Christmas Recipes - Mocha Truffles; Day 3 of the 12 Tastes of Christmas

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Day 3: Mocha Truffles
Tip: If the warmth of your hands makes the truffle mixture stick to them, rinse your hands with cold water, shake off the excess and continue rolling.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup heavy (whipping cream)
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter or margarine (not spread), cut up
1 Tbsp instant espresso crystals
2 cups (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup white-chocolate vanilla chips

Decoration: white-chocolate (vanilla) chips and chocolate coffee beans and/or unsweetened cocoa powder and confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1. Have ready a glass pie plate of 8 or 9-inch baking dish, cookie and paper candy cups.
2. Heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, or in a medium bowl in microwave on high, until cream simmers and butter melts. Whisk in espresso crystals until completely dissolved.

3. Add semisweet and white-chocolate chips. Stir over low heat or microwave on medium stirring often, until melted and smooth.

4. Pour into pie plate or dish and chill 2 hours or until the consistency of soft fudge. (If mixture get too firm, let stand at room temperature until the right consistency.)

5. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper. Roll heaping teaspoonfuls truffle mixture into 3/4-inch balls (they don't have to be perfectly round). Place on lined sheet and chill 1 hour or until firm.

6. To decorate with white chocolate and chocolate coffee beans: Melt white-chocolate chips according to package directions. Scrape into corner of a gallon-size ziptop bag. Snip tip off corner and squeeze chocolate through opening over truffles. Top each with a coffee bean while chocolate is wet. Refrigerate until set. If coating with cocoa or confectioners' sugar; Place coating(s) on waxed paper. Roll truffles in coating to cover. Place a fresh sheet of waxed paper on cookie sheet, add truffles and refrigerate until firm.

7. Place each truffle in a paper candy cup. Refrigerate in a single layer in airtight containers.

8. Makes 36

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