For you Valentine: Mayan Chocolates

St. Valentine's Day is this coming Friday and today for What's under the cake dome Sunday #47 I got made a box of Mayan Chocolates for my special Valentine, the Mister.

Start with as good of quality of dark chocolate as you can afford.  Then, once you've created these delightfully and sinfully delicious dark chocolate truffles you can let your imagination free to top them with your favorite accoutrement.  In photo above, I've topped a truffle with Coarse Sea Salt.

 

Or perhaps you'd prefer chopped almonds (or peanuts, cashews or any type of nut).

 

How about rolling some in cocoa powder and a dash of cayenne pepper and/or cinnamon?

 

The combinations and possibilities are endless and sure to delight the recipients of your creations.  After all, to quote Forrest Gump's mother, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get."

 

 

 

 Valentine's Day Mayan Chocolates

 

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces (by weight) Dark Chocolate
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon freshly brewed coffee or coffee flavored liqueur
• Optional top coatings:  sea salt, icing sugar, cocoa powder, toasted coconut, chopped nuts, candy coating, sprinkles... (anything your imagination desires)

 

Directions:

1. Chop us your chocolate as finely as you can keeping the chopped pieces about the same size so that they will all melt evenly.  Otherwise, you'll be left with little chunks of chocolate in your finished candy.  I put my chocolate in a plastic zip lock bag and crushed it with a mallet.  Place your chocolate into a heat safe glass bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream just until it begins to boil (when you see bubble beginning to form around the edges of the pan.   Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit a few minutes to begin softening the chocolate.
3. Now add the vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne and coffee (or coffee flavoring) and whisk everything together until it is smooth.  If you still have a few lumps, place the bowl into the microwave to 10 seconds at a time and whisk/stir.  Repeat until your mixture is smooth.
4. Now is the hard part because this is when you let the chocolate sit at room temperature for an hour to allow it to cool and begin to set up.  How many times do you think you can see the bowl with chocolate and NOT taste it.  (or shewing the hand of someone wanting just one taste.)
5. With a small cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out small balls of the chocolate mixture and place on a parchment or waxed paper lined baking sheet.  Place the balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to completely set up.
6. Once the chocolate is set take the chocolate balls out of the refrigerator and gently roll in your hands to form balls. 
7. Roll the balls in your favorite topping.  The choice is yours.  You may leave them plain if you wish too.

 

*Recipe note:  you do not have to add cayenne pepper or cinnamon to your chocolates if you don't want to.  I really like these scant amounts in the chocolate for a particularly lovely Mayan Chocolate flavor.  Sea Salt is a popular topping these days for the sweet/salty combo.  It gets a thumbs up from me too!

 

Part of the inspiration for making these lovely Mayan Chocolates laced with cayenne pepper, cinnamon, coffee flavor comes from the movie, Chocolat starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp.  If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it.  A sinfully delicious romantic fable, is how it has been reviewed.

 

Let's all give a huge thank you and cheers of gratitude to the ancient Mayans and their contributions to the importance of Chocolate.  I became engrossed in reading about the history of Chocolate while my truffles were cooling and setting up.  It's a fascinating history and a very important one too.  I encourage you to search Mayan Chocolate. 

 

 

Until next time,

Cheers!

 

 

Jennifer 

 

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