Chili Cardamom Truffles

We’ve finally gotten some sun here in Seattle in the past day or two. I’ve heard that people all over the U.S. are having unseasonably warm weather for the time of year–80 F in Pittsburgh in March? I think not. There is something definitely unusual about that. On the reverse, Seattle has been unseasonably cold. Usually February hits us with a big burst of spring–flowers, warmer temperatures, flashes of sun. It’s been a little rougher than normal with temperatures in the 30s and 40s F, and mixtures of rain, snow, sleet and hail. The flowers have still been blooming like crazy, thank goodness, but it has been quite chilly. Anyway, enough complaining about the wacky global warming weather…

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to volunteer at Pigs Peace AND it was sunny! I got to meet Elsie, whose story I wrote about the other day. She is still living in Judy’s house and is still very sick with pneumonia and wheezing a lot, but she is leaps and bounds better than she was last week. The main struggle for Judy has been trying to find things that Elsie will eat. She has a savory palate and a picky one at that. Usually the pigs at Pigs Peace love all kinds of treats–Elsie, not so much. Her favorite thing is noodles with spaghetti sauce. So Judy has been cooking her lots of noodles and trying to also get her to try new things. She’ll eat plain tofu, as well. Things are looking up for poor little Elsie, but she’s not out of the woods yet.

I met two of the other new piglets, too. Maynard was there, of course. And he was joined by Elmer and Gus. Elmer is a potbellied piglet a little bigger than Maynard. Gus is only two months old and so tiny. Sorry, no pictures this time. They are all so happy trucking around the yard together exploring their new digs and making friends. A nice day.

You might be wondering about the connection between Pigs Peace and vegan chile cardamom truffles. Good question! I have no idea! Except they both make me feel like there’s hope and beauty in the world.

Since I posted the Salted Kahlua Truffles the other day, I know you all must have been waiting with baited breath for this recipe. Well, maybe not, but…here it is anyway! Chile and chocolate are always a fantastic combination, but it’s the cardamom that really makes these truffles sing. There’s something unusual and rich and earthy and well-rounded about the cardamom and chile and chocolate flavors together.

Vegan Chile Cardamom Truffles: The Recipe

Makes about 2 dozen truffles

18 oz. vegan bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup full fat coconut milk (like canned coconut milk)

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp cayenne chili powder (plus extra for decorating the tops)

A Note About Chocolate: There are a number of vegan bittersweet or semi sweet options. I tend to use Enjoy Life chocolate chips or chunks, or Trader Joe’s has a giant bittersweet chocolate bar (about 18 oz), which can be chopped into small pieces and used. Alternatively, I know Whole Foods store brand has a vegan chocolate chip that would work well.

Making truffles might seem daunting, but once you’ve tried it once, it’s not too bad. It just takes a little time, patience, and willingness to experiment. You start with making the filling.

The Filling: Place 10 oz of the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl. In a small saucepan heat the 1/2 cup of coconut milk with the cardamom and cayenne until simmering, stirring occasionally. Pour the hot coconut milk/ spice mixture into the mixing bowl on top of the chocolate and immediately start stirring with a spatula to melt the chocolate. Be patient and keep stirring gently until all of the chocolate is melted. Pour into dish that can be refrigerated (I used a Pyrex bread pan). Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Using a mellon baller, or a good old fashioned spoon, scoop out balls of the hardened chocolate. I used a regular spoon and ended up rolling the chocolate into more uniform balls with my hands. See picture.

The Coating: You should have 8 oz of the chocolate chips/chopped chocolate remaining. Place approximately 2/3 of this chocolate in a double boiler (I use a metal or glass mixing bowl set into a simmering pot of water because I don’t have a double-boiler). Over a low simmer on low-medium heat, stir the chocolate frequently. This is the point where things can go wonky, so you want to be careful not to heat the chocolate too fast, or at too high a temperature, and you DO NOT want to get any water in the chocolate–this will cause the chocolate to seize and there’s not much you can do to recover from a chocolate seizure. When the chocolate is mostly melted, remove the bowl from heat and stir in the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate until completely melted.

The Dipping: For dipping the chocolates, you can use the following in order of messiness from most to least: (1) your fingers, (2) a fork, (3) chocolate dipping tools (if you’re thinking of making a habit of chocolate making, I would recommend these–at just under $10, this set has been indespensible in our kitchen). Set one of the filling balls on the fork, dip it into the melted chocolate until fully coated. Tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to let excess chocolate drip off of the truffle. Set the truffles gently, one by one, on a nonstick surface–parchment paper on a cookie sheet or cutting board works well. Hint: Use another fork to gently nudge the truffle off the fork onto the drying surface. Before the chocolate has a chance to cool, sprinkle a tiny dusting of powdered cayenne on top.

Let cool at room temperature and I like to store them in the airtight containers in the fridge, but they should be fine out on the counter for quite a while, too.

Another recipe for vegan truffles with less than five ingredients! What other fun truffle flavor combinations can you think of?