Chef’s Chocolate Truffle Recipes

Let’s face it, many of us simply cannot resist chocolate or candy of some sort. And while Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and Easter will be over before we know it, Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club figures that members will not mind too much if Chef Rick Alabaugh shares his favorite chocolate truffle recipes. This is both for your own preparation and to enrich your life with insight to be recalled next time you pass by the dessert table. Keep in mind, this is the first time we’ve shared his step-by-step processes with the masses, so needless to say, there’s plenty to celebrate — even beyond the sweetness of cocoa.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

Chef Rick’s fondest childhood memories are of his family and friends who always came together to experience his mom’s baking. One of her specialties were Buckeye Balls — an Ohio State fan’s go-to sweet snack. As a diehard fan – both of the football team and his mom’s baking skills — Chef Rick later modified the dessert, so that people could experience a completely chocolate-dipped delicacy with creamy peanut butter at the core.

Today’s members of Golden Ocala know this delicacy as Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons softened butter (salted or unsalted)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons shortening (optional)
• 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon shortening (optional)

Instructions:

• Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
• In a medium bowl, mix together butter and peanut butter until well combined. Incorporate powdered sugar and mix until a smooth dough forms. Roll dough into 24 balls (about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per ball), and place balls on the prepared baking sheet. Place baking sheet into the fridge. Let chill for 30 minutes (or 15 minutes in the freezer).
• Meanwhile, melt semisweet chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon shortening, if using a microwave or double boiler.
• Remove peanut butter balls from the fridge, and dunk one ball at a time into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to flip over each ball to make sure it’s evenly coated. Afterwards, tap the fork gently against the side of the bowl to let excess chocolate drip off each ball, before transferring the coated truffles back to the baking sheet. Place peanut butter balls back into fridge for 12 minutes.
• Melt milk chocolate and 1 teaspoon shortening, and remove truffles from the fridge. Using a fork, sprinkle melted chocolate over each truffle. Place truffles back into fridge for at least 20 minutes or until set.

Enjoy!

To ensure maximum enjoyment of your Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles, Chef Rick recommends:

• Keeping truffles refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week or refrigerated in an airtight container in your freezer for up to four weeks.
• Keeping truffles in the fridge for maximum taste and not letting them sit out for more than 15 minutes before serving.
• Mixing shortening with the melted chocolate to help keep the chocolate smooth and, therefore, easier to work with, as well as to give it a more professional look.

Bailey’s Irish Crème White Chocolate Truffles

Chef Rick’s mom used to make Bailey’s Irish Crème White Chocolate Cookies, which he later evolved into a truffle to balance out dark chocolate truffles — as too many of those will make you very full. A different taste prompts a change in your taste buds and provides a balance of textures on your dessert plate.

And with that, you have Bailey’s Irish Crème White Chocolate Truffles:

Ingredients:

• 10 oz chopped Belgian white chocolate
• 2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur (Chef Rick uses Bailey’s)
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Instructions:

• Melt the chopped chocolate in a double boiler, and make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl. The white chocolate should only take about five minutes or so to melt.
• After the white chocolate has melted, stir in the Irish cream and heavy cream with a whisk or spatula. Place the white chocolate mixture into the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes until it is firm.
• Take a 2 oz cookie scoop, and portion out little balls of the white chocolate mixture. If they are firm enough not to stick to your hands, roll the balls in the palms of your hands. Then, roll them in the chopped macadamia nuts. If they aren’t firm enough, place the balls into the fridge for 15 minutes, before rolling them in your hands and then in the macadamia nuts.

• After rolling them in the macadamia nuts, place them in the fridge to completely firm up.

Enjoy!

If these chocolate truffle recipes sound scrumptious to you, and you would like to sample both and much more, check out Golden Ocala’s small dessert plates, offered on many dinner menus, as well as Chef Rick’s holiday packages and Golden Ocala weddings that feature truffles, along with cupcakes and a small bridegroom cake. For more information, call Golden Ocala at (352) 629-6229.