Pinot Noir Dark Chocolate Truffles

There’s nothing worse than when vacation is over and you’re packing everything up, mentally preparing yourself for your 6 hour flight and layover in Denver, Colorado, and you have to say goodbye to family. Wah.

I was in Sarasota, Florida visiting my dad’s side of the family and there was tons of food, drinking, family dinners, parties, bonfires, beautiful sunsets, and just fun times in general. 5 to 6 days away from Los Angeles was just what the doctor ordered. I hadn’t left the west coast since moving out to LA 3 1/2 months ago, so time away with family was perfect.

But the real reason you’re reading this post: dark chocolate wine truffles.

I dreamed up this fancy dessert when I was alone on a Friday night, drinking a large glass of wine, eating a large bowl of home popped popcorn, and watching about 4 episodes of Game of Thrones. My life is clearly super exciting.

I was sipping on the wine and I realized that I really wished I had some chocolate. But I didn’t, and I was too lazy to walk down the street to the Rite Aid that is open 24 hours. Oh and sidebar – 24 hour stores are amazing when you’re sick and realize you don’t have NyQuil or any medications at 1 a.m. and you can’t wait until morning. True Story.

The next night, after getting back from watching a beautiful west coast sunset, I stopped by Rite Aid and picked up a bar of Lindt dark chocolate, and then a bag of gummy bears and Sour Patch Kids. I was prepared for another night of wine and Game of Thrones when I was saved by the bell by my friend Alicia, saying we should go out for a drink.

I didn’t get to have my wine and chocolate but that was okay, because I had a better idea instead. Make a truffle but instead of a boring plain dark chocolate truffle, add some Pinot Noir from the bottle that I still had open and give the truffle a little kick and enhance the flavor, without it tasting only like wine. And I had little rainbow sprinkles which would be way better to roll the truffles in than boring brown cocoa powder.

These are delicious. The dark chocolate is the perfect balance, it’s not too bitter – just enough. Obviously, if you like milk or even darker chocolate or semi-sweet, you can use that too, but if you can, I recommend trying your favorite brand/level of dark chocolate. The wine enhanced the flavor and made a rich complex truffle without tasting like alcohol. I’m sure I’ll be making boozy truffles in the future, but for right now, these were perfect. And I only intended to make a small amount of truffles, but you can easily multiply this recipe. 1 chocolate bar is usually 3.5 ounces, so just add another bar and then double the rest of the ingredients. And trust me when I say, these fancy looking but pretty low maintenance dessert would be perfect for a summer dinner party.

Winner.

Pinot Noir Dark Chocolate Truffles

makes~ 10 truffles

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream
3.5 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1.5 tablespoons Pinot Noir
sprinkles for rolling

Add chopped chocolate to a medium-sized bowl.

Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts boiling, take it off the stove immediately and pour over the chocolate. Add the wine. Let it sit for 3 minutes and then whisk continuously until smooth.

Press a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and press down so that it’s touching and sticking to the chocolate. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours but 6-8 hours or even overnight is better!

Line a plate or cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a small spoon and scoop the chocolate out, rolling into as close of a round ball shape (or just a mound) as you can. The chocolate will get melty in your hands, so work quickly. Place them on the plate/cookie sheet and pop it into the freezer for about 10-15 minutes until they’re okay to handle again. Working with a few truffles at a time, roll into a ball shape and then roll in sprinkles (or whatever you want to coat them with – cocoa powder, powdered sugar, etc). Refrigerate until ready to serve.

[source: inspired by How Sweet It Is]