Truffles

As a final flourish to the Christmas gift bags for my sister and my mum, I decided to make some chocolate truffles today. I have a bit of a thing for Frangelico ever since I bought it one year to make a dessert. I don't drink it, I just take the lid off and exhale it's gorgeous nutty aroma every now and again!  What an excellent plan to make chocolate and hazelnut truffles then!

400g dark chocolate - high cocoa solids
400ml double cream
50g butter
A good splash, followed by an even better splosh of Frangelico (hazelnut liquer)

Whip the cream and butter in a saucepan on a medium heat, until the butter is melted and the cream reaches a good simmer. Poor the cream mixture on to the broken up chocolate in a large bowl. Mix in the alcohol of your choice (or vanilla, or orange zest if you prefer) and whisk it all together until the chocolate has melted and you have a delicious unctuous bowl of yumminess. Refrigerate for several hours (at least 4). If you're me, you then get the power tools out for a bit whilst they are setting, but a cup of tea would be good too.

Roll teaspoons of the mixture into balls with your cold hands and the. Roll in a coating of your choice. I used chopped hazelnuts and cocoa powder, but desiccated coconut is also good and you can of course cover them in melted chocolate if you have the time.

Return to the fridge on a tray lined with baking parchment. They can be frozen for about a month, but they will keep well in the fridge for at least a week. Well ..... who am I kidding in this house !!
The hazelnut covered ones tasted very much like a superior Ferrero Rocher I thought - very moreish.

I made about 50 truffles for £5. I can feel another batch coming on for the deep freeze already!
I wrapped them by layering two squares of greaseproof paper on top of a square of recycled flower wrapping paper and tied with a ribbon.