hating son once again magically forgot his aversion to anything chocolate and gobbled them down. That boy is starting to wear me out.
But hey, I hardly mind, really. It warms a mother’s heart to have her children eat her bounty. Or something like that. Because what I just wrote sounds really weird.
So make these, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. You will not be hoarding these! Not a chance. They won’t last long enough. I guess I’ll save my truffle-hoarding tendencies for those red velvet truffles Godiva makes. Oh, happiness!
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup Nutella
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk (I used two-percent)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- 1 package white candy melts (or a color of your choice)
- sprinkles
Instructions:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, Nutella and brown sugar until fluffy. Add the milk and vanilla and mix again. Add the flour gradually, beating until a soft, workable dough forms.
Using the palms of your hands, roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the balls onto waxed paper when they’re ready.
Using a microwave-safe bowl, heat the candy melts according to package directions. Stir to ensure the melts are smooth.
Working quickly, dip the dough balls into the candy melts. You can use a toothpick or a fork. Put the dipped truffle back onto the waxed paper and add sprinkles. Allow the truffle shells to harden.
Eat the truffles, but do it fast! They’ll disappear before you know it!
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