I love truffles.  I’ve made a few kinds before, but these might just be my favorite.  I think it’s totally worth the splurge of buying the more expensive kind of chocolate when you plan on making these.  Yes, the price might be a bit more than the usual store-bought types of chocolate from the baking aisle, but, to me, it’s definitely a difference maker in both the taste and the consistency.  I was a little afraid of the truffles being a little too bittersweet, so I decided to hand-dip half of the truffles in melted milk chocolate.  I decided to go the traditional route with the other half of the batch and roll them in dark cocoa powder.  Because of the addition of the seedless raspberry preserves, they weren’t too overpowering in the bittersweet flavor.  And to be honest with you, I couldn’t decide which ones I liked more: the chocolate-dipped or the traditional cocoa-rolled.  I served these recently at a get-together with some fresh raspberries, and they seemed to be a big hit.  The best part?  They are super easy to make, although I did split up the work over two days (you have to give the chocolate ganache plenty of time to chill in the fridge, so I just decided to make them in the evening and let them chill overnight.)

Mmmmmm….chocolate raspberry truffles.

Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

Servings: approximately 20 1-inch truffles

Ingredients

8 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves

1/2 cup cocoa powder, optional

12 ounces high-quality milk chocolate, optional

Sugar sparkles, for garnish

Instructions

1. Place the bittersweet chocolate in a large bowl; set aside.

2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer-do not boil.

3. Once heated, remove the heavy cream from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate, letting it sit for approximately 2-3 minutes.

4. Whisk the chocolate/cream mixture until smooth.

5. Add the seedless raspberry preserves and whisk until smooth.

6. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and let chill until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

7. Using a melon baller, scoop out small portions of the ganache and roll each truffle gently between your hands until smooth.  **I placed mine on a rimmed baking sheet at this point and put it directly in the fridge.

8. Let the truffles chill again (I let mine chill again overnight-just because I was short on time, but just chill yours until they are firm-about an hour.)

9. In a heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt the milk chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth.  Remove the chocolate from the heat.

10. Using two soup spoons to help guide you, gently roll each truffle in the melted chocolate, coating each one generously.  For the cocoa-dusted truffles, just roll them directly in the cocoa powder. Sprinkle with sparkle sugar or other decorations of your choosing.

11. Let the truffles chill until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats.

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