Basic Truffles with Variations
rec.food.chocolate/Jo

1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, in small pieces
(my note...can substitute milk choc or mix the two)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (or substitute chocolate shot, nonpareils, or such)

1. Heat cream to just boiling in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, whisk in chocolate and butter until melted and is smooth.

2. Pour warm chocolate mixture into shallow bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on chocolate and refrigerate for 3 hours. (I left it some time longer)

3. Scoop chocolate mixture into 24 rounded teaspoonfuls; place on waxed paper. Roll each truffle between palms into ball. Dredge in cocoa (or a substitute) and toss gently to remove excess. (I did a few at a time instead of 24, as they are easier to work with if not allowed to get to room temp.)

4. Refrigerate truffles covered up to 1 week (I kept them longer) or freeze in airtight container. Remove from freezer 5 minutes before serving.

Variations

Hazelnut: Stir 2 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur into warm mixture.

Amaretto: Stir 2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur into warm chocolate mixture.

Cappuccino: Mix 1 tablespoon boiling water, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons espresso powder to a smooth paste; stir into warm chocolate mixture.

Coffee: Use only 1 tablespoon of the butter. Stir 2 tablespoons coffee
liqueur into warm chocolate mixture. For coating: Mix 3 tablespoons sugar with 1 and 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder as a substitute for the cocoa. (I used instant coffee powder. Make sure not to use coffee crystals, use the powder.)

NOTES: I divided the batch into 4 parts and put 1/2 tablespoon of liqueur in each.

The recipe also included nuts in some variations, 4 ounces for the whole basic recipe, finely chopped but I found that I didn't like the hard chunkiness of the nuts in the soft truffle.