Sugar N' Spice Truffles

Holiday Baking Part II! For the next installment of holiday baking, I present to you... Sugar and Spice Truffles! These really are very simple to make, just whip up a cake, crumble it up with some frosting, shape into balls and cover with white chocolate. Nothing tricky about that! These were my first foray into the world of "cake pops," a phenomenon that has swept the blogosphere a little blog named Bakerella. The key to getting good looking truffles is making sure the cake balls are chilled before dipping in the chocolate, that way they don't fall apart. I recommend checking out the tutorial found on the Pioneer Woman blog.The version that I tried combines the wonderfully Christmassy flavors of ginger and nutmeg (spice cake) with a white chocolate coating topped with a sparkly sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. Last minute gift? Consider it done.

Sugar and Spice Truffles

1 box spice cake mix (plus ingredients called for on box)

1/2 tub store bought vanilla frosting

4 cups white chocolate candy melts

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

Make cake as directed on box for a 9x13 inch pan. When cake is done, put in the fridge a few hours until completely cooled. When cooled, crumble cake into a large bowl. Add frosting and mix until it all sticks together (I used my hands and formed a big ball). Using a melon baller (or a tablespoon) form balls of dough, roll between palms to form smooth balls.

Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Put in fridge to chill for at least two hours.

Once cake balls are firmly chilled, melt chocolate in a double boiler on the stove. Remove cake balls from fridge and drop three to four at a time in the melted chocolate.

Spoon chocolate over top of truffles, when coated, remove truffle from chocolate using a spoon.

Tap against the side of the bowl a few times to remove excess chocolate.

Set on a piece of waxed paper and sprinkle with mixture of cinnamon and sugar.

Let cool until chocolate is completely set. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Merry Christmas!

Ultimate Oatmeal Cookie Dough Truffles

There. Are. No. Words. Ok, maybe I can scrounge up a few words.... enchanting, sweet, astonishing, phenomenal, epic.... all words that describe these Oatmeal Cookie Dough Truffles. I posted last week about edible cookie dough peanut butter cups. The idea of edible cookie dough got my creative juices flowing... what other cookie dough could I make without eggs? What about the ultimate in comfort food, oatmeal cookie dough? Why not? So, I used a great recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker site, replaced the eggs with four tablespoons of milk per egg, mixed it all together and popped it in the freezer. Meanwhile, I melted some pure white chocolate in a double boiler. Once solid, I rolled the cookie dough into balls, dipped the balls in white chocolate, sprinkled with brown sugar, and voila! The perfect fall candy., the hard white chocolate shell crunches beautifully as you bite into the creamy, cinnamon, vanilla flavored dough studded with luscious oats and plump raisins. The sparkling sprinkle of brown sugar on the top pushes these over the edge into absolutely breathtaking. These are quite pretty and would make great little gifts come Christmas time, or any time! Yum! Happy munching!

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed + 1/4 cup for sprinkling truffles

1/2 cup granulated sugar

7-8 tablespoons milk (enough to achieve doughy consistency)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 cups old-fashioned oats

3/4 cup raisins

1 bag good quality white chocolate chips

Directions

Step One (dough)

Recipe Adapted From: Brown Eyed Baker

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients up to the raisins together until well blended. Cover and freeze for at least a half hour (or refrigerate for up to a day).

Step Two (white chocolate covering)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt white chocolate chips in a double boiler over low heat (simmering water) until melted, stirring constantly.

Working quickly, carefully spoon chocolate over truffles to coat. Using a small spoon, lift the truffle out of the chocolate, shake off excess and transfer to prepared sheet tray. Dollop a bit of extra chocolate on any parts that remain exposed (I got these tips for dipping from a handout on making truffles I found at Whole Foods).

Sprinkle each truffle with about 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar. Refrigerate or freeze until hardened (about one hour). Can be stored in a covered container in refrigerator or freezer.

Enjoy!