Week 16: Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur De Sel

#1. Unless you consider yourself a "foodie" you may be wondering what 'fleur de sel' is, well, it's fancy salt. Fancy salt that you can buy in fancy stores. But I'm pretty sure it is becoming more recognizable and can be found in more common grocers. #2. You may also be saying to yourself, "This isn't a cookie! And, this is a cookie blog!" Alright, you caught me. I love cookies (clearly) but I also like to get my hands on a different project so I can get comfortable making other goodies. And, I'm justifying this post because I also include candy in my yearly Christmas tin. And, if you're wondering what Christmas tins have to do with this, refer to post #1.

Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur De Sel

Recipe courtesy Bon Appetit

(makes about 32)

20 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, divided

1/3 c. sugar

2 Tbsp. water

2/3 c. whipping cream

1/4 tsp. fleur de sel

1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder

Additional fleur de sel

1.Place 8 ounces chocolate in metal bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water; stir until chocolate is smooth. Remove chocolate from over water.

2.Combine sugar and water in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, occasionally brushing sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Increase heat; boil until syrup is deep amber color, brushing down sides and swirling pan occasionally.

3. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Stir over very low heat until caramel is smooth. Mix caramel and 1/4 tsp. fleur de sel into melted chocolate.

4. Chill until truffle filling is firm, at least 3 hours. Place cocoa in bowl. Using about 1 tablespoon for each truffle, roll into balls, then roll in cocoa. Arrange on baking sheet. Cover; chill overnight.

5. Line baking sheet with foil. Place remaining 12 oz chocolate in medium metal bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water; stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water.

6. Working quickly, submerge 1 truffle in melted chocolate. Roll around to coat. Using fork, lift out truffle and tap fork against the side of the bowl to allow excess coating to drip off. Transfer truffle to prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining truffles. Sprinkle lightly with additional fleur de sel. Let stand until coating sets (about 1 hour). Cover and chill, bring to room temp. before serving.

Why didn't I title the post "Caramel-Dark Chocolate Truffles...."? Well, to be honest, I didn't get the flavor of caramel so much. If I told my tasters that is what they were, then I would get the, "Where's the caramel?" question/comment. It was a long week and I wasn't in the mood to launch into explanations. It may have been my fault that there wasn't a strong caramel flavor. Probably all my fault, but let's not dwell. The last thing I wanted to do was burn a batch of caramel, so when it started turning amber I got a little nervous that at any moment it would turn black. And so, I may have taken it off the heat a little sooner than I should have. Oh, and FYI, when I added the cream, the caramel immediately turned hard and I panicked, but I took a few deep breaths and continued stirring. Thankfully I didn't give up, because it dissolved into the cream and became smooth.

After letting the filling chill for 3 hours or so, I used a melon baller to help me glide through the hardened chocolate. My tiny cookie scooper broke right away when I tried to use it; I was highly annoyed since it was my first time using it. After they were all rolled, I stuck them in the freezer so I could coat them in chocolate that same night. It worked great. I was able to coat about 3 truffles before the chocolate started to set, this is when I sprinkled on my fleur de sel.

My Verdict: These remind me of a chocolate-covered pretzel...minus the pretzel? And I love chocolate-covered pretzels. In fact, I practically ate a whole bag of Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Slims the other week. Don't judge. Just go buy a bag for yourself if you're near a Trader Joe's. You'll understand. I put the bag away a million times, and eventually just gave up the whole charade. Okay, anyway, these truffles are rich and I think the salt helps them from being too much. Do you know what I mean? The combo of sweet and salty in the same bite is really big right now ("they" say), so I recommend you make these and possibly introduce those around you to a whole new taste bud experience.