I was scoping out the bulk bins the other day trying to get some inspiration for a Valentine’s Day dessert. I wanted to do something a little different than usual and keep it low budget. I usually do some kind of chocolate cake with raspberries or strawberries but those aren’t in season in the winter time and I didn’t really want to spend $7 on a box, either. Just past the trail mix, I spotted some organic dark chocolate. I just had to do something with that considering it was on sale. Score! I got a bag full and headed home.
As I was putting the rest of the groceries away I spotted something in the spice cabinet that gave me and idea. Earlier this winter, I had mixed together cayenne, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and sea salt to make some Mexican hot chocolate which is one of my husband and I’s favorite cold-timey drinks. Somehow this led me to the idea of truffles. I always see a lot of various truffle recipes floating around on the internet this time of year so I’m guessing that’s what triggered it. They’d be easy, delicious, and spicy – just like our love. Oh come on, can’t I get a little sappy every now and then?
Truffles sound like they’d be difficult to make but wow, are they easy. Just a few ingredients and you have a quick dessert that is sure to impress. The best thing about truffles is they’re really a blank canvas waiting to be creatively transformed into limitless flavor combinations! Another great thing is, preparing these doesn’t require a multitude of fancy kitchen equipment. The fanciest thing I’ll use is a cookie scoop and if you don’t have one of those, you can just eye ball it with your hands and a spoon.
There is one bad thing about truffles, though. You’ll gorge on them until you hate yourself. There just. So. Good.
The recipe I have put together has cow’s milk, but you could easily substitute almond milk to make this a 100% vegan dessert.
Where you’ll find your ingredients zero waste:
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Mexican Hot Chocolate Truffles
Author: Megean Weldon
Recipe Type: Desserts
Yield: About 12 (depends on your scoop size)
Ingredients
Truffle
- 8 oz. Dark Chocolate Chunks (bulk bins)
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream (glass) or Almond Milk* I’d use a little less than 1/2 a cup (homemade/glass)
- 1 tsp Vanilla (homemade/glass)
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne** (bulk spices)
- 1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon (bulk spices)
Coating
- 1 cup Cocoa Powder (bulk bins)
- 1 tsp Cinnamon (bulk spices)
- 1/4 tsp Cayenne** (bulk spices)
- 1 tsp Sea Salt (bulk spices) (optional)
Instructions
- If the chocolate isn’t already in small pieces, chop up coarsely and place in a bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat up the cream almost to a boil but do not let it scald.
- Pour the heated cream over the chocolate and stir until melted and mixed.
- Add the vanilla, cayenne, and cinnamon and mix well.
- Place the the mixture in the refrigerator for about 3 hours until the chocolate is hardened.
- Once hardened, use a small cookie scoop or spoon and scoop out evenly sized balls.
- For the coating, combine the cocoa powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and sea salt in a bigger bowl. (This can get messy but that makes it fun, right?!)
- Dust the chocolate truffles in the dusting mixture until well coated.
- The truffles might be a little soft still, so I place mine back into the fridge for another couple hours until hard.
- And finally, pop those bad boys in your mouth and enjoy!
Notes:
*I have not tested this recipe with almond milk but assume that the consistency would be very similar.
**Feel free to add as much spice as you’d like!
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These look so delish!