RUM TRUFFLES

Chocolate truffles are such an easy dessert to make. Delightfully creamy, with a deep chocolate flavour; they are humble enough to be an everyday dessert, yet classy enough to be a centrepiece for a special occasion. Whether you choose to decorate them by haphazardly drizzling melted chocolate over them, or by dipping each one into a pool of molten chocolate and sprinkling them with crushed toasted walnuts, they will be delicious either way.

Apart from being incredibly easy to make, they are a good way to creatively use up leftovers, and create a wonderfully smooth, rich, and fragrant chocolate treat. Now, because they are so smooth and creamy, they do require a bit of chilling before rolling into truffles. And depending on the type of biscuits you use, on how much they absorb, you might have to add a tablespoon or two more, so keep on hand, in case the batter is overly soft even after chilling.

Ingredients
180 grams mashed potatoes
180 grams finely ground vanilla biscuits
100 grams icing sugar, sifted
20 ml dark rum
½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
100 grams dark chocolate (60%)
100 grams butter, unsalted
50 grams cooking chocolate (40%), for decorating

Preparation

To make the mashed potatoes, you can slightly heat up leftover unseasoned mashed potatoes, or chop a peeled large potato into small cubes, place it in a saucepan and cover with water. Let it come to a boil, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until soft, then drain thoroughly, mash, and let it cool down to room temperature. Once the potatoes are ready, place the diced butter in a saucepan, along with the chopped up dark chocolate, and melt it slowly over low heat. When completely melted and glistening, remove it from the heat, and reserve until cooled down.

Place the mashed potatoes into a blender or a food processor, and blend on the highest setting you have, for about a minute or two, until completely smooth. Add in the icing sugar, and blend again. Add in the melted and cooled chocolate and butter, as well as the rum and vanilla, pulse the batter a few times, to combine, then blend. Finally, tip in the vanilla biscuit crumbs, and blend for a whole minute. The batter should be smooth, almost like icing, too soft to be formed into truffles at that point. Place it into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until firmed up from the butter and the biscuits absorbing the liquid, and able to be formed.

Take out small scoops of the batter, and gently roll them between your palms into little spheres. Arrange them on a cookie sheet lined with baking parchment, and return to the refrigerator for 30 more minutes. This will firm them up even more, and make the glazing much easier. While they are setting up, melt the cooking chocolate over low heat, cool it slightly, and pour it into a small decorating bag. Take the truffles out of the refrigerator, drizzle the melted chocolate all over them, and serve. Yields 25 truffles.

Author’s note: These can very easily made completely vegan - by using an appropriate icing sugar and vegan butter.