Toasted Coconut And Caramel Truffles Recipes

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Add the cream cheese, milk, vanilla and water; beat with a hand mixer until blended. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle, about 1-1/2 hours. , Shape into 1-in. balls and place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm., In a microwave, melt candy coating, stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle with coconut. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Line an 8-in. square dish with plastic wrap; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramels, milk chocolate chips and cream. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute; stir. Microwave 1 minute longer, stirring every 15 seconds or until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. Spread into prepared dish; refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm., Using plastic wrap, lift candy out of pan. Cut into 30 pieces; roll each piece into a 1-in. ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm., In a microwave-safe bowl, melt semi-sweet chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Dip caramels in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. If desired, use additional melted chocolate to drizzle over truffles. Refrigerate until firm.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut flakes in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast until light golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Brush an 8-inch baking dish generously with coconut oil or coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle about 3 to 4 tablespoons of toasted coconut in an even layer on the bottom of the pan, and set aside.
• In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the coconut cream, sugar, corn syrup and sea salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil, stirring frequently especially toward the end, until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees and caramel is a light golden brown and thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the ginger and cardamom.
• Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Once the caramel stops bubbling and the surface forms a thin skin, about 3 minutes, sprinkle another 4 tablespoons toasted coconut across the surface. Allow to cool at room temperature and set completely, about 2 hours.
• Run a spatula around the sides of the baking dish, loosen and lift the caramel, and move onto a board or clean surface.
• Slice the caramel into 8 (1-inch-wide) strips, then across into 1/2-inch pieces, so you have about 72 caramels. Roll the sides of each piece in more toasted coconut. Wrap as individual sweets using 4- to 5-inch squares of parchment, wax paper, or cellophane, or use store-bought candy wrappers, twisting the ends to seal. Store at room temperature in a cool dry place. Caramels will keep stored at room temp for up to 7 days or frozen after wrapping for up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment.
• Sift the confectioners' sugar into a large bowl. Add the sweetened coconut, almonds and condensed milk. Stir to combine.
• Remove a heaping tablespoon of the coconut mixture and use the palms of your hands to roll it into a ball about 1 1/4 inches in diameter and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining coconut mixture. Refrigerate the truffles until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the white chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave on 50 percent power in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in the shortening to combine.
• Add the unsweetened coconut to a small bowl. Dip a truffle into the melted chocolate to coat completely, then use 2 forks to lift it out, allowing the excess chocolate to drip off. Place the truffle in the unsweetened coconut and roll to coat, then return to the baking sheet and allow the chocolate to set, about 20 minutes. Repeat to coat the remaining truffles.
• Enjoy immediately or store the truffles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Steps:

• Heat the heavy cream in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Make sure that you have chopped the chocolate as finely as possible to allow it to melt quickly and easily. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl. Make a ganache by pouring about half of the hot cream over the chocolate and letting it sit for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Then slowly whisk until smooth and homogenous. Do not add all of the hot cream to the cold chocolate at once; the shock of the temperature extremes would cause the fat in the chocolate to separate. As the chocolate melts, you will see some elasticity if there is no fat separation. This means the chocolate still has an emulsion; the fat molecules are still holding together. If the ganache separates, it loses its elasticity, collapses, and becomes very liquid. I use a hand-held immersion blender to ensure a smooth ganache and to keep the emulsion of the chocolate. Add the remaining cream gradually and mix until all of the hot cream is incorporated and the ganache is smooth and homogenous.
• If the ganache separates, it is very easy to fix. Simply add a small amount of cold cream and whisk well. This will bring the ganache back together. The ganache should be thick, shiny, and smooth. Add the desired flavoring and mix until fully incorporated. Pour the ganache onto a plastic wrap-covered baking sheet and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and allow it to cool for at least 4 hours at room temperature. I usually make the ganache at the end of the day and let it cool overnight. As it cools, it will thicken and set.
• When the ganache has cooled to the consistency of toothpaste, scrape it into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Do not stir the ganache when you do this. Incorporating air by stirring will cause the ganache to harden. Pipe 1-inch-diameter mounds spaced 1 inch apart on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. To pipe the mounds, hold the pastry bag at a slight angle and allow the tip to touch the parchment as you begin to pipe. Once you have formed the mound, stop squeezing and lift the tip straight up, leaving a small tail on the top of each mound. You can also use a spoon and drop small mounds of ganache onto the baking sheet. Let the truffles harden at room temperature for a couple of hours (or in the refrigerator for 15 minutes), until they are hard enough to roll with your hands.
• When I roll the truffles, I usually wear surgical gloves. The gloves are not mandatory but if you do not use them, be sure your hands are very clean. To roll the mound into a ball, place a truffle between both palms, squeeze slightly, and roll between your hands. The truffles will look nicer if they are as round as possible. When all the truffles are rolled into balls, they are ready to be coated. If they have become too soft, place them in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours until they are firm enough to dip.
• You can use either a dipping fork or your hands to dip the truffles in chocolate. To use the fork, drop the truffle into the bowl of tempered chocolate and then retrieve it with the dipping fork. Hold the fork over the bowl for several seconds to allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Gently scrape the bottom of the fork against the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate and roll the dipped truffle in the desired garnish. Place on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. If you use your hands, dab some chocolate in the palm of one hand. Roll the truffle in that palm to completely coat it with chocolate. Place the enrobed truffle on the baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining truffles. This method is very quick but it can also be extremely messy.
• When all of the truffles have been coated once, repeat the enrobing procedure. This is necessary only when you enrobe the truffles by hand rather than with a fork. The truffles are usually more evenly coated when dipped with a fork. As soon as each truffle gets a second coating, immediately roll it in the desired garnish. You need to do this before the chocolate sets or the topping will not adhere. At this stage, it is good to have a friend help because it is hard to dip and roll at the same time. Place the truffles on a clean parchment paper-covered baking sheet and allow them to set, about 5 minutes.
• The truffles will keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature, when stored in an airtight container.
• To toast coconut: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to keep the sugar in the coconut from burning. Return to the oven and toast until golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
• To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C). Spread the nuts evenly on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Toast for about 30 minutes, until they are golden brown. You will be able to smell the nuts when they are ready. A good test is to break a nut in half and check to see if it is light brown on the inside. Toasting nuts brings out their natural flavor. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack.

Steps:

• In a dry heavy saucepan (about 3 1/2 quarts) cook sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork until melted, and swirl pan until sugar is a golden caramel. Remove pan from heat and add cream carefully (mixture will bubble up). Return pan to heat and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved.
• Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, salt, and vanilla. Let mixture stand 5 minutes and stir until chocolate is melted. Transfer mixture to a bowl and cool, uncovered. Chill mixture, covered, 2 hours, or until firm.
• Coat truffles:
• Scoop out truffle mixture with a spoon and form into 1-inch balls. Roll truffles in 1/2 cup cocoa powder or coat with 1 cup pecans, pressing nuts slightly to adhere. (Alternatively, roll half of truffles in 1/4 cup cocoa powder and coat remaining truffles with 1/2 cup pecans.) Chill truffles on a tray lined with wax paper until firm, about 1 hour. Truffles keep in an airtight container, chilled, 2 weeks.

Steps:

• Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after 1 min. Pour over coconut in separate bowl; mix lightly. Cool 5 min.
• Cover baking sheet with parchment. Roll coconut mixture into 44 balls, using about 1 tsp. coconut mixture for each ball. Place in single layer on prepared baking sheet.
• Dip bottom half of each ball into melted chocolate; return, dipped side down, to baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining melted chocolate. Refrigerate 10 min. or until chocolate is firm.