Truffles that don't come from the ground

Have you ever had a rich, delicious, tender truffle and wonder, how the heck do they do this?! Well it's actually pretty simple. For the basic recipes, you'll find they're all mostly the same. You need time to melt chocolate, time to form the balls and let them cool, and time to decorate.

Be adventurous and try a batch at home. They're always a crowd-pleaser and look much more complicated to make than they actually are! Here's a simple recipe you can follow to make your own at home.

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 bars (8 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, broken into 1/4-in pieces OR chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Topping:

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup ground nuts
• 1/3 cup coconut

Directions
1. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate and butter.
2. In a medium sized skillet, bring 1/2 inch of water to a slow simmer. Set the saucepan in the skillet over low heat. Stir mixture just until chocolate has completely melted. Remove from heat. Pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool, cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

3. Pour the cocoa, nuts, coconut, or other topping ingredients into separate pie plates. Line an airtight container with waxed paper. Dip a melon baller or small spoon into a glass of warm water and quickly scrape across the surface of the chilled truffle mixture to form a rough 1-inch ball. Drop the ball into the cocoa.
4. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture. Gently shake the pie plate to coat truffles evenly. Transfer truffles to the prepared container, separating layers with additional waxed paper. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.

(Adapted from a Ghirardelli truffle recipe)