Chocolate Bomb Truffles

Makes 24 truffles

Ingredients:

8 oz of semi-sweet baking chocolate (1 package)
12 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 oz of milk chocolate chips
4 Tablespoons of unsalted sweet butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons of liqueur (select flavor based on options below) Default - Grand Marnier
(instead of liqueur +/- fruit use Bonny Doon Frambroise or Cassis

Optional: 2 oz of fresh ripe fresh fruit - raspberries, cherries hazel nuts

(for coating)

Directions:

If you use optional items they should be pureed.
In a double boiler, melt baking chocolate, chocolate chips. The mixture should be fairly smooth - mix in the butter; mix in whipping cream.
Mix liqueur and optional items: make sure it is very smooth and has a slightly fluid like consistency.
Refrigerate for 15 minutes, stirring every two minutes or so. The final consistency should allow you to form into 3/4" filling centers (balls).
Place the centers on a wax paper cookie sheet.
Freeze the centers for 30-40 minutes.
About 3 minutes before you would take the centers from the freezer, melt the remaining ingredients in the double boiler.
As soon as it is a nice fluid even mixture, take the double boiler off the heat (this is very important - the idea is to keep it as liquid as possible).
Quickly coat centers with the coating, place the truffle back on the cookie sheet.
After coating all of the truffles, refrigerate for 10 minutes or until the coating sets.
Store truffles in an air tight container.

Leon C. Glover III