Valentine's Day Recipes & Ideas: Heart-Shaped Truffles

Valentine's Day is all about Chocolate. I'll be reviewing all kinds of special Valentine's Day chocolate this week, leading up to Sunday, Valentine's Day. I was at the Flea Market yesterday, and I saw several heart shaped muffin and cake pans, so I thought it might be fun to Bake a Chocolate Cake or cupcakes in the shape of a heart or decorate with hearts. Nordic Ware makes a great Heartlette dessert pan.Williams Sonoma (and other vendors) sell Heart Shaped Cupcake Pans. I even have a Heart Shaped Bundt Pan. Marge's Red Velvet Cake would be great made in this bundt pan.

Along these lines, I discovered a great Chocolate Website from Down Under: Inspired-by-chocolate-and-cakes.com has some wonderful Valentine's Day Chocolate suggestions including cupcake decorating, Valentine Raspberry Brownies, Valentine Chocolate Strawberries, Valentine Berry Chocolate Cake, Valentine Chocolate Truffles, Valentine Double Chocolate Muffins and Valentine Chocolate Fudge. Go HERE for all these wonderful ideas!

I love the idea of heart-shaped truffles and there are silicon heart shapes molds to make these chocolates. Read all the information on Valentine Chocolate Truffles, here. This recipe is adapted from down under, so I have converted the ingredients and made a few changes. I think it's pretty true to form. Of course, you can use any basic truffle recipes and just press into the mold. I usually melt my chocolate and butter in a double boiler, but the microwave works.

Valentine Chocolate Truffle Recipe
Makes 24 chocolate truffles.

Ingredients
2 tbsp unsalted butter, chopped coarsely
9 oz Fair-trade organic dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup thickened cream
1 teaspoon glucose syrup or corn syrup
½ cup cocoa powder, sifted for dusting the finished chocolate truffles or heart shaped cake sprinkles. You are only limited by your imagination or heart on decorating ideas!

Directions:

1. Place the butter and chocolate in a medium sized microwave safe bowl.

2. Microwave on medium power for 1min. Stir then continue to microwave on medium power at 30 sec intervals. Continue until chocolate has just melted. This should not take any more than 2 minutes.

3. Add the cream and the glucose. Mix through until combined and smooth. If you are adding flavorings add them with the cream.

4. Pour the chocolate truffle filling into the heart shaped mold. Level the top with a scraper and if needed decorate with the heart sprinkles. Place in the refrigerator to set.

5. Once firm place in the freezer for 5 minutes then push out of the mold. Dust with sifted cocoa powder.

6. Store in a cool dry place until ready to eat or give as a Valentine's Day gift.