I was totally making up a cake for an impromptu barbecue we were invited to over the weekend and because I was going to decorate the cake with fresh figs and violas, I thought that white frosting would look perfect. But I only had white chocolate bits, not proper white cooking chocolate. So I used that and the glaze was sticky and a tad too thick to pour over the cake. Bummer!
So I made some beautiful dark chocolate and liqueur glaze for the cake (that recipe and story is for another day). I didn't want to waste the white glaze, it tasted fantastic (yep, guilty of too many licks!). So in went an assortment of ingredients and I had 20 incredibly yummy little truffles that were so perfect for mouth-popping. Come to think of it, they might have looked great on top of the cake too!
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WHITE CHOCOLATE AND COCONUT TRUFFLES
Preparation Time - 20 minutes
Chilling Time - 45 minutes + 4 hours (optional)
Makes - 20
Ingredients
180g white chocolate bits or white cooking chocolate broken up in pieces
1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup dessicated coconut
Method
In a heavy bottomed saucepan (milk pan), combine the chocolate and cream. On low heat, stir the mixture constantly till chocolate is melted and blended with the cream. Add the vanilla extract and remove from heat. Cool a bit.
Add the coconut and mix well. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes to an hour till the chocolate mixture firms up enough to roll into balls. Take 1 tablespoon full of the mixture and gently roll it into a ball with your palms. Roll the balls in dessicated coconut or coconut flakes or crushed nuts for a dry and delicious outer crumb. Refrigerate until time to serve.
Notes
The initial tempering of chocolate with cream takes only about 2 to 3 minutes. Watch it and stir for that duration till it is just about blended and smooth. Remove from heat and cool a bit before adding the coconut.
Straight off the heat, the mix is very soft and runny. You will need to chill the mixture (uncovered) in the fridge for at least 45 minutes till it firms up.
When you roll the balls after 45 minutes, handle the mixture gently. If you refrigerate the balls after rolling, they will firm up nicely in a few hours.
Add an extra half cup of coconut, if you feel the mixture is too soft to handle.
These little truffles are great cake toppers. They would also be perfect dipped in dark chocolate. A few drops of food colouring might make them perfect for a child's birthday party.
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I've made them for a party and they were just amazing, soft and delicious, they melt in the mouth, not too sugar, They're so easy to make and everybody loves them
Thank you for the recipe,
Hey sneh! I am in love love with ur blog. Cant wait to try most of your recipes. I really wanna try this one. But i am having one doubt. Should i use freshly grated coconut as coconut flakes or sweetened coconut flakes which i get from the store? Please do reply. I am waiting. Thanks. 🙂
Thanks Sadia! The flakes are unsweetened. I have made this with fresh coconut (make sure you squeeze as much liquid as you can out of the fresh grated coconut). You will probably need more, I think I used about 3-4 cups of freshly grated coconut, enough to make it pliable and able to shape into a ball when a bit firm in the fridge (about an hour). xx
Is the desiccated coconut sweetened or unsweetened? This is my first time using desiccated coconut! Thank you!
It is unsweetened 🙂
this sweets is very nice, and useful tips. thank you.
http://www.erodetoday.com/blog_white-chocolate-and-coconut-truffles-1537.html
Hi .. these look lovely!! Want to try this .. Where do u find dessicated coconut .. i've tried everywhere.. trader joes, sprouts .. it will be great if you let me know!! thanks!!
I finally got around to making these, but they did not turn out. 🙁 Even though I let the mixture settle in the fridge for almost 6 hours, it never firmed up. What did I do wrong?
Susan, I have sent you an email. Cheers!
Do you put both of the coconut ingredients in the chocolate and mix well before rolling it into balls? Or are you supposed to roll the balls in flakes after you make the balls. I'm a little confused as to which. In your pictures, it looks like you rolled the balls to put flakes on the outside, but the instructions seem to say to put all of the coconut in the chocolate.
I don't bake/cook much so pardon such a specific question. Thanks!
No problem at all Jennifer. You do exactly as the recipe says, mix coconut and chocolate well before rolling into balls. Since there is desiccated coconut AND coconut flakes in the recipe, when you roll the balls the coconut flakes (which are wispier and bigger) stick out from the balls giving it texture and making it appear as if the balls were rolled in flaked coconut. Hope that clears it out 🙂
I made these as part of the dessert for my parent's anniversary, and they are really good! I made a lot of adjustments...I put the coconut-chocolate mixture in the freezer for about 2 hours before rolling them in more coconut. And now, I have a quart-sized container of these babies in our freezer! Thank you so much for sharing this simple and addicting recipe.
Looks absolutely delicious! Gorgeous pics
OK, these truffles look heavenly! Beautiful photos too 🙂
Oh those looks amazing. I am sure if used to decorate cakes, it would be small little surprises. I would have never guessed. You have a beautiful blog, by the way.
gosh! i was just looking for a recipe to use up a pack of white cooking chocolate I have leftover! thanks! just discovered your blog and i love your recipes and photos 🙂
I am not a big white chocolate fan, but I would happily gobble down a few of these!
Thank you darlings for all your lovely comments! Always makes me happy 🙂
These look so elegant and delicious! I think they'd make a lovely gift too.
Yum! Two of my favourite things combined into one delicious result. And easy to make, I've made them with dark chocolate before (leftover cake icing too) but I reckon white chocolate would be much better! Gorgeous pics, as always.
It looks really good!!I love coconut
Good re-use of the glaze! Those truffles look so pretty!
Mmmh... they look yummie! Gorgeous photos.
oh my! These are heavenly!
Similar to Sylvie's,my hubster is a white chocolate & coconut freak too.These would disappear in seconds if I make them.Lovely pictures.
Maybe they would have looked great on the cake, but by the sound of it, who wants to share these little tidbits? Probably not really enough to go around anyway...
I love it when a last-minute rescue turns into a new and fantastic recipe. These look delicious!
These look so pretty and delicious. Beautiful job.
My husband would be all over these in a second! He's a serious coconut and white chocolate lover.