BELGIAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Belgian chocolates in Malaysia...

Shopping around in Malaysia, I saw "Belgian chocolates." I was even more surprised that these Belgian chocolates were manufactured in a Belgian village nearby the village I was born. The taste however was for the sweet Malaysian tooth.

So close to real Belgian chocolates and yet so far... what to do? Live up to the Belgian reputation (...for cooking!...) and make your own Belgian chocolates.

Belgian chocolate truffles: the basics!

So I began with what I love to eat the most : Belgian chocolate truffles. They are the easiest to make and you should be successful from the first time. After "practicing" on these truffles and if you are still in need of other chocolates: get more adventurous and make more sofisticated Belgian chocolates.

Main thing is finding a good recipe and then add or reduce the amount of sugar you use the next time, change the coating, add some taste to the filling...

Here is my recipe, making around 36 delicious Belgian Chocolate Truffles.

Also have a look at this Belgian chocolate truffles recipe: Best Belgian Chocolates : Almond truffles

Belgian chocolate truffles: ingredients

• 8.75 US oz (8 Australia oz) (250 g) cooking chocolate (I used the brand Nur)
• 2 teaspoons instant coffee, sifted
• 3.5 US oz (3.3 Australia oz) (100 g) unsalted butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1,5 tablespoon icing sugar (powder sugar), sifted
  TIP : since there is already sugar in the chocolate I use, I only add 1,5 tablespoons of sugar. If you find pure, sugar-free cooking chocolate, maybe you need to add 3 tablespoons of sugar

For coating the Belgian chocolate truffles :

• 2 tablespoons pure cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

Belgian chocolate truffles: preparation

1. Break the chocolate in pieces and let it get soft in a bain-Marie. (The au-bain-Marie method is placing whatever is to be melted in a small but high pot, which is then heated in a larger pot containing hot water. The larger pot goes on the stove.)

2. Add the butter and keep on stirring until butter is melted.

3. Remove the butter-chocolate mixture pot from the bain-Marie, stir in the egg yolk, instant coffee and 1,5 tablespoon icing sugar en let it cool down. Since our room-temperature is around 30 degrees, I put the mixture 45 minutes in the fridge. Make sure that the mixture doesn't become to hard, so check it once in a while.

4. For the coating : mix the 2 tablespoons cocoa powder with the 2 tablespoons icing sugar in a round bowl.

5. When the chocolate looks a bit hard, dig out by a teaspoon and form into balls (I use my hands here, gets a bit messy but is the most effective for me). Roll each ball in the cocoa-icing sugar mixture.

6. I store them in the freezer, as the temperature here is daily about 86F (30 degrees C). So no need to eat them all at once with the excuse " yeah, otherwise they get bad..." Since the chocolate used is unfortunately not "pure" chocolate, the truffles would almost melt at our 86F (30 degrees C) room temperature.