Lucia’s Chocolate Truffles And Girl Talk

A few years ago, my dear friend Lucia taught me how to make these amazing truffles. It was a day well spent together as we chatted and grated, chatted and mixed, and then chatted some more while drizzling freshly melted chocolate over our little masterpieces. Just a few basic ingredients are needed to create batches of truffles that look like a million bucks! (They taste crazy great too!)

Enjoy!

Love, Nora

Oreo Truffles

Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1 14.3-ounce package original Oreo cookies (36 cookies)

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 11.5-ounce package of semi-sweet chocolate chips, for coating

Optional decorations: Extra cookie crumbs, ground nuts, chocolate shavings or sprinkles

Directions:

1. Line two rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, place cookies and pulse until finely chopped.
3. Pour crumbs into a large bowl, add softened cream cheese and using your hands, combine thoroughly until dough forms.
4. Roll dough into 1-inch balls.
5. Place dough balls onto one lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours.
6. Just before taking chilled dough out of the refrigerator, melt chocolate slowly by placing it into a dry, medium sized microwave safe bowl. Heat on medium high for a minute. Remove from microwave and stir. Repeat, for shorter intervals, until chocolate is completely melted and has a smooth consistency.To coat the chilled balls of dough, one by one, dip into melted chocolate, either by skewering ball with a toothpick or with a fork. (Fondue fork works great!) Using a spoon, quickly coat the ball with chocolate, removing excess by tapping the fork against the rim of the bowl. (Throughout the process, you may need to reheat the chocolate to keep it fluid.)
7. Release the coated truffle onto the second, clean, lined baking sheet. Smooth over hole(s) with a finger. Repeat with remaining dough.
8. Working quickly, decorate truffles while chocolate coating is still wet, by placing additional melted chocolate into either a disposable freezer zip-top bag with a small hole cut off of a corner, or, into a disposable piping bag, and drizzle chocolate lines. You can also decorate them, while they’re wet, with crushed Oreo crumbs, shaved bar chocolate or sprinkles.
9. In a cool spot, or the refrigerator, allow decorated candies to dry and harden. Lift each truffle off parchment and gently trim off any messy edges with a small knife.

Keep truffles refrigerated until ready to serve.

Makes approximately 72 1-inch candies

Red Velvet Truffles

Adapted from The-Baker-Chick.com

Ingredients for Truffles:

1 box red velvet cake mix

1 10 to 12 ounce package white baking chips, white chocolate bars or candy melts

2 cups cream cheese frosting

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting*:

2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened

½ cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

*Note: This frosting recipe makes 3 cups, but you will only need 2 cups to make the truffles.

Directions:

1. Bake Red Velvet cake mix as directed on box, allow to cool and crumble cake into a large mixing bowl. Set crumbs aside.
2. Line two rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend cream cheese, softened butter and vanilla extract until creamy. Gradually incorporate confectioner’s sugar until it’s the consistency of frosting.
4. Measure out 2 cups of cream cheese frosting, add to the cake crumbs and using your hands, mix well until dough forms
5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, place on one of the lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 2 hours.
6. Follow the above Oreo Truffle steps 4 through 9.

Keep truffles refrigerated until ready to serve.

Makes approximately 72 1-inch candies.