Love in a chocolate mold

Passport & Plate - Any-Flavor Decadent Chocolate Truffles

France | Monday, March 2, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
For the filling:
.5 C medjool dates (type of dried fruit can be adapted)
1 C water (flavor of liquid can be adapted)
1C chocolate chips (flavor of chocolate chips can be adapted)
2 C cookie crumbs (cookie flavor can be adapted)
Spices of choice to taste (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, etc.)
Extract of choice to taste (vanilla, almond, mint, etc.)
Optional extras to taste (chopped nuts, oatmeal, espresso pod, nut butter, etc.)

For the coating:
2 C chocolate chips (flavor of chocolate chips can be adapted)
Sprinkles, chocolate shavings, spices, marshmallows, etc. to decorate

 

How to prepare this recipe
For the filling:
Boil water in a small pan, and add pitted dates. Stir occasionally until dates have become a creamy consistency. Melt chocolate chips over the stove in a separate small pan. Transfer the melted chocolate to a large mixing bowl. Add cookie crumbs, dates, spices, extracts, and extras. Stir mixture until it becomes smooth and moldable (add more cookie crumbs if too wet, more liquid if too dry). Form moldable mixture into small, individual balls and place on a cookie sheet.

For the coating:
Melt chocolate chips over the stove in a small pan. Dip each filling-ball into the melted chocolate, and top with sprinkles, chocolate shavings, spices, etc. before the chocolate hardens. Freeze truffles overnight. Wrap individually in packaging of choice, present to loved ones, and watch them smile.

 

The story behind this recipe
My any-flavor decadent chocolate truffles are not desserts, but individual statements of happiness coated in a cool mold of rich perfection. They are bites of heaven, sweet escapes from the confines of quotidian reality, expressions of my unconditional love for the lucky recipient. Yes, these any-flavored truffles are personalized for my best of friends, based on their tastes and personality traits. From fresh mint dark chocolate for my cool-tempered father to dated oatmeal for my warm-hearted mother to chocolate chip cookie dough for my playful little brother to buttercream latte for a hard-working best friend, my truffles can provide for anyone under the sun.

However, truth be told, my truffles were not always the mouth-watering morsels of goodness that they are today. At my earliest age of experimental baking, when I simply sought to please my own taste buds, I created a few messy flops to say the least: cookies that turned out as balls of tasteless flour sprinkles with stray hairs or a thick and bitter tofurkey “thanksgiving” smoothie, to give a few examples. It wasn’t until I began baking for others and considering their preferences to the most minute of spices and extracts that my creations became palatable. With experimentation, dedication, and – of course – love, I adapted my truffles from a recipe for chocolate rounds from a classic cookbook from my childhood. Today these treasures are enjoyed by the treasures of my life, and each time they are served, my satisfaction skyrockets with the smiles that these personalized gems bring to the beholders.