Valentine’s Day has come and gone but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy pretty chocolate truffles all weekend long! These Dark Chocolate Raspberry Liqueur Truffles are little balls of joy to be eaten any day to show how much you love yourself! The rich, smooth, creamy filling is dairy free deliciousness laced with raspberry liqueur that pairs harmoniously with the ganache. Then for more raspberry flavor, they are rolled in ground, freeze dried raspberries before being dunked and coated in more chocolate! Be still my heart little beautiful balls, you are all I need this weekend!
Like I said, I don’t and you don’t need a special occasion to allow yourself a little self-love, or other-person love or doggie love (not in the creepy way, just in the you love your doggie so much way) or any form of kindness for that matter! That goes without saying that we should practice that every day!
Any who, these little truffles are the perfect sweet, but not too sweet, decadent treat! They are rich so you won’t go off the rails shoving as many truffles in your mouth as fast as your hand can deliver. You really only need one. That’s all it takes to deliver those endorphins to your brain and put a smile on your face. They are dairy free using dark 70% dark chocolate for the ganache mixed with coconut cream. Then just sweetened slightly with coconut nectar and vanilla extract. The texture and sweet notes are completely balanced. The tart and zing from the raspberry liqueur and freeze-dried raspberries give these truffles a certain je ne sais quoi!
So pretty, almost too pretty to eat…almost!
I did a combo of chocolate covered and just left some simple with raspberry coating. Either combo is delicious!
Let’s all continue to celebrate ourselves and our loved ones today and everyday starting with making these truffles! You will not be disappointed, and neither will your friends (makes a ton, perfect for gifting) the moment you pop my chocolate balls into your mouth! 🙂
Happy Weekending and Truffle Balling It!
Diane
- For the Ganache:
- 12oz 70% dark chocolate baking bars (I use Theo)
- 14oz can of coconut cream (solidified cream only, none of the water)
- 3 tbsp. coconut nectar
- ½ tsp. espresso powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 3 tbsp. raspberry liqueur
- For the Coating:
- 10oz bag of semi-sweet dairy free chocolate chips, half the bag (I used Enjoy Life)
- 3 tbsp. of non-hydrogenated vegetable oil (I use Spectrum)
- 1.2oz bag of freeze-dried raspberries
- Optional Coatings:
- Chocolate sprinkles
- White candy coating
- For the Filling:
- Finely chop the chocolate and add to a heat proof glass bowl or double boiler. Add espresso powder and salt.
- I used a medium saucepan with small amount of simmering water over low heat, place the bowl over the pot not touching the water. Melt the chocolate and add coconut cream (only the solid cream, none of the water) stirring until completely smooth and shiny (around 5 to 7 minutes). Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract, coconut nectar and raspberry liqueur and stir to combine and is smooth.
- Cover ganache with plastic wrap, touching top of ganache and up the sides of the bowl. Allow to cool some at room temp. around 15 minutes, then place in the fridge for 2 hours to overnight.
- Roll the truffles:
- Remove the ganache from the fridge. Place a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet. You may need to let it sit at room temp for 20 minutes so you can scoop out the balls. I used about a 2 tsp. scoop for mine. You can go bigger if you want, you will just yield less. Scoop out the filling and roll in-between your palms to form a ball. Place on the lined baking sheet and continue the process until you have used up all the filling. Grind about ¾ of the bag of freeze-dried raspberries in a spice grinder or food processor. Leaving some left to use as garnish. Pour the finely ground raspberries onto a plate. Roll the truffles in the ground raspberries to coat. You can do all of them, or just some of them. If you are using sprinkles on some, roll some of the truffles in the sprinkles too. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- For the Coating:
- While the truffles are firming up, in a microwave safe bowl, melt the semi-sweet chocolate with the vegetable shortening in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until completely melted and smooth. Remove the truffles from the freezer and using a fork dunk the truffles in the melted chocolate to coat. Allow the excess to drip off into the bowl and place back on the baking sheet to firm up. If desired, using the leftover dried raspberries, crush between your fingers over the top of the truffle for garnish. Repeat process until all the truffles are coated. Pop in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden. Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Enjoy!
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