Almond Joy Truffles

Guest Blogger, Erica, of EricaSweetTooth shares her recipe for mouthwatering Almond Joy Truffles.

The first time I ever made truffles it was a Disaster, capital D.  I added way to much cream, a little too much rum (apparently there is a thing as too much), and I was a little stingy on the chocolate. There were lessons to be learned: first, always follow a dessert recipe to tee?there is a lot of thought that often goes into the percentages of ingredients, and its ill advised to start improvising; second, do yourself a big favor and get a good quality bakers chocolate (for the listed amount); finally, if you?re unsure of your skills, don?t attempt something new when you want to impress new friends at an important event. These are a few lessons I learned first hand from a slightly traumatizing truffle experience last year, but I think after a lesson from Erica of Ericasweettooth.com, I’m ready to try again. Lucky for us all, Erica is sharing her recipe for her scrumptious Almond Joy truffles.

I?ll let Erica take it from here?

Hello Duh-licious readers, I?m Erica of Ericasweettooth.com and I?m so excited to be a guest blogger today on Madalina?s site!  Ever since I saw her Candy Apple Donut Holes, I knew I loved this place right away, and couldn?t say no to an opportunity to be a part of it.  Today I bring you a sophisticated truffle version of the classic Almond Joy chocolate bar.  I made these for my mom?s birthday, an avid lover of everything almond and coconut, and they were a total hit.  The dark chocolate is infused with almond extract and coconut rum, rolled in toasted almonds and coconut or cocoa powder, and there?s even half an almond hidden inside each one!

Truffles are fancy by nature, especially presented in old foil liners and cute candy boxes, but they?re deceptively easy to make.  Sure your hands will be covered in a chocolately mess, but the recipe instructions can?t be simpler — heat heavy cream, pour over chocolate, add some extracts, chill, scoop into balls, chill, roll and dip.  That?s it!   This was a great recipe for a day of studying because there are multiple steps over a period of a few hours ? perfect study breaks for me.

It?s important to let the chocolate fully chill so you can more easily roll them into balls.  Even if you do thorough chilling, the chocolate might start to melt on your hands as you roll them, but don?t worry, we?re not going for perfection here.  If you?re giving these as a gift, you want them to look a little homemade!  My mom at first didn?t believe that I had made them myself, but splurging on truffles that I could easily (and more deliciously) make at home was out of the question.

The truffles are definitely rich, so a box of 8 makes a perfect gift for any holiday ? just change up the decorative ribbon.  Chocolate is appropriate for any occasion, especially rolled into fancy truffles and packed in festive box.  My recipe contains some booze, but feel free to substitute 1 tsp of coconut extract for the coconut rum if you?re gifting a younger recipient.  I have to admit I preferred the truffles rolled in toasted coconut and almonds, but the cocoa powdered ones were also delicious and added some aesthetic appeal to the presentation.

Almond Joy Truffles [Recipe courtesy of EricaSweetTooth]

Ingredients (yields ~ 18 truffles)

- ½ cup sliced almonds, chopped

- ½ cup sweetened coconut, chopped

- 9 whole almonds, cut in half

- 3-1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

- 3-1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate

- ½ cup heavy cream

- 1 tbsp coconut rum (I used Malibu)

- 1 tbsp hot coffee

- ¼ tsp vanilla extract

- ¼ tsp almond extract

- Cocoa powder for dusting

Directions

1. In a pan over medium heat, toast coconut and sliced almonds until the coconut starts to brown and is fragrant.  Using a sharp knife, chop the mixture finely.  Set aside in a small bowl, along with another small bowl of cocoa powder.

2. Chop the chocolate and place in a bowl.

3. Heat cream over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil.  Immediately pour hot cream over bowl with chocolate and whisk until smooth.

4. Whisk in coconut rum, coffee, vanilla, and almond extracts.

5. Cover mixture and transfer to refrigerator for about an hour

6. Using a small ice cream scoop, make scoops of chocolate mixture and place on a lined cookie sheet.  Push 1 half almond into each dollop.  Transfer back to fridge for another 15-20 minutes.

7. Remove truffles from fridge only 4 at a time to prevent unnecessary melting.  Roll dollops into balls with your hands (remember, doesn?t have to be perfect) and roll in either the almond/coconut mixture or cocoa powder.  I found it useful to wash my hands in between batches of 4 because things can get pretty messy.

8. Package as you wish and store in the fridge until ready to serve

– A big thank you to Erica for taking the time to write a beautiful blog post for Duh-licious. In return, please take the time to visit her blog, which is full of amazing photos, recipes and stories.

(all photos in this post are credited to Erica)