The holiday season is almost here, and what better way to show love than with a platter of homemade truffles. Tiny and sweet, they are the perfect addition to any gathering, right down to the everyday seasonal brunch. And with the timeless combination of gorgeous toasted almonds and hazelnuts, intense espresso, and that little cheeky addition of cocoa powder, one can never go wrong, regardless of the occasion.
My tips for success.
As mentioned in the recipe itself, not every biscuit is the same, and some are inevitably drier in texture than others. Depending on the specific biscuit, you might actually have to add a bit more so the truffles hold their shape nicely.
It is best to add them in gradually, mixing and folding, so they don't end up dry. If that happens, however, all is not lost. Add in a splash of almond milk, and they will be perfectly soft once again.
You can mix and match the nuts added, definitely, using all almonds or all hazelnuts, however you like. I like to add some of them chopped, for a nice little crunch, but roughly ground ones work just as well.
On a final note, if you want, you can coat them in vegan milk or dark chocolate instead of chopped nuts. You will need about 100-120 grams of chocolate and maybe a tablespoon of vegetable oil, depending how thick the chocolate is once melted.
Ingredients
75 grams vegan block butter
50 grams almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
50 grams icing sugar, sifted
10 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 heaping teaspoons instant espresso powder
80 grams plain vegan vanilla biscuits, finely ground
40 grams toasted almonds, finely ground
60 grams toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
100 grams toasted hazelnuts, for the decoration
Preparation
Take a medium saucepan and add in the vegan butter, almond milk, vanilla, icing sugar, and cocoa powder, and place it over medium heat. Let the mixture heat up slowly, without coming to a boiling point.
Once everything is melted, add in the espresso powder, remove from the heat, and stir until combined. While the mix is still hot, add in the ground and chopped nuts, and start adding in the ground biscuits, mixing and folding as you add. Depending on the specific biscuit used, you may not use the whole quantity, or you might need a bit more. It is always handy to have a bit more biscuits when making this type of truffles.
Once combined, let it cool down until you can shape it into truffles. You can either let it stand at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes, but not longer than that.
Take out small portions, around 15 grams per one truffle, shape them into little spheres, and immediately roll in the chopped hazelnuts. That way, they will stick nicely. Arrange them on a plate or platter lined with baking parchment and place the platter in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Keep refrigerated until serving time. Yields 23-25 small truffles, 15 grams each.
