Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffle Cocoa

I truly love pinterest.  One of the greatest parts is finding recipes I might otherwise have missed.  This recipe is one of those. 

My adorable little sister pinned this recipe from Mel – for a divine looking chocolate truffle turned hot chocolate.  As soon as I saw her pin, I repinned it to my Christmas recipes board and added it to our Bible study Christmas party menu. 

Of course, I had to add my own spin on it – so, I present to you a delicious dark chocolate peppermint truffle cocoa.  It’s so good, you might consider leaving it for Santa this year. 

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffle Cocoa – Adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Café

Ingredients

• 2 C dark chocolate chips
• 3/4 C whipping cream
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
• 2-4 candy canes, crushed

Directions

Mix together 2 C dark chocolate chips, with 3/4 C whipping cream, 1 tsp. sugar and 1/8 tsp. salt. 

Place these ingredients in a microwave-safe container.  Alternatively, you may do this on the stove top. 

Warm the mixture, stirring every 30-45 seconds, until the chocolate chips are melted.  Be careful not to overheat the chocolate chips!  By stirring every 30-45 seconds, even if the mixture doesn’t “look melted” you’ll help prevent that from happening. 

You’ll know when it’s done when you get a silky smooth chocolate mixture. 

Use a whisk and really make sure the mixture is nice and smooth. 

Once the chocolate chips are melted, you have a choice to make.  Either divide the chocolate mixture into two separate smaller bowls, or keep it all together.  We split ours, making one a peppermint version, and reserving the other as a dark chocolate version.  Both are excellent.  

To the batch you are making peppermint, add the 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract.  Stir well. 

Allow the mixture to cool down on the counter for about 10 minutes.  Then, cover the dish and refrigerate the chocolate mixture for 2-3 hours or as long as overnight. 

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out ~2 T of the chocolate mixture and place them on a plate with crushed candy canes.  Either roll the truffle in the candy cane mixture, or alternatively, if your truffle isn’t easily pliable at this point, sprinkle the candy canes over the top of the truffle.  We ended up sprinkling.

Place the truffles on a plate or cookie sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper.  Trust me on this one – the parchment or waxed paper helps the truffles to come off the plate well.  Do as I say, not as I do. 

Place the chocolate balls into the freezer until they are slightly hard – mine took 45 minutes, although honestly, they didn’t ever get really hard. 

Carefully wrap the truffle balls in plastic wrap, or parchment paper and place them in the freezer until you are ready for some hot chocolate! 

To prepare, warm milk until it just begins to scald – you know, those little bubbles begin to form around the edge of the saucepan, but the milk doesn’t come to a boil. 

Place a dark chocolate peppermint truffle in the bottom of a wonderful cocoa mug.  My mugs are roughly 8oz mugs.  If your mugs are bigger, you’ll want to add another truffle!   

Ladle warm milk into a mug.  Stir with a spoon, or better yet, with a candy cane!  

This truffle cocoa was perfect for our Christmas party!  Everyone had fun making their own special mug of dark chocolate or dark chocolate peppermint cocoa. 

Makes 17-18 2 T truffles. 

This post is linked to: Tasty Tuesday, Talent Show Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday (2), Merry Mondays, These Chicks Cooked