Nobody Knows the Truffles I’ve Seen : Oh Chocolate Divine : Rum Adds Decadent Glow to Chocolate

When my friend Dede Wilson, a talented dessert baker, gave me dark chocolate truffles for Christmas last year, they disappeared quickly. But their flavor lingered in my mind. There was an underlying taste that I couldn’t figure out.

Finally, I asked for the recipe. It turns out that the candies are made by soaking chopped raisins in dark rum, then combining the marinated fruit and liquor with melted bittersweet chocolate and cream.

Rich, decadent little jewels that melt in your mouth are the result.

DEDE WILSON’S RUM-RAISIN DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

1/3 cup raisins, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup dark rum

5 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup whipping cream

3 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder

Dutch-process cocoa powder is treated with an alkali that helps neutralize cocoa’s natural acidity. The truffles will keep in the refrigerator, covered, up to one week.

Combine chopped raisins and rum in nonreactive bowl and add rum. Stir, cover with plastic wrap and leave at cool room temperature at least 6 hours or overnight. Raisins will absorb much of rum.

Place chopped chocolate in medium heat-proof bowl. Heat cream in small saucepan to boiling point and immediately pour over chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Add marinated raisins and any rum in bowl and stir well to mix. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until mixture is firm, several hours or overnight. Stir chocolate mixture several times during refrigeration to keep raisins evenly distributed.

Spread cocoa powder on dinner plate and have another empty dinner plate beside it. Coat hands with some cocoa powder and scoop 1 heaping teaspoon of chocolate mixture into hands and roll into ball. Dust in cocoa powder and place on empty plate. Continue until all chocolate has been shaped into balls.

Cover truffles tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.

24 truffles. Each truffle:

62 calories; 2 mg sodium; 7 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.18 gram fiber.