dark chocolate balsamic truffles

When I saw Giada make this on her show, I fell in love instantly. I tried it her way, and was a bit bored with it, so I decided to kick it up a notch by rolling them in crushed salty pistachios. Wow, what a difference it made. I'm certain it was the extra salt in the pistachios and the actual crunchy texture that pulled it all together. This is a very rich truffle, so you only need a little bite to satisfy your chocolate craving. After all 70% cacao is an instant fix of chocolate cravings. These would be the perfect holiday gift to give to your friends and family that are foodies.
Note: I did not want to roll them into balls, I wanted a more rustic look since I added on the pistachios. I'm certain using crushed, salted almonds would work too. I don't know about peanuts though--I think the balsamic might not meld well with peanuts.

dark chocolate balsamic truffles
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

8 1/2 ounces good quality dark chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I did not roll them in cocoa powder, I rolled them in about ½ cup of chopped salty pistachios)

Melt the chocolate and cream in a double boiler over hot but not simmering water.
Place melted chocolate in a small bowl. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.
Cool the chocolate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours, until firm but moldable.
Use a teaspoon to scoop out chocolate. Use your fingertips to shape into balls about the size of a cherry. Set the chocolate balls on a parchment-lined tray.
Place the cocoa powder in a small shallow dish. (this is where I used my chopped salty pistachios instead of the cocoa powder).
Place 6 truffles at a time in the cocoa powder (or the chopped pistachios) and roll the truffles around to coat, and return the coated truffles to the baking sheet.
Continue with the remaining truffles. Place the truffles in a serving dish or airtight package.

white chocolate-pumpkin fudge truffles

These little gems are a flavor explosion. I was searching for something festive yet different for the pumpkin season but couldn't find anything that tickled my fancy. By chance, at Whole Foods, they had samples of these to-die-for pumpkin truffles. They also had little cards out of the recipe, so I took recipe home, changed it around a bit, well, a lot actually. Wanted the truffle to look different than your average white chocolate truffle, so I put the melted white chocolate "in" the mix rather then coat the outside. See where I'm going here?
The orginial recipe is here: Whole Foods Pumpkin Truffles, and my changed around recipe is below.

I wonder how these would be with a milk chocolate? Anyone up for trying that? Let me know how it tastes if you do decide to try it out. These truffles are definitely different tasting and definitely melt in your mouth. Plus they we really easy to make. And can be used for any upcoming holiday parties, house party or as a gift for your friends, family and/or business clients.

white chocolate-pumpkin fudge truffles
Adapted from Whole Foods Market
print recipe

Makes about 30 – 50 truffles (depending on size)

3 - 11.5 ounce bags of good quality white chocolate chunks
1/2 cup+ gingersnap cookie crumbs, *plus more for garnish
1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix, just pureed pumpkin)
1/2 cup+ cinnamon graham cracker crumbs, *plus more for garnish
3 TB confectioners’ sugar
2 ts orange zest
1/2 ts ground cinnamon
2 big pinches of sea salt
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Pumpkin pie spice mix, optional
Melted white chocolate for drizzling, optional

A few things to note: I recommend using those really hard, all natural ginger snaps. Whole Foods has a good selection of them; gluten-free is even better; the harder the ginger snap the better for a good hearty, thick-like texture for inside the truffle and one that stands up to grinding them done to a fine crumb. White chocolate does NOT melt good in the microwave, please use a double-boiler. And if you can, use a good quality white chocolate. Again, Whole Foods has the best selection for this. Ghiradelli brand is good too. Go easy with the pumpkin pie dry spice as it's strong.

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler over medium-low heat; make sure to stir it often to keep the chocolate from burning. Note: white chocolate burns faster than milk or dark chocolate. (I melted the chocolate right before using it so it didn’t have to sit)
In a large bowl mix gingersnap crumbs, pumpkin, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, zest, cinnamon, salt, and softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the melted chocolate and mix well. You can do this over the double boiler if it makes it easier. I then put the bowl in the fridge for about 45 minutes to an hour. I didn’t want this to completely set as I want to roll it into balls first then a complete chill.
Get a large shallow bowl and fill it with the remaining *crumb mixture and a couple dashes of Pumpkin Pie Spice mixture if desired; this is for rolling the truffles in. (you may need a bit more crumb mixture, I did).
Once the mixture is chilled, line a large sheet tray with parchment paper. Roll a large heaping teaspoon of the pumpkin truffle mixture into a ball in your hands, then drop it into the crumb mixture and coat, then transfer to parchment paper.
Repeat truffle-ball making process with remaining pumpkin mixture. Truffle balls should be chilled for at least 4 hours until very firm.
You can decorate the truffle balls with melted white chocolate if desired. Or white confectioners sugar.
(I got the Halloween ribbon from Target in those little .50 cent and dollar bins...they are crazy tiny ribbons, but adorable for small foods. I hope they have some for Christmas time)