Dark Chocolate Lemon Truffles (made with chocolate chips)

Typically I do not make truffles with chocolate chips. I actually do not think I have ever made any truffles with chocolate chips, unless you count the chocolate chip cookie dough truffles, where the filling has mini chocolate chips. Well, I don't have the time to be a chocolate snob anymore (or the money), so I'm glad these turned out so amazingly delicious.  I had been wanting to make these truffles for awhile. I chose to make them last night as a distraction because my due date came and went, but still no baby. Usually I make these lemon truffles with Scharrfen Berger bittersweet chocolate. I thought I had some in my baking cabinet, so when I set out to make them, I realized I actually had an unsweetened chocolate baking bar with 99% chocolate - not ideal for truffles (but it did work well as a topping). I had half a bag of semisweet Ghiradelli chocolate chips in the cabinet, and I thought, hey, I'll give these a try. They worked perfectly! It was so nice to eliminate the step of finely chopping the chocolate for the truffles because I usually use the big baking bars. These truffles have the perfect balance of rich chocolate and zesty lemon. I rolled and coated them this morning and started the day with 18 of them - now there is only 1 left in the fridge (shared between 5 people - I did not eat them ALL)!  I have a feeling I'll be pregnant until mid-April. But I'm on my maternity leave, so I'll just stay home to make and eat truffles all day long. Yum! I hope you love these truffles as much as I do. They are delicious and easy to make. An added bonus of eating a dark chocolate lemon truffle over other treats is that one truffle only has about 55 calories. So if you eat three for breakfast, you still are having an under 200 calorie  breakfast (not that I know anyone who would ever do something like that...)! Enjoy!

Recipe for Dark Chocolate Lemon Truffles (made with chocolate chips)

INGREDIENTS:

8 Tbsp. of heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 tsp. of lemon zest
5 ounces of Ghiradelli semisweet premium baking chips
2 tsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Cocoa powder
1/2 ounce of bittersweet or unsweetened baking chocolate, grated with a box grater (optional)
Cacao nibs (optional)
Extra chocolate chips, for topping

DIRECTIONS:
Put the heavy cream and the lemon zest into a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Once it simmers, remove from heat and pour in the chocolate chips. Cover the saucepan for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, gently stir the mixture until it is completely smooth. Gently stir in the lemon juice. Cover the saucepan (make sure to wipe the lid of any moisture before covering) and set in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Put the cocoa powder into a shallow bowl. Lightly dust your hands with the powder. Scoop up some of the mixture and then use your hands to roll into 3/4-inch balls. Dust with more cocoa if desired. Continue until the mixture is gone. Then roll each ball into the grated chocolate, cacao nibs, or a combination of both. You might need to use your fingers to gently press down the grated chocolate/cacao nibs onto the truffles. Top each truffle with a chocolate chip. Put truffles into the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Recipe makes approximately 16 - 20 truffles. About 55 calories per truffle. 

Recipe inspired by various cookbooks in my home and sources on the web. 

Chocolate Marshmallow MADNESS!

I thought I was making up a new truffle recipe when I made these, and the name of the truffles were going to be "chocolate marshmallow madness truffles." But then I realized they weren't really like truffles, because they turned out to be more like chocolate marshmallow yumminess and gooeyness - covered in chocolate. Yes, I really did make something chocolate and covered it with chocolate - and it was wonderful.

This recipe was inspired by the frosting on the ice cream cone cupcakes. I tried making these once before, but the butter did not work too well in the recipe. So I omitted the butter this time, added some mini chocolate chips to the mix, and it was a success. My coworkers approved, Greg approved, and I hope you will also approve of the madness! Make sure to enjoy the chocolate marshmallow madness with a glass of milk.

Recipe for Chocolate Marshmallow MADNESS! 

INGREDIENTS:
For the inside:
2 7-ounce jars of marshmallow creme
1 1/4 cups of chocolate chips (regular sized)
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 cups of mini chocolate chips (depending on your desired amount of chunkiness)
For the coating:
16-ounces of semisweet baking chocolate squares, broken in half

DIRECTIONS:
For the inside:
Melt the 1 1/4 cups of regular-sized chocolate chips in a smallish saucepan set over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove the chocolate from heat once it is melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Put the marshmallow creme, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract into a large mixing bowl. Add in the slightly cooled melted chocolate and the mini chocolate chips. Using an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed, beat the mixture together for a couple minutes until it is smooth and all ingredients are well incorporated. Stir in more mini chocolate chips, if desired. Cover the bowl with a lid and put it in the fridge for several hours, preferably overnight.
After mixture has been refrigerated, line a couple freezer-safe containers with parchment paper. Take the mixture out of the fridge and use a cookie dough scoop to form the marshmallow filling. Scoop a little out and roll into 1-inch (or larger) balls. Place each one onto the parchment lined containers. Cover the containers with foil and place in the freezer for a few hours (or more).
For the coating:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the broken squares of baking chocolate into a medium-sized saucepan. Prepare a double boiler with about 1/2 cup of water, and set the double boiler over medium heat. Once steam starts to come up through the boiler, set the saucepan of chocolate on top. Allow the chocolate to melt, stirring frequently. Once the chocolate melts, turn off the heat. Take the chilled chocolate marshmallows out of the freezer. Drop each one into the melted chocolate one at a time and use a spoon to coat. Use the spoon to carefully place each one onto the prepared baking pan. Once you have coated each one, place baking sheet into the refrigerator. Allow the chocolate to harden. Once the chocolate has hardened, they are ready to eat. I found that they actually taste best at room temperature, so you can take them out of the fridge to sit until they are ready to be served.

Chocolate Egg Cream

Just like you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you shouldn't judge this recipe by its name. There is no egg in a chocolate egg cream. If you are wondering what this mysterious chocolate egg cream is, it is a delicious chocolate beverage that I just discovered. I was flipping through a cookbook devoted to ch
ocolate (lots of great recipes), and I came across the chocolate egg cream recipe. I made it & loved it. What I loved about the egg cream was that it fulfilled my chocolate craving, but it did not seem too rich or indulgent. So, here is what it is - a chocolate egg cream is a fountain drink made of chocolate syrup, milk (I used cream in this recipe), and seltzer water. It originates back to the late 19th century, and it has been a very popular drink in Brooklyn, NY. Now it is a popular drink in my house! I think you will also really enjoy this tasty chocolate treat.

Recipe for Chocolate Egg Cream

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. of chocolate syrup (see recipe below)
2 Tbsp. of cream or half and half
Cold Seltzer water (the fizzier the better)

DIRECTIONS:
Put the chocolate syrup and cream in the bottom of a tall glass. Stir the syrup and cream together until it is smooth. Top the glass off with seltzer water. Best when sipped with a straw or spoon.

Recipe for Chocolate Syrup

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup of cocoa powder
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
4 - 5 Tbsp. of very hot water

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, sift together the cocoa powder and sugar. Add in 2 Tbsp. of the water and mix until very smooth. Add in the rest of the water, one tablespoon at a time, until a good consistency is reached. Whisk until all of the cocoa powder and sugar are fully dissolved. Store chocolate syrup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks (like it wouldn't be gone by then...).

Recipe for Chocolate Syrup and Chocolate Egg Cream Adapted from: The Essence of Chocolate

NOTE:
For a really quick chocolate egg cream fix, use bottled or jarred chocolate syrup. However, the homemade chocolate syrup only takes a few minutes to make.