Chocolate Beer Truffles

Memorial weekend is nearly upon us! Do you have any festive activities planned? My weekend has not been dictated as of yet, but I do know that one of my friends is coming from out of town to visit. Granted, I will be going into work on Monday regardless of the holiday, because that’s the life of a graduate student, but that doesn’t mean we cannot enjoy a regular length weekend. Added bonus = the pool opens Saturday!

(P.S. Memorial weekend was always the time for pools to open growing up in the North. So I figured when I moved to the South pools would open sooner due to earlier warm weather. But of course this logic does not seem to follow.)

In preparation for the holiday weekend the Holiday Recipe Club got together to create themed recipes using one of three ingredients: watermelon, beer, pork. I really wanted to make a strawberry-watermelon beverage for you because it sounded incredibly refreshing and perfect for the weekend, but there lies the problem – I would’ve had to make it before the weekend because obviously today is the day to post! Maybe I will end up making and sharing later if you’re lucky ;-).

Anywho, I went with the fun idea of adding beer to chocolate truffles. I used Sam Adams Alpine Spring for these because it sounded almost as refreshing as that watermelon drink. I bet a chocolate (or regular) stout would be a great choice as well. As for the assembly, these truffles were not as easy to roll as those I’ve made in the past. I found I needed to rinse and dry my hands between rolling every truffle, which was a bit tedious. Hard work pays off though, right?

Be sure to check out all the other recipes linked up at the bottom of this post. And join in on the fun by signing up through the Holiday Recipe Club’s contact page.

One year ago: Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomato-Basil Chicken Burgers

CHOCOLATE BEER TRUFFLES

Makes approximately 2 dozen truffles

Ingredients:

9 oz. dark chocolate, 65% cacao

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 Tbsp beer

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Place chocolate and heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl over (not on) simmering water. Let chocolate and cream heat up for 3 minutes untouched. After 3 minutes whisk mixture until fully incorporated. Remove bowl from heat and let cool for 20-30 minutes. Slowly and gently stir in beer. Pour finished mixture into a flat casserole pan. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours.
2. Remove chilled truffle mixture. Using a melon-baller, scoop out chocolate rounds. Finish forming 1-inch truffles by hand and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Dust truffles with unsweetened cocoa powder to finish*.

*If not serving immediately, keep rolled truffles in the fridge and dust with cocoa powder just prior to serving.

Source: Endless Simmer