Coconut Bauble Truffles Recipes

COCONUT TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
• Mix sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and butter together in a bowl. Stir walnuts and coconut into dough. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and freeze until dough is firm, at least 1 hour.
• Form dough into 1-inch balls, place on prepared baking sheet, and freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth.
• Dip balls into melted chocolate to coat; cool on prepared baking sheet until chocolate has hardened.

COCONUT BAUBLE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In a big mixing bowl, crumble the cake with your fingers - try to get the bits as small as possible.
• Tip in the apricots and coconut. Using your hands again, mix together with the cake crumbs. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the condensed milk. After you've mixed it in a bit, use your fingers to pull off any bits stuck to the spoon. Squidge everything together with your hands until it is well mixed and all the cake crumbs are sticky. Rub your hands together over the bowl so any bits that are stuck drop off.
• Line some trays that fit in your fridge with baking parchment. Roll the sticky cake mixture into small balls (about the size of a conker or gobstopper) between your hands. Line them up on the trays, then put them in the fridge while you get the decorations ready.
• Decide on how many different food colourings you are going to use, then split the coconut into the same number of piles. Put each pile of coconut into a plastic sandwich bag, add a few drops of food colouring to each, and tie a knot in the top. Shake the bags and scrunch between your fingers until all the coconut is coloured - if it's not bright enough, open the bag and add a few more drops of colouring.
• Open all the bags of coloured coconut and take the truffles from the fridge. Put 1 tbsp of water in a small bowl and lightly coat each truffle in it so the coconut can stick to the outside of each bauble.
• One by one, drop each truffle into one of your bags. Shake it and roll it around until the outside is covered in coconut. Carefully put each truffle back onto the trays and chill for at least another 2 hrs until they are really cold and firm.
• If you like, put some of the truffles in gift bags or boxes and tie with ribbons to give as presents. Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

CHOCOLATE COCONUT TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Melt 1 pound of chocolate, slowly stirring, in a double boiler. Warm the cream in a large saucepan but do not scorch. Remove the chocolate from the heat, cool slightly, then combine with the heavy cream. Stir the butter into the chocolate cream mixture and refrigerate until firm but still pliable, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chocolate to a pastry bag fitted with a large straight tip and pipe into teaspoonsize mounds onto a waxed paper covered cookie sheet, or use a spoon to dole out teaspoonsize mounds. Refrigerate the entire pan until the chocolate is hard to the touch.
• When the chocolate is sufficiently firm (this can be done a day or 2 ahead) remove the chocolate from the refrigerator and, working quickly to prevent melting, roll the chocolate mounds into balls, then chill the balls again until firm.
• In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the coconut briefly to make it a little finer so that it will adhere better to the truffles. When firm, roll each truffle in the coconut, pressing firmly to make sure the coconut sticks. At this point you can refrigerate the truffles for as much as a day, until you are ready to dip them.
• Melt the remaining chocolate in the double boiler. Remove the double boiler from the heat and using a wire dipping spoon, or a regular teaspoon and your hands in latex gloves, dip each coconut covered truffle briefly into the melted chocolate. Place on a cake rack set over a cookie sheet until dry, and refrigerate until firm. You may scrape up any chocolate that has dripped on the cookie sheet and return it to the dipping pot for more dipping. The truffles will keep for several weeks if refrigerated in a covered container.

COCONUT DATE TRUFFLES ENERGY BALLS

Steps:

• Put dates, water, cocoa powder and 1/2 cup of coconut flakes in a food processor fitted with the steel blade (reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut flakes for coating the truffles).
• Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the food processor. Process for 4 more minutes, or until the mixture forms into a ball. If it hasn't formed into ball or turned into a smooth paste, add more water 1 tbsp at a time and process some more until it does.
• Put the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut flakes on a large plate.
• Line another large plate with parchment paper.
• Take 1 tbsp of date mixture from the food processor and roll with your hands into a ball. Put the ball on a plate with coconut flakes, and roll, pressing slightly, so it's coated with coconut flakes all over. Put the truffle on parchment paper. Repeat with remaining date mixture.