THAI CHILE TRUFFLES

These dark chocolate truffles get some real kick from a couple of Thai red chile peppers. Give them as a gift to the spice lover in your life.

Yield: Makes about 20.

THAI CHILE TRUFFLES

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 2 Thai red chile peppers, halved (with seeds)
  • 2/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted

Directions

  1. Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl; set aside.
  2. Combine cream and chile peppers in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Do not boil.
  3. Strain hot cream mixture through a fine sieve into bowl with chocolate, pressing on chile peppers and seeds; discard chile peppers and seeds. Using a whisk, stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
  4. Pour mixture into a pie plate so that it cools quickly. Refrigerate until firm enough to handle, about 15 - 30 minutes.
  5. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls.
  6. Place coconut in a second pie plate. Roll balls in coconut until coated.
  7. Store, layered with wax paper, in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week. May be frozen.
Nutritional analysis per truffle:

95 calories, 7 g fat, 0.7 g protein, 8.4 g carbohydrate, 0.9 g fibre, 13 mg sodium

Tip:

Hot peppers cause severe skin and eye irritation. Wear disposable gloves when handling hot peppers and avoid touching any exposed skin.