Chocolate Coconut Truffles

We just had a perfect weekend where we caught up with lots of friends, drank far too much and slept way too little. But life just seems to get constantly busier and everyone has crazy diaries so you need to make the most of hanging out with the people you love. We went for dinner on Saturday night and I wanted to take something homemade. I thought I'd make some coconut truffles (coconut is ANOTHER favourite of mine) and they ended up being miniature balls that tasted like my all time favourite chocolate Bounty bars (except they were bitesize which is totally dangerous as you then think you can keep popping one after another in your mouth!)

I have a Pinterest board for Chocolates and Sweeties and pinned a recipe for these truffles a while back from Ecole Chocolat. I tweaked the recipe a little but their white chocolate coconut ganache is just divine and really easy to make. This recipe has only four ingredients: white chocolate, shredded sweet coconut, coconut milk and either chocolate (I used salted milk chocolate) or cocoa for rolling the truffles at the end. I don't have many photos of the process but I promise you, it's so simple and yields the most delicious results!

Firstly, the white chocolate is melted either in the microwave or over a bain-marie. I always find white chocolate can be temperamental and you need to be careful not to burn it so always use a low setting and heat it slowly and in short bursts. The chocolate needs to be completely melted. Then the coconut milk is added and stirred to a smooth consistency. I found mine was quite lumpy here so I did mix it for a while and ended up popping it back in the microwave for some extra short bursts and more mixing until it was smooth. Next it's left on the side for around 30-45 minutes until it becomes firmer.

Once it's set up - and by this I mean like thick gloopy soup - it needs to be reheated again either in the microwave or over the bain-marie until it's warmed through. It shouldn't be too hot -- around 30-40 seconds in the microwave. Then it's beaten until the consistency is smooth and the shredded coconut added. Once that's stirred through, it can then to be popped into the fridge for 30 minutes to set again.

I got my ganache out after around 45 minutes and it was still quite soft. I then made this into little balls (around 10g per ball) but it's quite sticky so they need to be popped them back into the fridge. After another 30 minutes I smoothed the edges of the little balls again so they were nice and round.

The outer covering of your truffles can be your choice. Cocoa is the easiest but it wasn't my favourite. I decided on salted milk chocolate which I melted in a small bowl, then popped in my truffles, rolling them around, and then put them on a lined greaseproof tray. With the back of my fork I created the little spikes and then I left them to set on the side in the kitchen. If you're short of time, you can pop them in the fridge but I always find I have a better finish when I let them set up at room temperature.

And voilà! Super easy, divinely delicious Chocolate Coconut Truffles.

Perfect for dinner parties, perfect for snacking. They are, however, extremely addictive!

adapted from Ecole Chocolat's White Chocolate Coconut Ganache Truffles

Makes around 20 truffles

Ingredients

230G WHITE CHOCOLATE
85ML COCONUT MILK
100G SHREDDED SWEET COCONUT
150G MILK CHOCOLATE (or cocoa powder to dust if you prefer)

Method

Place the white chocolate in a microwaveable bowl or over a bain-marie
Melt the chocolate either in the microwave (on low & short bursts so as not to burn the chocolate) or gently over a bain-marie
When the chocolate is fully melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes
Add the coconut water and mix to combine - if your mixture remains lumpy, you may need a few extra bursts in the microwave to obtain a smooth consistency
Leave on the kitchen side for around 30 minutes
After this time, heat the chocolate mixture either in the microwave or over a bain-marie until warmed through but not hot (around 30-40 seconds in the microwave)
Beat until smooth and then add the shredded coconut
Once this is completely combined, pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
When the ganache has set, remove from the fridge and with little scoops of the mixture, make small truffle balls (mine were around 10g per ball)
Pop back in the fridge to firm up a little more (around 30 minutes)
If you're covering your truffles in chocolate, melt your chocolate of choice until smooth
Dip each ball in the turn, ensuring that they're fully coated, and then place on a lined baking tray
Using the back of a fork, create little spikes
Leave to set up in room temperature - or if you're in a hurry, in the fridge
Enjoy each little bite :)