Friday 21 December 2018

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)

14 comments:

  1. Give me one of those RIGHT NOW! No, give me three. I could eat every ingredient all by itself (yes, including the brown sugar, I love brown sugar)!

    Have a great holiday... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mae
      They are fairly delicious 😋 have a great festive season and thanks for being a big part of IMK this year. Cheers sherry xx

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  2. I'm a HUGE peanut butter fan so I'd really like these. A friend sent me the Byron Bay salted caramel one as she bought a few of them. It wasn't bad although wasn't my favourite but it was very sweet of her to send it so I could try some of the brand (I haven't really seen it here in Sydney).

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    Replies
    1. me too lorraine. PB and chocolate together - a winner! this PB from byron bay is amazing. no crap in it. cheers S x

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  3. these sound delicious - I think I saw some of that bling today in the shops - it looks great - and I have fond memories of peanut butter and only eat it when it is 100% peanuts at home (eating out you can't be so fussy). Hope you have a great christmas - look forward to seeing what you are up to in 2019

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    Replies
    1. hi johanna
      i love a bit of bling! thanks for being part of IMK this year and looking forward to catching up (virtually) next year. cheers S x

      Delete
  4. These look so delicious and I love all the different toppings! I love peanut butter and chocolate as well so I would definitely eat quite a few of these :-)

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    Replies
    1. hi lauren
      thanks for dropping by for my last post of the year:) yep they are very moreish.. have a great festive season. cheers S

      Delete
  5. These look absolutely yummy. I am bookmarking to make in the future.
    Wishing you a Happy Christmas Sherry - to you and your family.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much shaheen. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas 🎄

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  6. Oh yes, I would really enjoy these truffles. Sherry, I hope Christmas was everything you wanted it to be.

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  7. Sherry, your truffles have me thinking Reese's Peanut butter cups rolled in chopped nuts. Brilliant idea! The thought of a peanut butter creamy truffle and then the crunch of the nuts sounds so good. Thanks for sharing and have a great New Years celebration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hi Ron
      thanks for dropping by. have a fabulous new year's! cheers sherry

      Delete

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