THE BEST EVER CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Dark Chocolate TruffleS
1 c. heavy cream

2/3 c. maple syrup

1/3 c. unsalted butter

1/3 c. Kahlua (or your favorite liqueur)

**if you don’t user liqueur, substitute with 2 tbsp. extract & additional 2 tbsp. cream

2 lbs. bitter or semi sweet chocolate (I used a mix of bittersweet and semisweet)

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 cup powdered sugar
Dipping ingredients:1 lb. semi-sweet chocolate

8 oz. milk chocolate
Filling Procedure

In heavy saucepan, heat cream, butter syrup and Kahlua. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside. In a glass bowl, microwave 2 lbs. chocolate until melted, about 2 minutes. Add the cream mixture and stir until well blended. Pour into metal pan and chill until firm and scoop-able (2-4 hours). Mix the cocoa and powdered sugar. Using a 1-oz scoop, scoop truffle mix and release into a bowl of powdered sugar/cocoa powder mix. Roll between palms of your hands to make a smooth round ball.

Dipping Procedures Melt 3/4 lb. semisweet chocolate in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave for 20 seconds longer. Stir until smooth and then check the temperature. You want the chocolate to be around 87 degrees (definitely no higher than 90 degrees). If the chocolate is too hot, add the reserved chocolate and stir. When the chocolate is at the correct temperature, remove the remaining chunks. The chocolate is now tempered and ready to use.
The Joy of Cooking offered this way of dipping truffles that I was quite skeptical of at first. They suggested that you smear tempered chocolate on your hands and roll the filling around in the chocolate to coat the truffle. Then place it on a rack to dry.
After trying to dip the chocolates unsuccessfully with a fork, I decided to try it. It worked beautifully. It gave the truffles the perfect amount of chocolate and it went quickly.
They also suggested that the chocolates be dipped a second time, but I was happy with just one coating of chocolate.
Then, I melted some milk chocolate using the same method as above (however for milk chocolate, the temperature should be no higher than 88 degrees) and drizzled it onto the truffles after the first chocolate layer set up.
Another important tip that the Joy of Cooking offered was to let the filling reach room temperature (or at least not to dip cold truffles) because as the center warms it expands and will crack the chocolate. I let my centers sit for quite awhile before I dipped them. They were still a little cool, but it still happened a tiny bit. If I dipped them straight from the fridge they would have cracked a lot, I’m sure.