a.k.a Bailey's White Chocolate Truffles
I have nothing witty or interesting to say right now. I have a sneaky suspicion that I'm not going to have much of anything entertaining to say about my let-your-friends-know-how-awesome-you-are edible (and imbibable) Christmas gift collection. Well, besides that sly little chirp.
Honestly, I have no story behind these truffles. No fun moment of inspiration. Nothing.
Basically, I was in the car and on my way to gym. There's always the same traffic sitting on the same stretch of road, which I guess is quite normal. But in any case, I'm always a little bored at that part of the journey and so my mind starts wandering as I sigh at the snail-like progress.
I'll give you an idea of what my brain went through at the moment of "inspiration".
'My ass is still sore from Monday. I wonder what he's gonna have us doing tonight. Please, no more lunges.'
'What the hell is that car doing? Idiot.'
'... hazel eeeeeeyes, I was so colourbliiiiiiind, we were just wasting tiiiiiiime. Oh oh.' (That was my brain singing along.)
'I really need to do some Christmas blogging. What can I make?'
'... only friends in my miiiiiind. But now I realise...'
'How about truffles? They're quick and easy. They're cute. Maybe something with peppermint. Really must stock up on chocolate. Maybe a trip to Musgraves this week. No, not peppermint.'
'... Woooooah oooooooh ooooooooh. WHOOOOOAAAHHHH OOOOOOH OOOOOH OOOOOOH.' (That part may have been out loud.)
'I know. They should look like little snowballs. So white chocolate. I'll roll them around in icing sugar.'
'Oh come on! There's bright yellow hatching on the road. Why the fudge* have you stopped on it? I hope someone needs to join the road and you're still sitting there like a plonker and they give you a dirty look or something. You probably wouldn't even notice.' *sensored
'Booze. Booze is good for Christmas. Brandy? Whiskey? JD's honey whiskey? Really must get another bottle, it's almost finished.'
'Seriously, another asshole on the hatching. What is wrong with people?'
'Oh, duh. Bailey's. I'll use Bailey's. Right, that's sorted. I'll put them in little jars or something, they'll look cute.'
And there you have it. The thought process behind these truffles.
Actually, I guess this recipe is what sparked the idea behind making my Christmas gifts this year. From truffles, I thought it would be nice to bundle it with something else. The salted caramel sauce was the very next thing that came to mind, and was confirmed as a good idea when my friend told me that the jar I'd given her was now finished and I had to know it was now finished so that I could do something about it!
Chocolate bark was a little while after that, and only because I feel like I've been neglecting my tempering machine so thought I should put it to some good use.
The mulled cider syrup was a little more of an exciting idea for me, but I'll leave that for its own post.
As for these truffles, seriously, ANYONE can make them.
Heat cream. Add to grated chocolate. Stir until melted. Add booze. Put in fridge. Make balls. Rolls balls in icing sugar. It's not rocket science, I promise. And if you get fancy with the packaging, your friends or family will think you're the bees knees. I won't tell them how easy they are if you don't tell them how easy they are. Deal? Deal.
Ok. Go make some seriously sinful simple snowballs.
Seriously Simple Snowball Truffles
Makes +- 6-8 truffles
| Ingredients | ||
|---|---|---|
| 100g | 3½oz | White Chocolate, finely chopped or grated |
| 3 Tbsp | 3 Tbsp | Bailey's Irish Liqueur |
| 1 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | Double Cream |
| Icing Sugar, for coating | ||
Makes +- 40-45 truffles
| Ingredients | ||
|---|---|---|
| 700g | 24½oz | White Chocolate, finely chopped or grated |
| 320ml | 11fl oz | Bailey's Irish Liqueur |
| 100ml | 3½fl oz | Double Cream |
| Icing Sugar, for coating | ||
Method
- Place grated or chopped white chocolate in a heat proof bowl
- Meanwhile, get your kettle boiling
- Combine the liqueur and cream in a small saucepan and heat on medium high just until it starts to bubble around the edges
- Pour scalded liquid over the chocolate then slowly stir to to combine
- If scalded liquid isn't enough to completely melt the chocolate, pour a bit of your freshly boiled kettle of water into the saucepan you used to scald the cream and Bailey's and sit the bowl over it
- Slowly stir together until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth, remove from its steaming saucepan
- Cover with clingfilm and leave to stand at room temp for about 30mins, then pop in the fridge and leave to firm up for about an hour or overnight
- When you're ready to make the truffles, pour a generous amount of icing sugar into a bowl or large shallow dish
- To form the truffles, use a melon baller or teaspoon to scoop small rounds of the ganache
- Tip: If ganache is too hard after being chilled, leave to stand at room temp for about 20mins until it's softer and easier to work with
- Roll the ball of ganache between the palms of your hands until nicely rounded and smooth
- Tip: It's okay if the outside starts to get a little melted and sticky, the icing sugar will stick to it better
- Coat the truffle by rolling around in the icing sugar
- Fill glass jars, clear cellophane bags or chocolate boxes with the truffles and gift to a lucky person!
- Or just eat them yourself...
Other Tips:
Truffles will happily keep for 3-4 weeks in an airtight container kept in the fridge
It's not advised to eat them while still chilled, so leave to come to room temperature before enjoying. Seriously, cold chocolate just doesn't taste as good as room temp chocolate. Also, the texture will be quite different, and you want these soft and melt-able. Not cold and chew-able!
