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French Chocolate Mint Truffles

Source of Recipe


From "Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts"



List of Ingredients



• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate
  
• 2 ounces (½ stick) sweet unsalted butter, cut into small bits
  
• 2 egg yolks
  
• Approximately ¼ tsp peppermint extract
  
• Unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
  
• Approximately 2 ounces additional semisweet chocolate (for coating the finished candies)
  






Instructions



1. Break or chop the chocolate into medium-size pieces. Place it in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on low heat. Cover and let stand until partially melted. Uncover and stir until completely melted. Remove the top of the double boiler temporarily. Add the butter, a few pieces at a time, and stir with a small wire whisk after each addition, until smooth.
   
   
2. In a small bowl, stir a bit of the chocolate into the yolks, and then stir the yolks into the chocolate. Replace over the hot water on low heat and stir gently with a rubber spatula for about 2 minutes. Now, remove the top of the double boiler. Stir in the peppermint extract, adding just a few drops at a time. Taste it -- make it as minty as you like, but add it slowly and taste it carefully. Some mint extracts taste unpleasant if you use too much. Place the top of the double boiler in a small bowl of ice and water. Stir constantly with a small wooden spatula until the mixture is firm enough to hold a definite shape.
   
   
3. Place a piece of wax paper in front of you. Use a slightly rounded teaspoonful of the mixture for each truffle. Place them in mounds on the wax paper, forming 20; if the mixture is firm enough, the truffles may be rolled into shape immediately. But if it is too soft, let it stand uncovered at room temperature for about half an hour, or until firm enough to handle.
   
   
4. Spread out 2 more large pieces of wax paper. Onto one, strain a generous amount of unsweetened cocoa. Coat the palms of your hands well with the cocoa. Pick up a mound of the chocolate mixture, roll it between your hands to form an uneven ball (real truffles are very uneven), then roll it around in the cocoa and place it on the other piece of wax paper. Continue to shape all of the truffles, coating your hands with cocoa before shaping each truffle. Let the truffles stand overnight at room temperature, uncovered or loosely covered, so the outsides dry a bit.
   
   
5. The 2 ounces of additional chocolate must be ground to a fine powder; it may be done with a food processor, a blender, a nut grinder, or on a fine metal grater. Spread the ground chocolate on wax paper and roll the truffles around in it to coat them again.
   
   (These are best when they are very fresh, before they dry out too much and while they are still creamy soft in the centers. They may be kept at room temperature for a day or two, but they should be refrigerated or frozen for longer storage -- bring them back to room temperature before serving.)