Peanut Butter Truffles

Peanut butter - or maybe you call it peanut paste? - brings back childhood memories.  Slathering it on toast with butter dripping down your hand, or dipping your spoon into the jar evokes happy thoughts.  I like it crunchy and salty, but I've used a marvellous Byron Bay version here, which is 100% peanuts, no salt or sugar.

I was watching one of those kooky food shows on the Food Network the other day.  You know the one where they show you how commercial foods are made?  This was for a chocolate treat called Colts Bolts, from a company in Nashville.  I love chocolate and peanut butter together, so I decided to see what I could make with similar tones.

peanuts peanuts everywhere 

I was pondering how to make them, when I came across an old Australian Women's Weekly recipe (from the Dark Ages) for peanut butter truffles.  This gave me a great base, to which I added the almonds (as per Colts Bolts), and decided to roll them in melted chocolate and add bling.  But to be honest, these are not really like Colts Bolts at all, except for the PB and chocolate thingy going on.  And this is the AWW recipe on steroids. :-) 



Adapted by Sherry's Pickings:

Makes about 24 truffles

ingredients:


60g. (about 2 oz) almonds, roasted and chopped

2½ tbs brown sugar

1¼ tbs water

75g. (2.6oz) butter, chopped into chunks

125g. (4.4oz) dark chocolate (70%), melted and cooled slightly

155g. (5/8 cup) peanut butter (I used crunchy)

30g. (just over 1 oz) peanut butter chips (optional)

30g. dark chocolate chips

125g. (about 4.5 oz) crushed (finely chopped) peanuts for rolling

100g. (about 3.5 oz) milk (or dark) chocolate, melted - to roll the truffles

bling and sprinkles for decoration



Method:


Roast the almonds @170C for about 10 minutes till they smell toasty

Let them cool, then chop into small pieces

Place the sugar, water and butter into a small saucepan

Give them a good stir and allow to boil

Take it off the heat, and let the bubbles subside

Then add the melted chocolate, peanut butter and almonds

Stir well and put in the fridge for about 10 minutes to cool down - you don't want the chips to melt into the mixture

Take it out of the fridge and stir in the PB chips and chocolate chips

Scrape the mixture into a small bowl, cover with clingfilm and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes till it is firm enough to form into balls (truffles)

Grab a teaspoon, whack on a food-safe glove, and get rolling!

Make them walnut-sized or big enough to fit into a small patty pan

Roll some in just the crushed nuts, and dip some in the melted chocolate, then throw on some bling - I used chocolate crispies and glamour cake sparkles

Refrigerate for an hour or two 



Notes:  

I used raw almonds, skin-on, but feel free to use blanched if you wish

When melting the milk chocolate for the truffle coating, put it into a Pyrex jug so you can melt and dip in the one receptacle

Use one hand for the rolling, so you have a clean hand for grabbing things, moving things etc. :-)

I used ready-chopped nuts for rolling, but you could blitz your own in a food processor

sugar, water and butter into the saucepan 

yep, it really bubbles up so keep an eye on it  

tip in the nuts after stirring in the peanut butter and melted chocolate 

mixture cooled and ready for the chocolate chips 

in go the chips

mixture out of the freezer and ready for rolling 

rolling rolling rolling ... keep one hand clean  

some rolled in chocolate, some in nuts, some with bling 

I rolled some just in the nuts, while others were dipped into melted milk chocolate (use a Pyrex jug for the melting and the dipping) and covered in bling.  All equally delicious, and not as rich as you might think they'd be.  These took a bit of time due to the cooling and rolling, but they are fun and taste great.  Worth a go! 


This is my last post for 2018.  Thank you to everyone who has joined in the In My Kitchen link each month, and to all who have read and commented on my posts.  You make it all worthwhile.  Have a merry and very safe festive season, my friends.  See you for In My Kitchen (lite) on January 1!

nuts and more nuts - almonds and peanuts (artwork by sherry's pickings)