Chocolate Coffee Truffles

Chocolate Coffee Truffles

These are as much fun to make as mud pies, and just as messy, so gather the kids into the kitchen and let everyone help. You'll have a ball, and the results will be marvelous chocolate treats for the office, for the children's teachers, and, naturally, a little store for you after the kids are sound asleep.

If you will be serving them at home, you can keep them refrigerated, covered. If you want to give them as gifts, consider colored cellophane paper. Place one or two truffles in a 5" square piece of cellophane, and tie with colored yarn or ribbon. A great gift!

This recipe makes about 6 dozen truffles.

Chocolate Coffee Truffles Ingredients:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
16 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup black coffee, brewed strong
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Finely ground nuts, using pecans, almonds or walnuts, about ¼ cup for rolling the candies
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tablespoon finely-ground coffee

Directions:
If you have a marble slab, great - if not put a small cookie sheet in the freezer until ready to work with the truffles. 
Use waxed or parchment paper to line a 9"x9" square baking pan.
(Avoid foil or plastic wrap as they can impart their fumes into the flavor of the chocolate!)
Using a double boiler, melt the semisweet and bittersweet chocolates in the top part over a pot of boiling water.
Using a separate saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil.
Prepare the coffee and when the cream reaches the boiling point and the coffee is brewed, pour both of them slowly into the melted chocolate.
Add the butter and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the mixture is smooth.
Pour this into the parchment-lined pan, cover, and refrigerate in the refrigerator for three hours or until the chocolate is firm.
To complete the truffles, sift together the cocoa and the finely-ground coffee in a small bowl then pour onto a large sheet of parchment, waxed paper or a shallow bowl.
Remove the pan of chocolate from refrigerator and turn out onto the marble or chilled cookie sheet.
Cut the chocolate into one-inch squares, no need to be too precise as you will next roll each piece in either the cocoa-coffee powder or the finely-ground nuts, then set aside.
For extra decadence, roll the truffles in both the cocoa-coffee powder AND the nut mixture.
Place each one of them on a clean cookie sheet, cover tightly, and refrigerate until ready to serve. 
Bring them to almost room temperature and offer two or three to each guest.