Lavender Truffles and White Chocolate Truffles With Saffron

I got this truffle recipe some time ago and I’ve been meaning to try making these ever since. All of my expectations were exceeded when I tasted the first one of these white chocolate wonders; I actually tasted the mixture when it was all liquid still and I swear my eyes just rolled to the back of my head and I pinched my toes together in pure bliss. These truffles just melt in your mouth, leaving behind a sweet taste of white chocolate and saffron; those two tastes mingle together so well, words are not enough to describe how good white chocolate and saffron taste together.

I also wanted to make some lavender truffles since I love lavender chocolate so much. I decided to use pure essential lavender oil, you can use essential oils in cooking, lavender and orange are great for baking and rosemary for example leaves a beautiful taste in foods requiring rosemary; essential oils can also be used as an alternative for dried herbs. You just have to remember to use real essential oils and remember that they are really potent. Also, some people with health problems should avoid essential oils, for example rosemary can trigger epilepsy seizures and pregnant women should avoid essential oils in general. Never, ever put pure essential oils in your mouth without diluting them, diluting them with some oil should make them fine, you should also dilute them if you like using them in skin care.

The sky is basically the limit when you start using essential oils in cooking and don’t limit yourself to just fruit oils, try some sandalwood for example in baking and make different kinds of hot and cold drinks with essential oils. Mix them into a food or drink after cooking (before serving) since they evaporate otherwise. One of the easiest and most delicious ways to use essential oils is to mix them with some warmed honey, try making lavender honey for example.

Lavender truffles

Makes approximately 20 truffles

-220 grams bitter sweet chocolate

-1 1/2 dl (o,6 cup)cream (I used almond cream)

-10 drops essential lavender oil (or less, if you want a milder taste of lavender, any kind of essential oil goes here; mint and orange for example would suit well)

-25 grams butter or dairy-free margarine ( I used extra salted butter, but use any kind of butter you prefer)

-cocoa powder

Chop the chocolate and put it in a bowl.

Measure the cream into a saucepan and warm it on medium heat until it is hot, there’s no need to boil it, just warm it. This almond cream worked really well here.

Pour the warm cream onto the chocolate and leave it be for a couple of minutes, the chocolate will melt into the cream.

Add the butter in small pieces, don’t add it all at once, and mix the butter into it piece by piece.

The chocolate should look like this after you have added all of the butter into it.

Let it cool for a while until it is room temperature. Mix the lavender oil into it after it has cooled down.

Put the chocolate into the fridge and mix it every 15 minutes until 40 minutes has gone by, when you have had it in the fridge for 40 minutes start mixing it every three minutes until it is so stiff that you can roll it.

Take some baking paper and place it on a table together with some cocoa powder in a bowl and take small amounts of the truffle mixture and drop them into the cocoa powder so that they don’t stick to your fingers when you roll them.

Start rolling, you can make them look nice and round, but I don’t mind mine looking like they are hand made, so I pinch them and make them look quite uneven. It also easier this way, that is if you don’t mind them looking quite rustic.

If you want these to be edible after some hours you should really dip these in some melted chocolate and then roll them in some cocoa powder, but if these are to be eaten right after making them you can just go ahead and dust them with cocoa powder without the melted chocolate.

White chocolate truffles with saffron

I have to say at first that I got this recipe from my dad and if this is “borrowed” from somewhere, I’m sorry for not mentioning the original source.

These are much easier to make than dark chocolate truffles, since there is no mixing when these truffles have been put in the fridge to cool down. I used some cognac, but it can be left out. As for making these dairy-free, I’m quite sure that it wouldn’t be a problem, just use dairy-free white chocolate and some soy, almond or oat cream. The honey can be substituted with almost anything; some agave syrup for example would be fine.

This recipe makes for approximately 20 truffles.

-200 grams white chocolate

-3/4 dl (o,3 cup) cream

-0,5 gram saffron

- 1 tbls honey

-25 grams butter

-1/2 tsp cognac

- confectioner’s sugar

Chop the chocolate and place it in a bowl.

Measure the cream, saffron and honey into a saucepan and cook them on a medium heat until everything has dissolved.

Pour the cream mixture on top of the chocolate and mix them together.

Let it cool for a couple of minutes and then add the cognac mixing it into the chocolate.

Put the chocolate into a fridge and let it cool.

When it has cooled take it out and put some baking paper on to a table with some confectioner’s sugar in a bowl.

Take small amounts of the chocolate and drop it into the confectioner’s sugar so that it doesn’t stick to your fingers.

Roll it. These should be stored in a fridge, but take them into room temperature a while before serving.

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