Chocolate Red Wine Truffles

So it’s Valentines’ Week.  Yes, I just officially made it a “week”. Why?  Because I have an excuse to post insanely decadent treats like these without any guilt.  I also can have an excuse to open a bottle of wine to “cook with” and then have a glass (or two) while “cooking.”

And these little treats combine two of my favorite things in life:  chocolate and wine.  Can I get an “amen” here?

Now, these did take a little bit of tweaking (or I must have insanely warm hands) because I personally found that I had to take breaks every so often and pop these guys back in the fridge to cool a little bit (and harden).  I opted to roll them in a bittersweet chocolate because I was a little concerned that they might be a little bit too sweet, but feel free to roll them in whatever type of chocolate (or cocoa powder) you like.

Happy Valentines’ Week.

 

Chocolate Red Wine Truffles

Servings: about 20 truffles

 

Ingredients

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup red wine (I used a cabernet sauvignon.  My expert friend, Andy, says you could also use a merlot or cab/merlot blend.)

For the coating: 16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Sprinkles, optional

 

Instructions

1.  Place the chopped chocolate into a medium bowl; set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer.

3. Add the butter to the cream, and stir until the butter is completely melted.

4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the butter/cream mixture over the chopped chocolate.

5. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted.

6. Add the red wine and mix until thoroughly incorporated.

7. Pour the mixture into an 8×8-inch baking pan, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight.)

8. Once the mixture has chilled and slightly hardened, gently roll the mixture into approximately 1-inch balls, taking breaks to chill the mixture as needed.  I used a small melon baller to help me shape the balls; I found this incredibly useful.

9. Place the balls onto a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill until you are ready to coat the truffles with chocolate.

10. For the coating: In a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt the bittersweet chocolate, stirring until smooth.

11. Remove the chocolate from the heat and carefully roll each truffle in the melted chocolate with a fork, gently tapping each truffle to remove the excess chocolate.  Sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles, if using.

12. Keep refrigerated until serving.

 

Source:  Barely adapted from Food.com.