Valentine's Truffles {Coconut, Cake Batter & Peanut Butter}

Valentine's Day provided a great excuse for me to make three different types of truffles today.  I've packaged most of them up to take into work tomorrow, so Chris and I aren't tempted to eat them all :)

The first is based on an Almond Joy recipe, and they really do taste like an almond joy. Pictured above are ones that I decorated with coconut, but I decorated others with finely chopped almonds for a more authentic Almond Joy experience.

Coconut Truffles

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: Freezer: 45 minutes

Ingredients (approximately 30 truffles)

• 7 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
• 1 pound milk chocolate, melted
• finely chopped almonds to decorate, if desired

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract.  Stir in the unsweetened coconut.  Freeze mixture for 30 minutes.
• Form coconut mixture into 1-inch balls (I use a small Oxo scoop), place on a parchment lined pan, then freeze for an additional 15 minutes.
• Line another baking sheet with parchment paper, then dip each ball in melted chocolate, and place on the parchment paper. Decorate with finely chopped almonds, if desired.
• Note: The coconut balls can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer.

Recipe Source: Joy the Baker

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This cake batter recipe tastes like delicious raw cookie dough. I was surprised at how many sprinkles I needed to add to the dough to have visible sprinkles. I was wishing I had more because I ran out while decorating the tops.

Cake Batter Truffles

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: N/A

Ingredients (approximately 40 truffles)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 7 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup yellow cake mix (a standard 15 oz box has 2 3/4 cups of cake mix)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound chocolate coating, melted

Instructions

• Add butter and sugar to a stand mixer bowl and beat until combined.  Mix in the vanilla and milk.  Then add the cake mix, flour, and salt; mixing thoroughly.
• If you'd like to add sprinkles into the dough, transfer dough to a clean surface and mix in my hand (approximately 3 tablespoons of sprinkles will be needed for a funfetti look).
• Form dough into 1-inch balls (I use a small Oxo scoop), place on a parchment lined pan, then freeze for 15 minutes.
• Remove from freezer, and dip each dough ball into melted chocolate.  Decorate as desired.
• Note: The cake batter balls can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer.

Recipe Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

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Finally, I made a Martha Stewart recipe and it was surprisingly simple to make. I did have to freeze the mixture for quite awhile before I was able to form it into balls, but since I was busy dipping coconut and cake batter into chocolate, it didn't really matter.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: Freezer: 30 minutes

Ingredients (approximately 18 truffles)

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 1 cup crushed pretzels (I crush Pretzel Crisps in a food processor)
• 5 oz chocolate coating, melted

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, stir together peanut butter, sugar, and butter.
• Stir in crushed pretzels.  Note the finer you crush the pretzels, the smoother the chocolate coating will be.
• Form into 1-inch balls (I use a small Oxo scoop) then freeze for 30 minutes.  If you're having trouble forming balls, put the mixture in the freezer until it's easier to work with.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then dip each ball in melted chocolate, and place on the parchment paper.  Decorate as desired.
• Refrigerate until set.
• Note: The peanut butter balls can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer.

Recipe Source: Martha Stewart

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