A recipe adapted from Pierre Hermé

Busy Time: 45 min,
Total prep time: 45 min (plus 2 hours chilling time)
Makes: about 40-50 truffles (depending on their size!)

Truffle ganache:
330g of 70% good quality chocolate
30g of soft butter
25cl of single cream

Rolling toppings:
4 tablespoons flaked almonds
4 tablespoons crushed or chopped hazelnuts
4 tablespoons coconut flakes
4 tablespoons coconut cocoa powder

Prepare the truffle ganache:

Cut the chocolate into small chunks and toss in a heat proof bowl.
Boil the cream in a small saucepan and pour the cream on top of the chocolate in three times, stirring well to melt the chocolate every time.
Once the chocolate is melted, stir the butter into the mixture.
Spread the chocolate ganache into a 28x30 cm tray lined with grease proof paper so as to obtain a 1 cm thick layer.
Chill for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

Prepare the truffles:

Preheat oven to 220 degrees C
Break the almond flakes coarsely.
Line the oven tray with grease-proof paper and spread the almonds on one side and crushed hazelnuts on the other. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the nuts start to brown nicely. When this is achieved, take out of the oven and let cool. Set aside, putting the almonds in one bowl and hazelnuts in another. Place the coconut flakes and cocoa powder in two other bowls.
Take the ganache out of the fridge and cut into rectangles of about 1.5x3 cm. Roll into balls between the palms of your hands and roll each ball into one of the four topping bowls, making sure the truffle is well covered in the topping of your choice and pressing it lightly in the ganache with the tip of your fingers if needed. If the ganache becomes too warm, place it back in the fridge for an hour or in the freezer for 20 minutes or so.
Once ready, keep in the fridge in a sealed container.

These truffles will keep up to a week.

Simplest and most delightful truffles

The challenge with these is not to gobble them as you’re making them, a pretty testing exercise in self-restraint. Needless to say, I failed miserably. Had to go and kill myself on the treadmill afterwards, desperately seeking to undo my Gargantuan excesses. Offer them in a little box, prettily wrapped in silk paper. Your friends will love you for it - then curse you after eating the whole box in one go.

Anne-Laure

See more of Anne-Laure's recipes at www.tastydiaries.com