April 4, 2011

Truffle Shuffle

Trying to keep my cooking skills sharp by attempting to bake something new each weekend. Sweet treats have been the norm lately – perhaps it’s in rebellion to the Weight Watchers program that I’ve been sadly ignoring.

Found these puppies on one of my favorite food blogs and bookmarked it for Sunday afternoon. They were quite easy to make with the help of Cindy’s Kitchenaid. There’s nothing the Sugiura family likes more than cookie dough!

Topped most of them with walnuts and a few with sea salt. Wished I would have done them all in sea salt! Next time around…..

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH TRUFFLES

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
chocolate bark, to melt for dipping
additional sprinkles, sea salt, nuts etc., optional for topping the truffles

1. In a large bowl, use electric mixer to cream together butter and brown sugar. Add vanilla. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until it is incorporated and you no longer see chunks of brown sugar (if you spot any, squish them). Beat in sweetened condensed milk and mix until well-combined. Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

2. Cover bowl and refrigerate until dough is firm (at least 1 hour). Use cookie scoop to scoop out heaping Tablespoonfuls, roll into balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet. Place all of the rolled balls back into the refrigerator until you are ready to dip them in chocolate.

3. Melt chocolate bark in a glass bowl- easiest to do in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each heating time, until smooth. Use a spoon to help you dip the chilled dough ball into the chocolate and roll it around to cover all sides. Place it on a waxed paper-lined platter. Sprinkle with any desired toppings. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls. Keep them refrigerated until ready to serve.

Yield: 3 to 4 dozen truffles

Tips:
*I used the Ghirardelli Candy Making Dipping Bar- both Double Chocolate and White flavors. It’s available at Sam’s Club- they may have it at Costco too.
*You may wish to speed up the chilling process and place the balls into the freezer, but it’s not such a good idea. The dough freezes up and then when it begins to warm up again- it expands and may cause the chocolate coating to crack.

Source: RecipeGirl.com (Adapted from Food Network)

http://www.recipegirl.com/blog/