Chocolate Pistachio Truffles
10 min + 
24 truffles 
Can you think of a better way to show appreciation for a loved one than some homemade Chocolate Pistachio Truffles? Charlotte‘s recipe beautifully combines Food Thoughts Luxury Dark Chocolate Chips, Food Thoughts Organic Cacao Powder and Food Thoughts Cacao Nibs. This recipe uses the zest of a lemon as a fabulous twist and companion to the dark chocolate. The citrus note lifts the chocolate flavour to make it a match made in heaven! The lemon also complements the richness of the Cacao Nibs and intensify the flavour of the Cacao Powder dusting.
Charlotte’s dark Chocolate Pistachio truffles are quick and easy to make – if a bit messy – and look wonderful if presented in a little gift box, ideal for Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day. These truffles travel well and last about a week… if you can resist them for long enough!
You will need
- FOR THE TRUFFLES
- 225g Food Thoughts Luxury Dark Chocolate Chips
- 75g unsalted butter
- 30ml double cream
- 50g pistachios (finely chopped)
- 25g Food Thoughts Roasted Cacao Nibs
- zest of an organic, unwaxed lemon
- TO DECORATE
- 100g Food Thoughts Luxury Dark Chocolate Chips
- 50g Food Thoughts Organic Cacao Powder
- 25g pistachios (finely chopped)
Method
YOU WILL NEED: baking sheet lined with baking parchment, cocktail sticks.
Weigh your dark chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl and either melt over a saucepan of simmering water or, carefully, in the microwave. If you use the microwave, go very slowly, checking and stirring in 30 second intervals.
Once the chocolate is melted, add the butter in small lumps and stir until these have melted into the warm chocolate.
Stir double cream through the glossy, chocolatey mixture until combined.
To this basic chocolate truffle mixture, add finely chopped pistachio nuts, roasted Cacao Nibs, and the zest of a lemon. Use the best quality lemon that you can find for the best tasting zest – always look for unwaxed lemons as a minimum.
Allow this mixture to chill in the fridge for 10-20 minutes before attempting to roll. I have tried this both ways and found that it was easier to struggle a little with cold truffle mix than to get in a melty mess with a warmer mixture.
Once the mixture is firm enough to handle, take a tablespoon-sized amount in your hands and roll into a bite-sized ball. Set each ball onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. The mixture should make approximately 24 truffles and, remember, these will be rich so do not be tempted to make them too big!
Once you have rolled all of your truffles, put the baking sheet into the fridge to allow them to chill. They will only need a few minutes, which should give you enough time to move on to the next step.
To decorate your truffles, you will need to set up a station with 50g of Organic Cacao Powder on a baking sheet or plate, and 25g of finely chopped pistachios. Two cocktail sticks will be very useful too. Once this is ready, melt 100g of Dark Chocolate Chips.
Dip each truffle in melted chocolate, shaking off any excess. You will need far less chocolate for covering than you think. The easiest way to manage this task is to stab a cocktail stick just far enough into a truffle to hold it, then dip into the chocolate, and scrape the excess away on the edge of the bowl.
As soon as you have coated a truffle in melted chocolate, roll in the Organic Cacao Powder to cover all but the very top (where the cocktail stick is). Use the palm of you hand to press the cacao into the truffle.
Drop the covered truffle onto the baking sheet, sprinkling the top with finely chopped pistachio nuts. I use a second cocktail stick to push the truffle away from the first! These are ready to eat as soon as they are set – in a matter of moments really!
The finished truffles do not need to be refrigerated. Package beautifully and present with pride.
