Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

This weekend I was invited to a luncheon. My mother instilled in me early on in my childhood to never arrive at someone’s house with empty hands. Consequently, now when I’m invited to a friend’s house for any kind of event, I find pleasure in picking out something thoughtful for the hostess or if I have time, I usually bake something to bring. I feel this is more special because it shows that you really had them in mind and took the time to make something with your own hands to bring to them. I mean it doesn’t have to be something elaborate, but it should be something memorable that will make the host feel special. And what better way to make someone feels special than some homemade rich silky truffles that slowly melts in your mouth! And best yet, these are super easy and quick to make.

And of course presentation is everything – you can package them nicely in pretty gift bags or in these prettyboxes… lined with waxed paper – wrapping them with a pretty ribbon/raffia. Then voila!

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

24 oz. chocolate morsels (melted)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup peanuts (finely chopped)

Directions

Heat cream with peanut butter in a saucepan. Whisk together as peanut butter melts. Meanwhile, melt chocolate morsels in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Combine peanut butter mixture with melted chocolate. Add vanilla. Put in refrigerator for 20 minutes. In the meantime, mix powdered sugar and cocoa together.

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Using a melon baller to scoop chocolate balls, place rounded small portions onto the waxed paper, spacing so that they don’t touch. Roll truffle in cocoa-powdered sugar mixture or ground peanuts.

Tip: If you don’t have peanuts or don’t want the ground peanuts, you can also substitute slivered almonds . Toast them – then grind it in an electric chopper and use ground toasted almonds which, by the way, taste even better than the peanuts because of its nutty taste from being toasted. YUM!