Hot Chocolate Truffles

Next up in the edible gift series:

When the weather gets cold one of my very favorite comfort treats is a warm cup of hot chocolate. Its best with milk, lots of marshmallows, or preferably, piles of whipped cream. This season I experimented with a few flavors of homemade hot chocolate and now there fifty more I want to try.

I have all the truffles pictured here on display, but I keep them in a Christmas tin in the fridge (the tin also makes them great for gifting – thrift some cute mugs and whip up a batch of these and you’ve got the perfect gifts for friends, coworkers, teachers etc.). I made hazelnut, peppermint, and regular hot chocolate balls (the hazelnut were my favorite :).

What You’ll Need:

1 C chocolate chips (semi sweet or milk, your choice)
1/2 C heavy whipping cream
3 Tbsp sugar (feel free to add more or less to taste)
1 Teaspoon of vanilla
optional: 1/4 C Nutella, 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
to rol them in: chopped hazelnuts, crushed candy canes, cocoa powder

What You’ll Do

Whisk chocolate chips and whipping cream in a saucepan on medium heat until melted.
Mix in vanilla (here you would add nutella or peppermint extract if desired)
Using a spatula, put mixture in a bowl and place in freezer
Once stiff, oil your hands and roll into balls.
Roll balls in cocoa powder, crushed candy canes, or chopped hazelnuts.
Place in mini liners and store in fridge

To serve, just add one ball to a cup of hot milk (or hot water) and stir.

Think of all the options with these – peanut butter mix-in with crushed reeces pieces, almond extract with toasted almond, or the one I’m trying next: coconut extract with toasted coconut topping!

recipe adapted from the brilliant Lizzie here