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Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles

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Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles – with the amazing flavor of cream, Irish whiskey and rich dark chocolate in one bite!

St. Patrick’s Day is a very popular day of celebration.  It’s often associated with the beginning of spring, flowers blooming, warm breezes in the afternoon, and all things green.  Green beer is a traditional celebration tool but not for me.  I’ve never had green beer and don’t plan to start now.  I do however, enjoy baking and creating tasty desserts that start with Bailey’s Irish Cream Liquor.

Since I’ve never made truffles before, I did a lot of research and recipe comparisons.  In the end, David Lebovitz’s Chocolate-Port Truffles recipe was my inspiration.   I was really surprised how easy it is to make the truffle creamy middle.  You can start with chopped good quality bittersweet chocolate, heavy cream, butter and spirits.  David recommends a tawny port, Grand Manier, whisky or dark rum.  I went with Bailey’s Irish Cream.
Heat the cream until it comes to a boil over medium heat.  Don’t walk away, once it gets hot the cream will easily boil over.  How do I know this?  Yeah don’t ask.  Let’s just say my stove top is very clean today.  Once the cream is hot, pour it over the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl.  Allow the cream mixture to sit for a minute or two, then start stirring with a spatula.  Gently fold and stir until all the chocolate is melted.  Add the chopped butter and Bailey’s and stir until combined.
Pour the mixture into a tall container or measuring cup suitable for using a stick / immersion blender.  Blend until the ganache is shinny and smooth.  Take care not to blend in any air.  Keep the blender below the surface.

Pour the ganache into a shallow pan and cool in the refrigerator at least 3 hours.

Using a melon baller or scoop holding about two teaspoons, form into balls, rolling in your palms, and place on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate until firm.  While the truffle filling is in the fridge, prepare the chocolate coating.  If you want to skip this step, roll the truffles in sifted unsweetened cocoa powder and store in an airtight container.

While researching truffles I also looked into tempering chocolate. I’ve been afraid of trying this but once I completely understood it wasn’t so scary. Yes I think I would do some things different next time, but for now, I followed the instructions for chocolate tempering on the Ghirardelli website. If you can’t find the instructions there, King Arthur Flour provides a good Basic Guide to Tempering Chocolate.

The reason for tempering the chocolate is simple. You want to maintain a smooth and glossy finish and you also want the chocolate to have a crisp snap when bitten. But most of all, you don’t want the chocolate to melt when it touches your fingers. This all makes sense to me.

Instead of posting instructions for tempering, I think you would do better reading it for yourself. I will however, post a chocolate tempering post one day when I use this method again.  I love to master these unique processes so you know I’ll try again.

Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles
In the end I decided to dip all the truffles in a bittersweet chocolate coating that was not tempered. Some were immediately rolled in sifted unsweetened cocoa power, a few were sprinkled with chopped pistachios and the last were decorated in a green tinted melted white chocolate which was piped through a small writing tip. I do like to play with my food!
Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate TrufflesServed with a little Bailey’s Irish Cream, these are a great finish to your special St. Patrick’s Day meal.

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5 from 2 votes

Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles

Prep Time: 20 mins
Yield: 20
Course: Candy, Dessert
Author: Tricia
PRINT RECIPE
Rich chocolate and the amazing flavor of Bailey's in one bite!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream

For the coating:

  • 2/3 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 8 ounces good bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
  • Other toppings such as melted white chocolate tinted green and chopped nuts if desired

Instructions

  • Bring the cream to a boil over medium heat.  Pour the hot cream over 8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate.  Allow the mixture to rest for a minute or two, then stir with a spatula until all the chocolate is melted.  Stir in the butter and Bailey’s and blend until smooth.  Spread the ganache into a shallow glass pan and refrigerate for several hours.
  • Using a melon baller or scoop holding about two teaspoons, form into balls, rolling in your palms, and place on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm. While the truffle filling is in the fridge, prepare the chocolate coating by tempering the chocolate in your preferred method. If you want to skip this step, roll the truffles in sifted unsweetened cocoa powder and store in an airtight container.
  • Coat the truffles in the tempered chocolate and top as desired.  Store the finished truffles in the refrigerator removing one hour before serving.

Recipe Notes

(adapted from David Lebovitz’ Chocolate-Port Truffle recipe)

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a special dish?  Maybe Irish soda bread, corned beef or cabbage and potatoes?  Feel free to link a post in the comments section and let us know what you’re making these days!  Sharing is such fun.

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18 Comments

  2. Kasie Cahill says

    5 stars
    Such an easy and lovely recipe. I do add a splash more Baileys, and for those who cannot have alcohol, I substitute the flavoring. I get requested by family and friends to make these every year for the holidays!

    reply to this comment >

  11. Mary says

    AWE!!!! What a sweet baby boy!! I was all set to compliment your gorgeous truffle photos and tell you how decadent they sound, and now? All I can think is, OOOOOOH! He is way too cute! I love the baby pictures!

    reply to this comment >