Blood Orange Holiday Truffles

Dear reader,

When I think of the holiday season, I think of colorful tins of sweets exchanged between friends, neighbors, or created at home with family. One holiday treat that I am particularly fond of, is the indulgent (and sometimes boozy) chocolate truffle.

This take on a holiday truffle brings the sweetness of the iconic dessert with a floral, citrusy pop from the lovely blood orange. They actually taste quite boozy, but are in fact alcohol free, dairy free, and can easily be made gluten free. Meaning, these are great to share with anyone and everyone this holiday season.

I hope these bring a bit of extra holiday cheer to you and yours.

Until next time,

Bridget

P.S. if you’re craving more holiday sweet treats, try a sip of Turmeric Spiced Hot Cocoa or a slice of Bourbon Breakfast Cake.

Blood Orange Holiday Truffles

Servings 15 truffles

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Setting TIme 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Equipment

• Food Processor or Blender
• Medium Skillet for toasting the walnuts

Ingredients

• 2 cups walnuts, toasted and then finely chopped Toast the whole walnuts in a skillet for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly until fragrant (careful not to scorch). Then, finely chop or pulse the toasted walnuts in a food processor until they are breadcrumb consistency.
• 1 generous cup *graham cracker crumbs, about 9 full sized graham crackers
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 scant cup *vanilla coconut sugar regular coconut sugar or brown sugar work here too
• 2 tablespooons maple syrup
• ⅓ cup blood orange juice
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 6 ½ oz *dark chocolate if using a chocolate bar, finely chop to ensure that it melts easily and evenly, if using chocolate chips, no need to chop it
• Maldon flaked sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped walnuts, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and salt. Mix until well incorporated.
• Add the blood orange juice, maple syrup, and almond extract. Mix thoroughly – feel free to use your hands and get a little messy.
• Create ping pong sized balls, and place them on a lined sheet tray. Freeze for an hour or two.
• When the truffle fillings have set, it's time to temper the chocolate. Melt about 2/3 of the chocolate in the microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between until it is melted. If you have a kitchen thermometer, check the temperature to ensure that the chocolate is around 115°F, no higher than 120°F.
• Add the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate a few spoonfuls at a time, stirring constantly. Make sure that the pieces are completely melted before adding more. The chocolate will thicken and become shiny and smooth as you continue stirring and adding in more chocolate. Once all the chocolate is melted (and the temperature is around 89°F), it's ready for dipping.
• Remove the sheet pan from the freezer. Carefully drop each truffle ball into the chocolate, flipping with a fork (or tongs) to ensure that each is evenly coated with chocolate. Scoop out, allow the excess chocolate to drip off, then transfer back to the sheet tray. Before the chocolate hardens, top each truffle with maldon sea salt flakes.
• Once all have been dipped and salted, put the sheet tray into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, allowing the chocolate to fully set.
• Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

*Ingredients to make your life easier:

• Vanilla coconut sugar: Thrive Market, 14 oz bag, 5.99. However, regular coconut sugar or dark brown sugar can be found in any grocery store and will work just as well.
• Graham Crackers: I like to use Annie’s Cinnamon Grahams found at Whole Foods (and several other grocery stores, depending on location). They are the best for this recipe! For my friends with celiac or gluten intolerance, you can use gluten free graham crackers. If there is a cinnamon option, opt for that one. 
• Dark Chocolate: Best meltable vegan dark chocolates are – Hu Dark Chocolate Vegan Gems, Theo Pure Organic And Vegan Dark Chocolate, Taza Almond Milk Classic Chocolate Bar, Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Vegan Chocolate Chips. Melt in 15 second intervals in the microwave, or heat over a double boiler until completely melted. 

Course: Dessert