Champagne Truffles

Making these new year's eve treats couldn't be easier! Seriously. As I'm typing this, mine are sitting in the freezer as we speak, firming up and getting ready to be rolled in delicious almond-y goodness.


The only things you have to really pay attention to are the toasting of the almonds (if you're planning on toasting them yourself, which I highly recommend) and boiling the heavy cream. With the former, it's probably obvious why you'd have to pay attention... no one wants to eat burnt almonds. And the cream, it can easily boil over in just a matter of seconds after reaching its boiling point, so you just want to make sure you don't get distracted and walk away while it's heating up, especially since it's such a small amount of liquid.


The Ingredients:
-1/2 cup heavy cream
-8 oz bittersweet chocolate. If you're using chocolate chips you can leave them as they are, but if you're using a bar, chop them up to make it easier to melt.
-1/4 cup champagne
-toasted almonds, chopped


The Directions:
1. Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then immediately pour over the chocolate.

2. Stir until everything is smooth.

3. Stir in the champagne. The mixture gets really thin after everything is incorporated but everything will thicken once it's been in the freezer.
4. Freeze mixture until the chocolate is firm enough to form into balls.
5. In the meantime, if you're toasting your own almonds, spread them out onto a cookie sheet (don't chop them up until after you've toasted them or else all of their oils will evaporate in the oven) and put them in an oven that's been preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes. Allow them to cool and then chop them up.

6. Scoop chocolate into balls with either a melon baller, a small ice cream scooper, or a teaspoon and place the balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. But work fast because the chocolate can quickly soften again (I used a teaspoon and it gave me about 25 truffles.) Place them back into the freezer to firm up again.

7. Roll truffles in the chopped almonds, transfer back to baking sheet, cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least another half hour. These can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
8. Consume and enjoy with your leftover champagne!

Unfortunately, I over-toasted my almonds so they're more brown than golden-brown.

Ideas: If nut toppings aren't your cup of tea, you can always roll your truffles in something else! The most popular one would probably be to roll them in cocoa powder but you can also roll them in sprinkles, candy bits, coconut... you can even dip the truffles into melted chocolate. The possibilities are endless!