Whiskey Chocolate Truffles

Whiskey Chocolate Truffles

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I first tried these chocolate truffles at dinner with my brother and his girlfriend last spring and I requested the recipe for this Valentine's themed blog post.  In Lauren's recipe she called for vanilla extract as one of the ingredients but when I decided to make these, shockingly, there no vanilla extract in my apartment so I added a few surprise ingredients of my own instead. Namely, instant coffee powder and Jack Daniel's whiskey.  These truffles are creamy and decadent and can be finished off in a number of ways. I chose to roll my truffles in cocoa powder, crushed pecans and red sprinkles but you can also use powdered sugar, shredded coconut, melted pure chocolate or anything else you think would be delicious!

Ingredients

1 eight ounce package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature

3 1/8 cups powdered sugar

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

1 tablespoon Jack Daniel's whiskey

First, mix the cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl until well combined. Then, in order to melt the chocolate, put the chocolate chips in a large microwave safe bowl and microwave on high in thirty-second increments and stir in between each increment.  In my opinion, this is the best way to melt chocolate chips because they melt from the outside in and the stirring prevents the chocolate from burning. You can also use a double boiler to melt the chocolate but it is much harder to control the temperature that way. Once the chocolate is melted, pour it into the mixing bowl with the cream cheese and sugar mixture and mix thoroughly.  Lastly, add the tablespoon of instant coffee powder and the tablespoon of whiskey and stir to combine.

For the next part in making these truffles I used a melon baller to get evenly sized truffles but you could just as easily use a tablespoon. Scoop up a small portion of the chocolate mixture and using your hands, roll it into a ball about one inch in diameter. Then roll the ball into the coating of your choice and set aside!  Within minutes the truffles will harden slightly and be ready to serve or store. Enjoy!