*These truffles are dairy free, paleo friendly, clean eating, and have no added sugar.
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of projects and Christmas events leaving little time to post on this blog. I’ve missed sharing photos and recipes of my own with you so I am kicking it into high gear this week (well, high gear for me) and have a whole slew of Holiday treats just waiting to be posted! Plus, look for a giveaway possibly tomorrow or Thursday 😉
First up? These Fresh Orange & Dark Chocolate Truffles.
I’ve made a few batches of chocolate truffles over the last week or so. I was thinking about them the other night when I wondered what would happen if I tried adding fresh juice to melted chocolate. Because orange and chocolate truffles would be that much better with the addition of bright,tangy, freshly squeezed orange juice. And guess what?
It worked.
I used the freshly squeezed juice of a few clementines because I find them to be even brighter and more vibrant tasting than your common orange. The zest from the clementines adds to the orange flavor as well as a few drops of food grade orange oil.
Believe me when I tell you that these truffles are the most orange-y and fresh flavored chocolate orange truffles you ever did taste.
I also used a little bit of sunflower lecithin to ensure that these truffles would bind due to the mixture of citrus juice and melted chocolate. It worked like a charm. These beauties were as smooth as any truffle I’ve ever made.
Make sure to use a high quality chocolate for the best taste since the chocolate is the base of the entire dessert. I prefer a cacao percentage of 60%. You can go higher or lower, based on your preference, but stay away from milk chocolate as it has a lower percentage of cacao, and higher percentage of milk solids, and will not firm up the way that dark chocolate will.
- 10 ounces High Quality Dark Chocolate Chips (use dairy free, if necessary) Preferably 60% Cacao
- 3 tablespoons Coconut Milk
- 3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
- zest of 1 Clementine
- Juice of 2 Clementines
- 2 drops Orange Oil (I use Wild Orange oil by doTERRA)
- 1 teaspoons Vanilla Bean Paste
- ½ teaspoon Sunflower Lecithin
- Raw Cacao Powder (or cocoa powder) for rolling truffles
- Place the chocolate chips, coconut milk, and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Whisk the mixture until chocolate melts and it becomes completely smooth.
- Add the clementine zest, clementine juice, orange oil, vanilla bean paste, and sunflower lecithin to the mixture and whisk until combined. Chill in the refrigerator until solid.
- Remove from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 1-2 hours, or until the solid chocolate softens enough to be scooped.
- Using a scoop with about a 1 tablespoon capacity, scoop out rounds of truffles and place on a plate or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Using the palms of your hands, roll the scoops of chocolate into balls and place them in a bowl of raw cacao powder. Roll in the cacao until coated. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated.
