Orange Spiced Truffles (THM S)

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Truffles are quickly becoming one of my favorite holiday treats. They’re easy to make, but they look so  *fancy*. Plus, you can get really creative with the flavors! Thus, these spicy chocolate-orange truffles were born.

Of course, the base of almost any truffle is really good chocolate. I started with a base of 85% dark chocolate, because that’s what I keep on hand most times. A few other options you have would be unsweetened baking chocolate, a Lily’s Baking Bar, or sugar free chocolate chips. If you choose to use unsweetened baking chocolate, you can use a few teaspoons of THM Super Sweet to get the sweetness where you want it. You can also use a few drops of liquid stevia if you want to sweeten any of the already-sweetened options just a tad.

*NOTE: If you’re planning to use unsweetened chocolate with a granular sweetener, add the sweetener to the cream mixture so that it has a chance to dissolve before going into the chocolate. You can always adjust further with liquid stevia.

The spice used in these truffles is cardamom. It’s a strong and unique flavor, so you won’t need much of it, but it  truly makes these truffles something to talk about. The flavor is equal parts herbaceous and floral, with an aromatic scent. I also used orange extract and orange liqueur.

*NOTE: Orange liqueur does not add any extra sugar to these tiny delights. It does carry about 7g carbs per one fluid ounce (which is what’s used here), so it adds less than 0.5g carbs  per truffle. If you don’t want to use alcohol in these, you can leave it out.

The only work involved in these babies is prepping the chocolate mixture.

First, you heat the cream with any granular sweetener you plan to use (if using), orange extract, cardamom, salt, and butter. You want to heat the cream almost to its boiling point, so that it’ll melt the chocolate quickly.

Add the hot cream to the chopped chocolate. Whisk, whisk, whisk….

Keep whisking the chocolate and cream until the chocolate is fully melted. You’ll then reach this stage.

The mixture has this seemingly “gritty” texture because the butter is not yet fully incorporated. Whisk a bit more vigorously, and…

You get to this stage! Rich, velvety smooth chocolate. At this point, add in your orange liqueur, and whisk a little more.

Pop the mixture into the fridge for quick hardening, or if you want to roll the truffles at a later time.

*NOTE: When you’re ready to roll out the truffles, make sure your hardened chocolate has been on the counter “defrosting” for at least 20-30 minutes prior to scooping. Trust me, this step makes scooping/rolling a LOT easier. You’ll barely even have to handle them, if the chocolate is soft enough.

I then rolled them in chopped raw macadamia nuts. I thought macadamias would best compliment the orange-chocolate flavor, but you can use any unsalted nut you like. Or, if you don’t mind the extra work, you can dip them in melted dark chocolate!

I also use the term “rolled” very loosely. By “rolled” I mean I scooped the chocolate using a small cookie scoop (about 1 Tbsp), turned it directly into the chopped nuts, tossed lightly, and rolled gently between my hands to get a more rounded shape. Using this method, my hands got away nearly mess-free.

It’s just that easy!

What could be better than deeply dark chocolate spiced with cardamom and orange liqueur then rolled in crunchy macadamia nuts? Dessert achieved!

If you liked this variation, also try my Dark Chocolate Espresso Truffles!

• Servings: Makes approx. 16-18
• Time: 10 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Credit: Erin Murray, My Fling with Food

Ingredients

• 8oz 85% dark chocolate
• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp orange extract
• 1/8-1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 Tbsp orange liqueur
• pinch of salt
• THM Super Sweet or liquid stevia to taste (See note above if choosing to use a granular sweetener)
• about 1/2 c finely chopped macadamia (or other) nuts

Directions

1. Bring the cream, butter, orange extract, cardamom, salt and sweetener (if using) almost to boiling in a small sauce pan. The mixture should not boil, but should be steaming hot.
2. Pour the hot cream into a small bowl, over the chopped chocolate and whisk until the chocolate and cream are fully incorporated.
3. Whisk in the orange liqueur. Cover and chill until firm.
4. When ready to portion, take the chocolate out of the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes prior to scooping.
5. Scoop the mixture into 1 Tbsp balls, turn directly into chopped nuts and roll gently to coat. Roll lightly between your hands to get a more rounded shape, if needed.
6. Store at room temperature for up to 2-3 hours, or in a zip-top bag in the fridge for future use.