25 July 2017
 Categories: Food & Cooking, Blog

Truffles are generally very smooth, rich, and chocolatey. Though they are certainly delicious, the chocolate flavor can be a tad overwhelming if you're not someone who thinks that more chocolate is always better. One way to create a more balanced truffle is to make your own, creating fruit-flavored centers and then covering them in melted chocolate. 

To that end, here are two recipes for fruit-flavored truffles, made from scratch, along with instructions for coating all of them in chocolate.

Raspberry Cream Cheese Truffles

What could pair together more beautifully than raspberries and chocolate? These cream cheese truffles may remind you of cheesecake, and their beautiful pink color makes them as pretty as they are delicious.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/4 teaspoon raspberry extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Combine the raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a saucepan over low heat. Stir it around, smashing the raspberries with a spoon as you stir. The mixture will be thick, but it will loosen up as you continue stirring it over low heat. Once it starts simmering, remove it from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

Combine the cooled raspberry mixture, cream cheese, and raspberry extract in a bowl, and stir to combine. The mixture will be stiff. When combined, place the mixture in the freezer for one hour. Then, portion it into tablespoon-sized balls, and roll each to shape it. Place the balls on a cookie sheet and place it back in the freezer until you're ready to cover the truffles in chocolate.

Buttery Peach Truffles

These peach truffles will remind you of the south. They're made with real whipped cream for a very rich, smooth texture. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped until stiff peaks form
• 1 cup fresh peaches, pureed to a pulp
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon plain gelatin
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon butter extract

Directions:

Combine the peaches, salt, gelatin, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, and then remove from the heat. Place in the refrigerator to cool.

Stir together the powdered sugar, whipped cream, butter extract, and peach mixture. Place the mixture in the freezer, and leave it there for about 2 hours or until firm. Divide into tablespoon-sized balls, and shape them with your hands. Work quickly before the mixture has a chance to soften.

Coating the Truffles in Chocolate

You can coat both of these types of truffles in chocolate using the same basic procedure. You can use chocolate chips if you are in a hurry, but for even better results, choose a chocolate that is labeled "couverture" which means it is high in cocoa butter and will melt beautifully. 

Melt your chocolate in a double-boiler, stirring frequently until it is smooth with no remaining chunks. Then, poke a truffle with two toothpicks, one on each side. Lower the truffle into the chocolate, and swirl it around gently to ensure all sides are evenly coated. Lift it out of the chocolate, and place it on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Coat a couple of truffles, and then place the sheet in the refrigerator to chill. Start over with a new tray. Work quickly so that the truffles are not out of the fridge for too long.

Chocolate-covered peach and raspberry truffles are so delicious, and they make great gifts for friends and family members around the holiday season. If you're short on time and would prefer to purchase your truffles, check out sweet shops like Abdallah Candies And Gifts.