Dairy-Free Chocolate Mint Truffles
 
 
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Ingredients
  • ¼ cup coconut cream*
  • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, approximately 1-1/3 cups
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon peppermint extract (to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Optional toppings: crushed candy cane, powdered sugar, melted semi-sweet chips, cocoa powder.
Instructions
  1. Now that you have the coconut cream, melt the chocolate. I’m lazy, I just fire the chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals (usually just two will do it), virorously whisking in between cycles to get a smooth consistency. You can go the fancier way and melt it with a double broiler if you wish though. Once the chocolate is nice and smooth, stir in the coconut cream, mint extract, and vanilla extract. The cream may be a bit lumpy, just whisk until it all smooths out. Place it in the refrigerator to chill for several hours.
  2. Once it has firmed up, scoop and roll into balls – whatever size you like. The chocolate will be firm, but it does soften a bit at room temp.
Optional toppings:
  1. Cocoa Sugar Combo – Sift together equal parts cocoa and powdered sugar.
  2. Melted Chocolate – Melt some more chocolate chips with a touch of shortening or coconut oil. Dip the balls to coat, and place them in the freezer or fridge to set up.
  3. Peppermint Crush – Place a little candy cane in your spice grinder and whiz until powdered / crushed (just takes a few seconds). Keep in mind, the peppermint crush can get a touch sticky over time. For optimal storage, opt for the Peppermint Crunch option that follows ...
  4. Peppermint Crunch w/ Cocoa – This is another favorite; when you scoop out some of the chocolate, press it into some of the crushed candy cane, and then mush it together and roll into a ball so that you end up with wee crunchy peppermint bits throughout. If you don’t want a super mint rush, you can just do the peppermint crunch and reduce or omit the mint extract. Roll in cocoa powder or cocoa/sugar to coat.
Notes
*You can actually buy coconut cream in a can or aseptic package at many stores, or you can just scoop the cream off the top of a regular (not light!) can of coconut milk. Refrigerate the can overnight. Do not shake, stir, or otherwise emulsify the contents of the can. When you open the can, it should have nice thick cream on top. It should scoop out nicely. I usually get about ½ cup of cream per can. Underneath is a watery coconut milk. You can reserve that for using in some other savory meal or sweet baked goody.
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/news/nutrition-headlines/tasting-the-dream-decadent-dairy-free-chocolate-mint-truffles