Chocolate-Rum Truffles

With rich and decadent flavor, these are a natural for Valentine’s Day

Chocolates for Valentine’s Day? Mais oui!

But you needn’t buy expensive bonbons in heart-shaped boxes. Because these homemade truffles are outrageously good – and they look fancy, too.

Best of all, they’re easy to make. So you’ll have more time to sip champagne with your sweetie.

Recipe: Chocolate-Rum Truffles

Mrs. Kitchen Riffs is the dessert maven in our household. She adapted this recipe from one for bourbon-soaked chocolate truffles that we found in Julia Child and Company.

These truffles are particularly interesting because they use gingersnaps for extra flavor and, well, snap.

It takes less than 20 minutes to put together the chocolate mixture for these truffles. Then you’ll need to let the mixture chill in the fridge for an hour or two before you form the truffles (which will take another 15 minutes or so).

This recipe yields 18 to 24 truffles, depending on how large you make them.

These truffles will keep for several days if you refrigerate them in an airtight container.

Ingredients

• 5 ounces semisweet chocolate (can use chocolate chips)
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 60 percent cacao)
• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
• 2 to 3 tablespoons strong coffee (we recommend espresso)
• ¼ cup dark rum (can substitute bourbon)
• 6 ounces gingersnap cookies
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Procedure

1. Place the semisweet and bittersweet chocolate, along with the butter, in a microwave-safe container with a lid. Heat in increments of one to two minutes until melted.
2. Remove the chocolate mixture from the microwave (be careful – it’s hot). Stir in the coffee, then the rum.
3. Pulverize the gingersnaps in a mini-food processor until they’re fine crumbs. (No mini food processor? Place the gingersnaps in a zippered plastic bag, then bash them with a rolling pin until you have crumbs.) Stir the pulverized gingersnaps into the chocolate until well mixed.
4. Chill the chocolate mixture in the refrigerator for an hour or two, until it has solidified.
5. Form the truffles: Pour the unsweetened cocoa powder onto a dish. Scoop out approximately one tablespoon of the chocolate mixture, then roll it between your hands until it forms a ball. Roll the ball in the cocoa powder to coat it. Repeat until you’ve used all the chocolate mixture.

Notes

• We generally use Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate (60 percent cacao) for these truffles. But any good-quality bittersweet chocolate should work fine.
• We think dark rum is delicious in these truffles. But bourbon would be great, too (in fact, that’s what Julia Child’s recipe calls for).
• Any name-brand dark rum will work. We like to use Myers or Gosling’s in sweet dishes.
• Coffee deepens the flavor of chocolate. We generally use 3 tablespoons in this recipe. But start with 2 if you’re unsure.
• We use instant espresso powder for making the coffee. But any strong coffee should work fine.
• BTW, if you use espresso powder only for cooking (as we do), a jar will probably last a long time. You can store it in freezer to extend its life.
• We use ready-made gingersnap cookies for this recipe. But if you happen to have homemade ones on hand, those would be even better. 
• When you eat these truffles, the cocoa-powder coating can get a bit messy. So a dinner napkin may be in order.

Love Is in the Air

“These are wonderful,” I said, taking another truffle. “Kind of you to make them.”

“Well, I know the way to your heart,” said Mrs. Kitchen Riffs.

“You had that already, my little chickadee,” I said.

“As you have mine, petit chou,” said Mrs K R.

“Yes, love is grand,” I said. “Though it’s not always flowers and champagne.”

“True,” said Mrs K R. “Sometimes there’s rum.”

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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