Strawberry Cream Truffles

Strawberry Cream Truffles - Photo by JayDi Photography

Ah, Valentine's Day!  A special day for lovers that's can be made even better by making them a sweet  and unique treat rather than buying factory-made, uniform looking, ho-hum chocolates in a box.  Well, look no further! These are surprisingly simple, and deeply personal. It helps that they are also unbelievably delicious!  No one else will be as lucky as your sweetheart with these homemade chocolate truffles.  

The original recipe advised to melt the chocolates in the microwave, and I tried it that way.  I found that it was really easy to overheat the chocolate. Not all microwaves have the same power.  Personally, I find that using a double boiler (not boiling water) was the easiest to control. You just have to ensure that the chocolate does not come into contact with water or it will seize and you'll have a heck of a time using it for dipping your truffles. 

Go, make these!! GO NOW!

Strawberry Cream Truffles

INGREDIENTS:

1 (8 ounce) container strawberry cream cheese, softened

½ teaspoon strawberry extract (I used the same measurement of strawberry syrup)

12 ounces of white chocolate chips

12 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 ounces red candy melts for decoration (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the cream cheese in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer on high for about a minute. 

2. Add the strawberry extract and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Melt the white chocolate chips over a double boiler, until completely melted and smooth.

4. Add the white chocolate to the cream cheese and mix until combined.

5.  Refrigerate mixture until it's firmed up, about an hour.

6. Scoop the mixture with a spoon or a small cookie scoop and drop the balls onto wax paper.

7. Refrigerate until the truffle balls become firm, at least 1 hour.

8. Over a double boiler, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips until smooth and glossy.

9. Remove the truffle balls from the refrigerator, dip in the melted chocolate, and place back on the wax paper.

10. Refrigerate until hardened.

11. If desired, melt the red candy melts in the microwave, then drizzle over the chocolate covered truffles.