It’s time to get patriotic, and I can’t think of a better (or simpler) way to do it: Fourth of July truffles! Chocolate truffles require very few ingredients (at least in my version) and a quick chill in the icebox. In this recipe, I coat the the rich and creamy dark chocolate filling with melted white chocolate to make an American flag. But you can roll or dip my truffles in anything, including crushed candies, nuts, sprinkles, cocoa powder and powdered sugar. You can also leave them plain and they’re just as divine.
Once you see how easy my truffles are to make, you’ll be making them year round, for teacher and hostess gifts, holiday parties, birthday parties and more. Let’s start with this Fourth of July American flag!
Dark chocolate truffles
Ingredients:
- 20 ounces semisweet chocolate
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 36 ounces white chocolate (preferably chocolate melting discs)
- Red and blue food coloring
Directions:
1. Melt the semisweet chocolate in the microwave, double boiler or bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy.
3.Beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla.
4. Beat in the melted chocolate.
5. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover with plastic and refrigerate until firm enough to shape into balls (about 30 minutes).
6. Shape about 1/3 of the chocolate mixture into 48 small (marble-size) balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Shape the remaining chocolate mixture into 48 larger balls. If your hands get sticky, rinse with a little water and keep them a little damp (this prevents the chocolate from sticking to your hands). Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes.
7. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave, double boiler or bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.
8. Divide the melted chocolate three ways, placing about 1/3 in one bowl, almost 2/3 in another bowl and about 1/3 cup in a pastry bag fitted with a writing tip (or plastic freezer bag with one corner snipped). To the bowl with 1/3 of the melted white chocolate, add several drops of blue food coloring and mix well. To the bowl with about 2/3 of the melted white chocolate, add several drops of red food coloring and mix well.
9. Drop the smaller balls into the blue chocolate and turn to coat. Remove with a fork and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet to harden. Do the same with the larger balls and red chocolate. If the chocolate starts to harden, making it difficult to dip, add a little vegetable oil, and reheat in the microwave for 10 seconds. Stir until smooth. Arrange the red and blue truffles on a foil-lined baking sheet as pictured below.
10. Using the white chocolate-filled pastry bag, place one white dot on each blue truffle (to represent a star) and draw a line across the red truffles, to resemble white stripes.
Enjoy!
Note: When melting the chocolate in the microwave, use the defrost power setting and stir the chocolate every 30 seconds (some chocolate will keep its shape until stirred).
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