Cranberry truffles

These cranberry truffles are smooth and creamy with juicy little bursts of cranberry. They are a delicious little treat and make a wonderful gift. (Or just devour them yourself.)

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While on the whole we eat pretty healthily, there are still times when you need that little bit of something sweet - a piece of apple snack cake or a lemon madeleine are recent favorites. You can relate, right?

However I'm a bit picky when it comes to chocolate and have this thing when I can't eat that much (I know, I'm weird). So if I'm going to have a bite or two, I want it to be good. And this extends to what I might share with others.

Truffles have always been a favorite and I've had them on my list to make for a while. These cranberry truffles are a great festive twist on the idea, with a delicious smooth ganache dotted with little bursts of cranberry.

I debated making them a little healthier, but then I figured with the stages in making them it was probably as well to just start with a good quality semi-sweet chocolate instead. And it works so well.

How to make cranberry truffles

• Finely chop the dried cranberries and put the chocolate in a bowl.
• Warm the cream, butter and cranberries in a small pan and boil briefly.
• Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and stir so that the chocolate melts and combines.
• Leave to cool and allow to harden in the fridge.
• Take scoops of the cooled mixture and form into balls.
• Drizzle over or dip the balls in melted chocolate and top some with more chopped cranberries, others with shredded coconut.

Tips for making your own truffles

Truffles do take a little bit of time since there are two stages of letting things harden, but it's still easy enough and worth the effort. Traditionally, you would dip the balls of ganache in chocolate to coat them then let the excess drip off, but I find it just as easy to drizzle a little over the top. Either way, a couple tips:

• Don't rush the hardening - they will work out better if you allow the mixture to harden at each stage.
• Shake off excess chocolate. While chocolate is great and everything, the thing that makes truffles great is the contrast of soft middle and crunchy coating and that works best when the outside chocolate isn't too thick.
• Don't dip too many before you add coconut/cranberries. The chocolate will start to firm up faster than you think, so only dip 2 or 3 at most at a time before you drizzle on the coconut or cranberry topping or it won't stick well.
• Re-melt the chocolate as needed to keep it runny enough to work with.

These cranberry truffles are as delicious as they are pretty and make a wonderful treat or gift. Why not serve them alongside a cup of coffee, or just because. No judgement - they are worth enjoying whenever you feel like it.

Try these other chocolate treats:

• Blueberry raspberry chocolate bark
• Apple pie truffles
• Plus get more ideas sweet and savory in the snack recipes archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

Try these other cranberry ideas:

• Brandied Cranberries + Three Cocktails from Our Good Life
• Cranberry Bread Pudding from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Cranberry Jalapeno Turkey Roll-Ups from Palatable Pastime
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad with Cranberries and Feta from Cooking For My Soul
• Cranberry-Olive Oil Bundt Cake with Yuzu from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies from The Redhead Baker
• Squash Soup with Cranberry Puree from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cranberry Orange Muffins from Cookaholic Wife
• Cranberry Vanilla Rum Smoothie from Daily Dish Recipes

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