Truffles and bonbons are one of my favourite types of sweet treats. Growing up, there wasn't a single gathering or celebration that didn’t include at least one type of them, and they were always the first ones to disappear from the desserts' platter. And rightfully so; because they are tiny, cute, and loved by all.
The wonderfully fragrant combination of bananas, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and walnuts is highlighted by the gloriously crunchy rocher glaze. A true dessert heaven in a tiny form that can be further embellished by more of the toasted walnuts or a small banana chip.
One thing I always like to point out is the choice of biscuits. Recipes such as this one rely in great part on the type of biscuit used, mainly on how dry it is. If your biscuits are on the drier side and they absorb more liquid, you may want to use slightly less than what the recipe calls for.
That is valid for all recipes using ground or crushed biscuits; always use your judgment and as soon as you feel the truffle will hold its shape well, stop adding the biscuits, regardless if all the quantity is used up or not. And finally, as always, choose the biscuit you would enjoy on its own or with a cup of tea or coffee. Its flavour will always be noticeable in the truffle, so choose the ones you love.
Ingredients
For the vegan banana bread truffles
150 grams ripe bananas
100 grams vegan vanilla biscuits, ground
60 grams toasted walnuts, ground
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon dark rum
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
For the dark chocolate rocher glaze
150 grams dark chocolate (or vegan cooking chocolate of your choice)
30 millilitres vegetable oil
50 grams toasted walnuts, chopped finely
Preparation
Mash the bananas with a fork until a purée forms, then add in the vanilla, cinnamon, rum, and cocoa powder. Mix, stirring with a fork or a spatula, until well combined. Add in the walnuts, and stir them through. Finally, start adding in the ground biscuits, mixing with a fork until a soft, but pliable batter forms. Depending on your biscuits, you may need a bit more or a bit less of them. It is important for the truffles to stay soft.
Place the batter in the refrigerator for up to one hour. After the batter has firmed up, take out portions and form them into truffles. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and place them back into the refrigerator while you prepare the glaze.
Melt the chocolate of your choice, either over low heat or in the microwave, add in the vegetable oil, and mix very well. Tip in the chopped walnuts, and keep mixing until you no longer see streaks of oil throughout the chocolate. Take the chilled truffles out of the refrigerator, glaze each one, and place them back on the baking sheet. Serve as soon as the glaze sets or refrigerate until serving. Yields 16 small truffles.
