CHOCOLATE MINT TRUFFLES: National Chocolate Mint Day

Today is Chocolate Mint Day! I grow a lot of mint in my garden, so this holiday is right up my alley (or down my garden path!). I've posted many chocolate mint recipes, but this year I thought I'd post a recipe for Chocolate Mint Truffles made from real mint! The trick here --and it's an extra step (but worth it)--is to make mint infused cream first! This fabulous recipe for Herb Infused Mint Chocolate Truffles is adapted from The Herb Farm Cookbook. This recipe may look complicated, but it's really quite easy! And, you know I'm all about easy.

Herb Infused Mint Chocolate Truffles 
Adapted from The Herb Farm Cookbook 

Ingredients 
1-1/4 cup heavy cream
6 sprigs of fresh peppermint or chocolate mint (sprigs should be about 3 inches long)
16 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup good quality cocoa powder

Directions

1. Infuse cream 
Pour cream into small saucepan and warm over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
Add herbs and submerge in cream, pushing them below the surface with a spoon.
Remove pan from the heat immediately and cover with plate or lid. Leave to steep for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, strain cream through fine sieve to remove herbs.
Check to see if the cream measures 1 1/4 cups. If not, add more cream until it reaches 1 1/4 cups. Pour cream back into  saucepan.

2. Make Ganache 
Add chopped chocolate to food processor. Warm cream again to full boil. Once it boils, immediately pour cream over chopped chocolate in food processor. Put lid on food processor. Let sit for one minute. Turn on processor and blend until smooth.
Use rubber spatula to transfer ganache to small container. Cool to room temperature then put in refrigerator for a few hours.
Take ganache out of refrigerator and use melon baller or teaspoon to scoop the ganache into balls. Roll between hands to form into ball.
Put cocoa powder in bowl and gently coat truffles.
Put truffles in fridge to harden.