White Chocolate Almond Truffles

Delicate almonds and creamy white chocolate are a winning combination in these easy-to-make truffles. Natural almond butter can be found in both whole foods markets and health food stores.

Yield: 2¹/₂ dozen

Active time: 20 minutes

Start to finish: 4¹/₂ hours, including 4 hours to chill

1 pound good-quality white chocolate

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup natural almond butter

¹/₂ cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1 cup blanched almonds

1. Break chocolate into pieces no larger than a lima bean. Either chop chocolate in a food processor fitted with a steel blade using on-and-off pulsing, or place it in a heavy re-sealable plastic bag, and smash it with the back of a heavy skillet.

2. Heat cream, almond butter, sugar, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a simmer. Stir in chocolate. Remove the pan from the heat, cover the pan, and allow chocolate to melt for 5 minutes. Whisk mixture until smooth, and transfer to a 9 x 9-inch baking pan. Chill mixture for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

3. While mixture chills, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place almonds on a baking sheet, and toast for 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the pan from the oven, and finely chop almonds in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, using on-and-off pulsing, or by hand. Set aside.

4. Place chopped almonds in a shallow bowl. Using the large side of a melon baller, scoop out 2 teaspoons mixture, and gently form it into a ball. Roll balls in chopped almonds, and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

Note: The truffles can be made up to 1 week in advance, and refrigerated, tightly covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Allow them to sit at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

Variations

Substitute dark chocolate or milk chocolate for the white chocolate.

Coat the truffles in melted chocolate instead of with nuts.

For peanut truffles, substitute natural peanut butter and chopped peanuts, or you can use commercial peanut butter and omit the sugar from the recipe.

Wrap the truffle filling around a nut.

We classify almonds as a nut, but that is not true according to their botanical definition. Almonds are botanically a drupe, and are related to peaches, prunes, mangoes, and cherries. A drupe is a type of fruit that has soft flesh around a hard pit that contains a seed. In this case, the seed is the actual almond.