Rich and decadent dark chocolate truffles with a hint of blood orange. These are the best homemade candy!
Over the last few years it’s gotten increasingly harder to schedule plans with friends. Between kids, family obligations and the seemingly speed-of-light passing of time, everyone’s schedules fill up fast. The “let’s do this again, and soon this time!” inevitably turns into the passing of another two months until another date is made. Top that with the winter season leading to at least one child being sick and getting friends together really becomes an unfortunate challenge.
So when we were able to get four of our favorite couples (plus kids!) to our place for dinner, we wanted to make it lots of fun. The night started early (5pm ha!) so that everyone could bring their babies without worrying about childcare. It was definitely a risk to sign up for 4 children under the age of three in one apartment during the witching hour, but we went for it.
Matt and I decided to go Mexican with dinner and break all the rules by making a recipe for chicken enchiladas we hadn’t cooked before (luckily America’s Test Kitchen is always dependable!). Plus, there was plenty of chips and guacamole to go around, even after L ate half of the guac. Add to that cilantro lime rice, Mexican-spiced beans, cumin-roasted cauliflower and salad.
I kept things seasonal and festive with spicy blood orange margaritas (that I’m still thinking about) and thought, why not have a blood orange dessert as well? So these Blood Orange truffles (along with a soon-to-come recipe for banana pudding) made their appearance.
Now, I know that orange and chocolate is a traditional flavor pairing that some people love, but historically it really hasn’t appealed to me. However, these truffles were quite extraordinary. The blood orange brought a fruitfulness to the truffles that complimented the bitterness of the dark chocolate at just the right level. That flavor, with a sensational melt-in-your-mouth richness made them a huge hit. In fact, my friends were a bit in disbelief that I had in fact made the truffles myself.
I promise you, though, that these are a lot easier than you might think. The most complicated part is tediously rolling the individual truffles but it’s very much worth the effort. Additionally, you can make these up to one week ahead of time if stored in the fridge. Just make sure not to eat them all before you gift or serve them. That is no easy feat.
- 79 milliliters (1/3 cup) heavy whipping cream
- 1g (1 teaspoon) blood orange zest (~1 orange)
- 142g chopped semi-sweet chocolate
- 57g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 10 milliliters (2 teaspoons) blood orange juice (~1/3 orange)
- 10g (2 tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa powder (you won’t use all of it)
- Combine heavy whipping cream and orange zest in a small heavy-duty saucepan; heat over low-medium heat
- Bring to a light rolling boil then remove from heat; immediately pour through a mesh strainer over chocolate and whisk until smooth
- Whisk mixture until chocolate is completely melted; whisk in butter and orange juice until smooth
- Chill mixture in refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight
- Once firm, use a small or cookie dough scoop to form small ball-shaped truffles; they will be slightly soft and sticky; freeze for fifteen minutes to set
- Once set, roll truffles in cocoa powder and store in an airtight container in refrigerator until ready to eat
- Bring to room temperature before serving
May store in refrigerator up to one week
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