Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

(c) 2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Deep chocolate and luscious raspberries are paired in this delicious chocolate raspberry truffle recipe. The ganache filling of these truffles stays fairly soft, so they seem to melt in your mouth with each bite.

This recipe calls for candy coating, which stays hard at room temperature. You can use real chocolate, but you will want to temper the chocolate so that these soft truffles have a hard outer shell. Like many truffle recipes, this recipe requires several extensive chilling periods, so be sure to plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (10 oz) frozen raspberries, thawed
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 lb semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup cream
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 lb chocolate candy coating, for dipping
• 1/4 cup red candy coating, for decoration (optional)

Preparation:

1.Place the raspberries in a blender or food processor, and process them until they are liquid. Pour the raspberry puree into a small saucepan through a strainer or cheesecloth to remove the seeds.

2. Add the powdered sugar to the raspberry puree and heat it over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it is thick and syrupy and reduced by about half. Remove the puree from heat and set aside for now.

3. Place the chopped chocolate into a large bowl. Place the cream in a small saucepan until bubbles start to form around the edges, but do not allow it to come to a full boil. Once simmering, pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and allow it to sit for a minute or two to soften and melt the chocolate.

4. Whisk the chocolate and cream together gently, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and homogenous. This is your “ganache.” Add the corn syrup and raspberry puree to the chocolate mixture, and whisk it all together. Cover the surface of the ganache with cling wrap, and refrigerate until it is thick enough to scoop, at least 3 hours.

5. Cover a baking sheet with foil or waxed paper. Using a candy scoop or teaspoon, scoop the ganache into small balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Once all of the ganache is scooped, freeze the balls for 2 hours or until firm.

6. Place the candy coating in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in one-minute increments until melted, stirring after every minute to prevent overheating. Stir until the coating is completely smooth. Allow the coating to cool until it is barely warm. Do not let it start setting up, but let it cool down so that it does not melt the truffle fillings.

7. Using dipping tools or a fork, dip a truffle into the chocolate. Bring it out of the chocolate and allow the excess to drip back into the bowl. Place the dipped truffle back onto the baking sheet and repeat with remaining truffles and chocolate.

8. Place the truffles in the refrigerator to set the candy coating for about 30 minutes. If desired, you can melt red candy coating (or tint white coating with red candy coloring) and drizzle a small amount over the truffles decoratively.

9. Chocolate Raspberry Truffles can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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