Chocolate Fig Bon Bons

Don't you just love the term Bon Bons? Good-Good. Yes! Yes!  Bon bon is the word for candy in French, so bon bon would include all types of candy from hard candy to taffy to chocolate-covered confections.  But I don't live in France, so the  Bon Bons  I'm referring to today have a hearty fig filling covered in chocolate! This is a classic Bon Bon.

Figs: In January I posted two recipes for Chocolate Covered Dried Figs, one stuffed with walnuts. Here's a totally different recipe that uses chocolate & dried figs to make a perfect Bon Bon! As always, I'm all about easy. This recipe is adapted from the Valley Fig Growers site.


Chocolate Fig Bon Bons
 Makes about 25 bon bons

Ingredients
8 ounces Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Calimyrna or Mission Figs, stems removed
2/3 cup (3 oz.) toasted hazelnuts or almonds
8 vanilla wafer cookies, crushed
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup rum
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
5 ounces dark chocolate (65% cacao +)
Vegetable oil

Directions
Process figs, hazelnuts and vanilla wafers in food processor until finely ground.
Add powdered sugar, rum and orange peel; process until mixed.
Dampen hands and shape mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls.
Arrange close together on a baking sheet.
In small, deep, microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate on High 1-2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Add a few drops of vegetable oil if needed to make chocolate thin enough (if needed) to dip.
Dip each ball in chocolate holding between two forks, letting extra chocolate drip off.
Put chocolate dipped Fig Bon Bons on second baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Refrigerate until chocolate is set.
Eat or Store in airtight container up to 1 week.