Truffle Easter Eggs

I love truffles, especially those designed for holidays and special occasions. Here's a recipe from tasteofhome.com that has a hint of hazelnut and is beautiful when completed. It's an attractive and tasty addition to your Easter table! As with any truffles, follow the directions carefully and take your time. They are not difficult to make, just a bit time-consuming. I have included some hints to help you prepare and finish the eggs. 


Truffle Eggs

Originally from tasteofhome.com. Adapted

Ingredients

• 1/4 c heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
• 6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 tbsp Nutella
• blue or white candy coating melts (disks) from Wilton or JoAnn's 
• 5-6 drops blue food coloring or gel if using white disks
• 1/2 to 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• Flaked coconut, toasted, optional for nest, or make Rice Krispie nests

Note: You can add some peanut butter and Rice Krispies or granola if you find the texture too soft or runny to form the eggs properly.

Directions

1. In a saucepan, bring the cream, butter and corn syrup to a boil. Add chocolate chips and remove from heat (don't stir). Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in Nutella (and peanut butter and krispie cereal or granola if desired) until combined. Transfer to small bowl.Cover and refrigerate for 45-60 minutes, until thickened, stirring every 15 minutes.
2. Shape 1 heaping tsp of chocolate mixture into an egg. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.Repeat with remaining mixture. Freeze until firm (check after 10 minutes or more)
3. Meanwhile, in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the candy disks and stir until cool. Stir in food coloring (if desired). Dip frozen eggs in the candy coating, keeping them frozen until ready to dip, allowing extra to drip off. Return to baking sheet and immediately sprinkle lightly with coffee granules (alternately, fleck a pastry brush covered with melted chocolate over each egg to speckle them). Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Serve eggs on a nest of toasted coconut or in a Rice Krispie nest, if desired. Yields about 3 dozen eggs.

Zebra Domes: a taste of Africa

Here is the first of some absolutely delicious treats from Walt Disney World. We fell in love with this treat on a culinary tour of Boma at Jambo House..

Zebra Domes
From Animal Kingdom Lodge

Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound milk chocolate
¼ cup espresso coffee
5 egg yolks
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
6 sheets gelatin
½ cup Kahlua Liqueur
4 cups heavy cream
¾ cup white chocolate ganache
¼ cup dark chocolate ganache

Directions:

1. Melt milk chocolate.
2. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks.
3. Mix yolks with sugar.
4. Soften gelatin leaves in cold water.
5. Mix gelatin with Kahlua and coffee. Set bowl over hot water bath to dissolve the gelatin.
6. Fold 1/3 of whipped cream into the chocolate.
7. Add the yolks, then the gelatin mixture.
8. Fold in the rest of the cream.
9. Pour mousse in flexipan domes almost to the top.
10. Place sponge circle (1/4" thick yellow cake cut in a circle) on top. Leave in the freezer to set.
11. Once hard, unmold and place in glazing racks.
12. Make white chocolate ganache and chocolate ganache.
13. Put chocolate ganache in a pastry bag. Ladle white chocolate ganache to cover each dome. Simultaneously, pipe a stripe design of chocolate ganache over the dome.
14. Refrigerate to allow the glaze to set.
15. Decorate the bottom edge with coffee crunch.
16. Place a chocolate covered coffee bean on the center of each dome.

Note: One sheet of gelatin is equal to one teaspoon of unflavored powdered gelatin dissolved in ¼ cup of water.

Ganache

Ingredients

9 oz bittersweet chocolate (or white chocolate), chopped

1 c heavy cream

1 tbsp dark rum (or Kahlua for this recipe)

Directions

1. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching carefully so it doesn't overflow the pot. When the cream comes to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Stir in liquor (if desired). 
2. Allow the ganache to cool slightly before covering cake or cookies, starting at the center of the cake and working outside. You can also allow it to cool until thick and then whip with a whisk until fluffy to use in other recipes.

Nobody Knows the Truffles I've Seen Chocolate Truffles

Bad joke but it's true. I've been researching truffles and this one sounds pretty fool-proof and rather fun. The original recipe called for a whole bag of Oreo Cookies <Gak!>. To me, that is just a bit sweet with the other ingredients, so I toned it down with a box of chocolate Graham Wafer or plain chocolate wafer cookie crumbs instead. Try whichever you prefer.

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

• 1 pkg (8 oz) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 pkg (16.6 ox) OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 4 1/4 c), divided OR the same amount of Chocolate Graham Wafer Crumbs or plain chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
• 2 Pkg (8 squares each) BAKER's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted  
• NOTE: if desired: cocoa powder, chocolate shot (cake decorations) or sprinkles

Directions

1. Mix cream cheese and 3 c cookie crumbs (or alternate choice) until well blended.
2. Shape into 48 (1 inch) balls. Dip in melted chocolate. If desired, roll in toppings such as cocoa powder, chocolate shot or colored sprinkles, or simply sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
3. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in fridge. 

HINTS

To melt chocolate: place unwapped chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir and keep melting at 30 second intervals until completely melted. If using white chocolate, use medium heat and check after 1 1/2 minutes.

To dip truffles: Place several truffles in a bowl of melted chocolate. Use two forks to roll the truffles, letting the excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. The same forks can be used to gently roll the truffles in toppings, if desired, before placing on a saran wrap-, parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet; let stand until firm.