Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate!

I'm back! Life has been a bit hectic the past month, but I am back and ready to heat up the kitchen again...

Valentine's Day is one of my very favorite holidays. Of course, red is my favorite color, and who doesn't love a good piece of chocolate and a nice glass of wine? This year, instead of buying some of those insanely overpriced, way-too-small store-bought chocolates, I made my own chocolate truffles to share with the ones I love. O-M-G.

If you've never made them, you're missing out. Watching the chocolate melt with the heavy cream until it is silky and shiny gives me goosebumps. Then, after it's cooled and hardened a bit in the fridge, getting my melon baller out and scooping the perfectly rounded drops of chocolate heaven onto the parchment paper excites me to no end. (I'm not sure why, but the melon baller could very well be my favorite kitchen tool.)

Then comes the best part: rolling the chocolate scoops into balls in your hands and dipping them in all kinds of goodies...nuts, sugar, sprinkles...you name it.

Serve these delicious treats to your guests, and they'll go crazy. I promise.

I wonder if Mr. Right likes truffles???

Chocolate truffles

(inspired from a recipe in my Joy of Cooking cookbook)

Ingredients:

(*use the best chocolate chips you can afford; I used Ghirardelli)

6 oz. milk chocolate chips*

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips*

1 1/4 Cups of heavy whipping cream

1/4 Cup of orange liqueur

1 Tablespoon of brewed coffee

Directions:

Put all the ingredients in a glass bowl and melt, stirring frequently, over a pot of simmering water until chocolate is melted and is smooth and shiny.

Remove from heat and let the chocolate cool to room temperature.

Place the bowl in the refrigerator to harden (about 3-4 hours).

Use a melon baller to scoop the chocolate into balls and place on baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper.

Place chocolate truffles in the refrigerator to harden a bit more (about 1-2 hours).

Remove the truffles from the refrigerator, roll them between your hands into round balls and coat them with desired toppings. I like to use colored sprinkles, powdered sugar, chopped nuts and cocoa powder.