TWD Chocolate Truffle Tartlets

For any chocoholics in your life this week's TWD recipe, Chocolate Truffle Tartlets, would be right up their alley.   How could anyone resist what is essentially a dense brownie, chock full of milk and white chocolate chunks and crunchy amaretti cookies, baked in a chocolate tart shell?  I say proceed with caution - it may be death by chocolate to the extreme!

This week's hosts are A Whisk and a Spoon, Spike Bakes, Good Eats N' Sweet Treats and Cookbook Habit.  You can find the recipe on any of their blogs.

[Note: I used a food processor to make the chocolate dough and had to add an additional tablespoon of water so that it would come together.  Also, the recipe yields more than the stated six 4-inch tartlets - probably more like eight or nine.]

2011 Holiday Treats

A quick post to show the fruits of my labor this holiday season.  Just a pic of some of the treats I made, and gifted, to friends and family.  Some are old favorites and some are making their debut to the party: 

Dark Chocolate Truffles 

Raspberry Marshmallows

Hat and Mitten Sugar Cookies

Spiced Candied Nuts

No-Bake Rocky Road Bars

Macarons (the ones above are raspberry and pistachio)
Walnut Snowballs

Shortbread

Dark Chocolate Truffles

When I started this blog two years ago I had no clue about all the swag that was out there to be won.   I've entered my fair share of blog giveaways, especially when its cookware or mixers, but I never actually won anything....until now!

How ecstatic was I when I received an email from Rosie of Sweetapolita last month telling me that I was one of the winners of her chocolate giveaway.   My prize?  Two boxes of dark chocolate couverture (minimum 70% cacao) from Cacao Barry.

My only dilemma now was what to make.  Perhaps chocolate chip cookies or brownies?  With this high quality chocolate I didn't want to go the obvious route.   It just so happened that the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Cook's Illustrated featured chocolate truffles....uh, bingo! 

If there was anything that would really showcase the dark chocolate it had to be the truffles.  I wanted a bit of variety so I coated some in pistachios, homemade cashew toffee bits and powdered sugar along with the traditional cocoa powder.  These are going to be the perfect holiday gift for the chocoholics I know.