13 Dec Mince Pie Truffles

Truffles are wonderful things. Make a filling, dip it in chocolate and voila, you have a delicious bite-size treat! Chocolate truffles are usually filled with a thick chocolate ganache, perhaps flavoured with a liqueur or some nuts. Being the holiday season and all, I wanted to make the filling extra festive so I scoured my pantry for ideas. The jar of fruit mince jumped out at me and got me thinking, how could I make a truffle taste like a mince pie – a Mince Pie Truffle?

Fruit mince on its own is too soft and sticky to make a good truffle filling, so I added some shortbread cookie crumbs to thicken it up.  Not only does this create the perfect texture, but the shortbread crumbs also provide the shortcrust pastry flavour of a mince pie.

And that my friends, is literally how simple this recipe is. With just 3 ingredients and minimal effort you can create these very festively flavoured truffles! Add in a little metallic dusting powder or rose gold leaf, and you now have a beautifully impressive edible gift.

Ingredients:

200g shortbread cookies
180g ready-made fruit mince
250g dark chocolate
Edible rose gold leaf or metallic dust for decorating (optional)

Directions:

• Place the shortbread cookies into a food processor and process until you have fine crumbs.
• Add in the fruit mince and blend until the mixture starts to come together.
• Roll heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls and place on a lined plate or baking tray.
• Refrigerate the truffles for 2-3 hours, or until firm.
• Place the dark chocolate in a small, deep bowl and melt in the microwave (checking and stirring every 30 seconds).
• Carefully dip each truffle into the dark chocolate and ensure it is coated completely. Place on a lined tray and allow to set at room temperature. Repeat with the remaining truffles.
• Once the chocolate is set, decorate the truffles with a dusting of metallic powder or a smidge of rose gold leaf. Place each truffle into a mini cupcake liner if desired.