Spiced Dark Chocolate Truffles with Peanuts, Sesame and Pink Salt
I was on social media break on our vacation and actually liked to be away from it all. That and jet lag, made me extend the time away from the site and I am glad to be back with a simple but really good recipe for spiced dark chocolate truffles. Dear reader, I am grateful that you stop by, here is wishing you a Happy New Year.
The Story of Spiced Dark Chocolate Truffles
A recipe inspired by something I found perusing an airline magazine. Well, that is the deal. Airline food in India is actually pretty decent. The inflight magazines are actually worth reading and this is not just nostalgia talking. One of the things that I enjoy looking through is holiday cards, especially the ones with pictures. It is nice to see the kids gradually growing up, I am sure people feel that way looking at our cards too! All of this, and then these Spiced Dark Chocolate Truffles.
A love hate relationship
Chocolate and I have an interesting relationship, I am a non-chocolate lover in a family full of chocoholics. Making a chocolate treat, usually is a surefire way for me to behave myself when there is a dessert around. However, I have to confess, these truffles were a bit of an exception. I ate at least 2 of them and then half more under the pretext of checking out the seasonings.
Spicy Notes
The truffles get a kick from garam masala and cayenne pepper, that complements the overall sweet and salty notes and in general they were really good. I was testing this recipe on a lark, as I loved the idea of the peanut sesame crusting.
It reminds you of Indian peanut and sesame brittle, or chikki. My truffle recipe is exceedingly simple, with three basic ingredients and spices for some fun.
There is not much to go wrong with, just make sure you have some wax or parchment paper around. I used pink salt for this, my only disappointment is that you cannot tell the color of salt in the coating.
I guess, I could try using larger crystals next time, except that those might not offer the smoother nuance of salt that these finer grains offer. Other than health and fitness resolutions, two of my goals this year is to stay more organized with my recipes, spend less crazy time in the kitchen. We shall see how far that goes. I have come a long way, in terms of planning for the week, I want to see how far that goes over the next few weeks.
These gorgeous truffles look a little murky, reflecting the mood of the pensive day we have had. But they are a very pretty assortment, just the kind you want for a hostess gift, or for a holiday… Maybe for Valentines?
If you like sesame seeds like me, two other interesting recipes include my sesame shortbread and sesame chicken.
A beautiful recipe for spiced dark chocolate truffles, coated with peanuts, sesame and pink sea salt.
Ingredients
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ pound dark chocolate (60% cacao content or more)
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- ½ teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 1 cup blanched, raw, unsalted peanuts
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- 11/2 teaspoons pink sea salt
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed pan add the cream and the butter and cook on low heat until the butter has melted.
- Gentle add in the chocolate, stirring well until the chocolate is melted. Do not bring the mixture to a boil.
- Turn off the heat, add in the garam masala and the cayenne (if using) and mix well.
- Pour the mixture in a flat non-reactive dish (such as a pie plate or casserole) and chill for at least 6 hours, I usually do this a day before.
- In the meantime pound the peanuts into small pieces, I use a mortar and pestle as I do want some texture. Add in the sesame seeds and lightly toast the mixture until very aromatic.
- Stir in the salt.
- Bring out the chocolate mixture. Using a spoon dipped in boiling water, scoop out 14 tablespoons of the mixture. You can make them smaller if you desire.
- Use your hands to shape them into balls. Note, it is best to do this at one shot as your hands will get greasy and covered with chocolate.
- Gently roll the truffles in the peanut mixture and serve at room temperature.
Notes
Most of the prep time is to chill the truffles.
Levana
I must try these. They sound fabulous. Unlike you, I AM a chocoholic. But just be clear: not just to any old chocolate. I’m only addicted to delicious, dark chocolate. A chocolate snob of sorts 😜
rinkub@aol.com
Well, you will fit right into my household. They all obsess of dark seductive chocolate.
Travis
I was salivating as I was reading through your post! I will definitely try this out, I’m sure it’s going to satisfy my chocohilic self! Thanks for sharing! 🙂