A Valentine's Day Truffle Trade

I used to think that people were either really into Valentine's Day or really against it, but now I know that you can just be happy to eat chocolate and drink wine with someone you like a lot (although let's be honest, I think that's what life should look like every day of the year).

To celebrate Valentine's Day without being too cheesy, I decided to make some chocolate truffles (sounds impressive, super easy--exactly what I'm looking for in a recipe) and put them in cute little handmade bags for a festive truffle trade! It's like a cookie swap, but a little more lovey-dovey.

Valentine Truffle Trade | Freckled Italian

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

About 12 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips
One cup of heavy cream
4 tablespoons of butter
Toppings: cocoa powder (sweetened), powdered sugar, melted white chocolate

For the package:

Tulle
Tissue paper
Ribbon

Instructions:

Place the chocolate chips in a large bowl.
In a saucepan, heat the cream and butter over medium heat and stir until it begins to boil gently.
Remove from heat and pour the cream mixture over the chocolate chips. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Cover and place in the refrigerator until it hardens (overnight is fine).
Remove the truffle mixture and use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out bite-size truffles. If you want, you can use your palms to roll each one into a smoother ball, or you can just leave them uneven.
Cover with powdered sugar, cocoa powder, or a drizzle of white chocolate. Keep any extras in the refrigerator.
You can pack them up in cute little bags by using some tissue paper and tulle--I cut two pieces and crossed them before putting the truffles in the center. Then I bunched it all up and tied everything with a red ribbon.

Valentine's Truffle Trade | Freckled Italian

I love chocolate and red wine--it's such a classic pairing. I'm really into Matanzas Creek's Sonoma Coast Merlot these days. If you make some truffles this Valentine's Day, let me know!