"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
These scrumptious
truffles are so easy to make it's ridiculous. And they can have
a zillion variations. Here's what you need:
Very little patience (perfect,
right?)
1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened
condensed milk
3 Cups (18 oz.) chocolate chips
(here's a variation already — I used dark but you can use milk
chocolate or white)
1 teaspoon extract (I used
coconut. Imagine if you used raspberry, peppermint, lemon,
vanilla, or something else)
1 Cup of something to roll them in
(again, I used toasted organic coconut. But you can use cocoa,
powdered sugar, crushed nuts, sprinkles, or whatever else excites
you)
You don't even need
a double boiler! Just stir the condensed milk with the
chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Remove
from heat and stir in extract. Cool. Now chill until
firm. Overnight is fine. Here's a picture of an ice cream
scoop, which I had to use, since mine were a little too cold and
firm. If this happens to you, just let the mixture sit out at
room temperature until it's easier to scoop.
Now, with clean
hands, roll it into one-inch balls, then into your coating. As
Your YouTube Mom, I made a video about how to toast coconut, here. It's the same procedure for toasting
nuts. You want to toast coconut until it's just golden, not
dark brown. Mine looked like this:
Toasting coconut or
nuts brings out the flavor. But you could even skip the
toasting if you want. And you can also sprinkle them with sea
salt, but I wouldn't coat them all over with it — just a pinch
is plenty. Now package them up to give as gifts, or store them in a
covered container at room temperature, and let the family fight over
them. Because it will happen. Oh, it will happen.
Joni is an award-winning playwright, the author of 20 books, holds a master of fine arts degree
in professional writing from USC, and is frequently published in major magazines. Tune in to
her radio advice show at AM1380, at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, on saturday mornings.
A former TV talk show host in Los Angeles, she is also a TV spokeswoman across the U.S. for
various corporations, and highly in demand as a public speaker.
She is founder and former CEO of Holy Cow, an organic line of cleaning products, the winner of
dozens of cooking contests, and a former model and Miss California. She is married to TV
personality Bob Hilton, and they are the parents of four children.