The Best Chocolate Truffles

I swear, I wasn’t planning on sharing yet another dessert. But once I made these (uber wonderfully, possibly, yes, confirmed, the best chocolate I have ever made) treats, I knew I had to share them. Chocolate in January usually doesn’t fly…. and I simply could not wait until Valentine’s Day to share this with you.

But, before I tell you about the chocolates, let me tell you where the recipe hails. While in Montreal last year, I explored a variety of vegan restos. I was initially wooed by Aux Vivres, a vegan resto with cooked foods, and quickly recreated their macro veggie and tempeh bowl and their raw vegan smoked salmon. I also stumbled upon Crudessence, a longstanding raw restaurant and really enjoyed my meal. I was *thisclose* to buying their cookbook. It had the recipes for many of the same dishes I had just eaten and loved at their restaurant: Kombu mojito, raw tiramisu and raw cinnamon buns. Many of their other highly praised dishes are included, such as their Om burger, pad thai, Caesar salad, Tibet fat-free dressing, maki rolls, eggplant bacon, raw parmesan (crumesan), chocolate banana pie, chocolate mouse, lime pie, banana split with chunks of raw brownies, blueberry un-“Cheese”cake and Hippocrates juice.

So why didn’t I buy the cookbook? It was in French only. I can read French but since it is not my first language, it would not be as easy to decipher all the cooking terms. So I put it back.

Fast forward a year and their cookbook has been reprinted in English. Lucky for us, because this is a drop-dead gorgeous cookbook with delicious recipes.

 

The first recipe I tried were these truffles. In the cookbook, they are called “dark nougat”. I am not entirely sure what nougat is supposed to taste like. I thought it might be kind of chewy and sweet (I am only familiar with the nougat that studs Toblerone bars), but this was nothing of the sort…. it was creamy, smooth and divine. Honestly, I had made the middle of creamy truffles. Akin to the middle of Lindt truffles.  YES!! And it was dead simple: whizz all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and then allow to set in the freezer.

I tried to be a bit fancier by freezing them in silicone ice cube trays, but since they were still so creamy after setting, they stuck a bit to the molds. The light dusting of flaked coconut or matcha helped to make them less gooey for your fingers. I was rooting for the pretty matcha-dusted truffles, but they were still a bit bitter for my liking. The coconut-flaked ones were great and if I had enough coordination, the chocolate-and-hazelnut-coated truffles sound incredible. I think these are a bit too fragile to gift, unless you coat them in a hard chocolate shell.

There is one special ingredient for this recipe, I apologize. Lecithin. I plan on writing more about this ingredient in a later post, but I can definitely assure you that it makes the most creamy chocolate to date.

PS. Other recipes shared from RawEssence:

Taboulleh Flower Salad

Madras Salad

Pesto Tagliatelle

BLT Sandwich with Eggplant Bacon and Caper Aioli

Meatless Meatballs

Island Lime Pie

Brazil Nut Goji Milk

PPS. The winners of the Simply Raw Kitchen giveaway was Jessica and 365 Vegan Smoothies was Phoebe.

Raw Dark Nougat (aka The Best Chocolate Truffles)
Courtesy of RawEssence

1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon sunflower lecithin (I used soy lecithin)
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder

For matcha-coated nougats
2 tablespoons matcha powder

For coconut-coated nougats
3 tablespoons shredded coconut

For ambassador balls
2/3 cup hazelnuts, reduced to crumbs in food processor
1/2 recipe dark chocolate, melted

1. In a blender (I used a food processor), combine all ingredients except cocoa powder and blend to a liquid of even consistency. While blender is running, add cocoa powder and continue to blend until cocoa is incorporated.

2. Pour mixture into a rectangular dish to a depth of 3/4 inches (2 cm) (I used silicone ice cube trays). Place in freezer and allow nougats to set for 3 hours.

3. Cut into 15 cubes, place in a container and refrigerate.

4. To coat, roll nougats in a dish of matcha or coconut until they are completely coated.

5. For ambassador balls, roll nougats in hazelnut crumbs until they are completely coated. Pour melted dark chocolate into a bowl. Using a fork, dip balls of coated nougat in chocolate, then place on parchment paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow them to set.

Makes 12-15 truffles

Excerpted from RawEssence by David Côté and Mathieu Gallant © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.