Vegan Chocolate truffles

I love chocolate truffles. They look so fancy but are so easy to make. When made well, they are so luscious so silky and it works with any topping of choice. You can eat as is or top with cocoa powder, nuts or one of my favorite orange zest. Skin Gourmet and Gold Coast cocoa were kind to send me some products so I’ve been experimenting quite a lot. It is important that you use pure honey or maple syrup if you don’t like the taste of honey. I used cocoa/shea butter mainly because they are firm even at room temperature and this is exactly what I was going for because this recipe doesn't use heavy whipping cream. You can make it completely vegan by using maple syrup. It is imperative that no water gets into this so wipe down your spoons and bowls.

Recipe

what you need

200g Goldcoast cocoa powder

200g skin gourmet’s raw cocoa/shea butter

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 cup skin gourmet’s wild northern honey/maple syrup

1 vanilla bean (see note)

Toppings

Orange zest

Goldcoast cocoa powder

powdered sugar

candied coconut flakes.

• During the testing stage of this recipe, I used pure vanilla extract but that made the chocolate look grainy but still felt smooth to the touch. It didn't cause any damage to the truffle seeing as it came out still smooth but I didn't want to risk it the next time round and that is why I used vanilla beans. If you don't have vanilla beans, don't bother with adding vanilla. The truffles will still taste grate

Directions

To make the candied coconut flakes, heat 1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar on low heat until completely melted and golden brown, meanwhile grate 1/2 cup of dried coconut (you can also use toasted coconut flakes) . Add a pinch of salt to the coconut flakes and pour it into the melted sugar, stir and turn off the heat. Pour unto a plate and allow it to cool down then crush with something heavy to break them up.

To melt the shea butter, put the shea butter in a heat proof bowl and place over a simmering pot of water to create a double boiler (don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Combine the cocoa powder and salt and pass through a fine sieve to get rid of all lumps. When the shea butter is melted, take it off the heat, make sure no water gets into it. Add the sieved cocoa powder mixture and stir to completely combine. Keep stirring for 4 mins then add vanilla bean and the honey/maple syrup and stir. It will thicken up immediately so don't panic if it does. Set in the fridge until it hardens up a bit to make shaping easier. If you realize it's too hard to shape after its come out of the fridge, let it sit at room temperature for about 5 mins.

To shape, scoop a generous tablespoon spoon and roll it into a tight ball. If it feels too soft, put it back into the fridge to harden up a bit. You'll end up with 9 to 10 balls. If you're using my toppings, zest the orange on 3 truffles then set aside. Toss another 3 into sieved cocoa powder, toss 3 also in powdered sugar and toss the last 3 in the candied coconut.

After tossing each, roll them again so coating sticks properly. Eat right away or store in fridge or in an airtight container at room temperature. Note that the longer it sits outside, the more they firm up. If you decide to refrigerate, you have to bring it to room temperature before eating because the joy of truffles is how easy they are to bite into.