Dark Chocolate Truffles

Before I begin on these Dark Chocolate Truffles, let's first have a look at a note from Pass the Cocoa...

Dark Chocolate Truffles | Pass the Cocoa

A Note From Pass the Cocoa:

Hello!

Caroline and I have been thinking about switching over to a new web host for a while now, and it was only a matter of time until we fell in love with this one. For those of you who have followed us from the beginning, you may remember when Pass the Cocoa had its cute blogspot URL which indicated that we were hosted by Blogger. As we continued baking and became more and more attached to our little spot in the bloggoverse, we decided finally to make it our own. Through these couple of years, we've played with several different blog designs -- some in the beginning that were aesthetically questionable, but others more recently with more success.

This time, we're presenting essentially an entirely new look to Pass the Cocoa, both internally and externally. So what exactly changed? First, of course, is the updated strawberry logo and design layout, which we kept clean and simple as before. The more subtle but dramatic transformation relates to the working machinery underneath the surface of the blog. The name of our new web host is Squarespace, and we chose it for its refreshing simplicity and flexible design. Oh, and as a bonus we threw in a photo gallery of our most recent food obsessions and updated our "About" page...because we like to spend our summers frolicking in Indiana's cornfields without a care in the world.

So...let us know how you like the new Pass the Cocoa. If you ever encounter a broken link or any other problem with our site, please let us know so we can fix the problem right away! Thank you for all your wonderful support and readership, and for those of you who have stuck around for a while, thanks for sticking with us through all the design overhauls. You are fabulous. Possibly even more fabulous than chocolate.

Love,
Monica & Caroline

It's funny to think that people are already back at school, yet I just got back home only last week after having finished my summer classes (FINALLY!). Technically, this marks the beginning of my real summer, so ya'll can expect to continue seeing a couple more summer recipes on the blog as long as I still haven't started school. In other words, summer in Monica's world equals June plus all the way through September. (Admittedly, this recipe isn't exactly a summer recipe so much as something that happened because...well, I just really wanted some chocolate. Preferably in cute bite-size form.)

What I learned from my adventures this summer, the first one I spent in Evanston and away from home, living in an apartment and taking classes!

  • The stove can be used for more than boiling water and making spaghetti (aka I learned how to cook!).
  • I'm glad I don't believe in feng shui, because everything about our apartment defies all laws of proper feng shui arrangement. Still, I felt uncannily bothered by this observation.
  • I can't live without my bike. Walking is just so...slow and inefficient! How all my bike-less friends manage on campus every day remains a mystery to me.
  • Northwestern's campus is so much nicer when there are only summer students, and everyone else is gone. #antisocial
  • Chicago's Magnolia Bakery banana pudding is to die for.
  • I have a problem with going grocery shopping far more often than I should or need to. Perhaps it's my form of stress shopping?
  • When watching an outdoor screening of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King accompanied by live Chicago Symphony Orchestra performance, drinking games are obligatory. As are good-quality bread and cheese, and fruit and chips.
  • In one of my daydreams, Trader Joe's successfully threw a coup d'état and displaced Whole Foods' monopolistic reign over Evanston. There was great celebration in the weeks that followed.
  • How have I never known about Honey Bunches & Oats before now? LOVE.
  • Stealing baby peas-in-a-pod plushies from a certain distressed friend is a favorite past time. It's also fun to pretend to play soccer with said peas.
  • I've very dearly missed baking and blogging. Cooking is just not the same!
  • Crepes are easy as pie and even more delicious. Potential future recipe?
  • "The Test" is a dating app, no matter what they tell you otherwise.

And finally, these Dark Chocolate Truffles. Smooth, velvety, rich dark chocolate dusted with cocoa powder. Deliciously impressive in an unassuming yet spectacular way. Best served cold from the fridge. This is the stuff that satisfies the strongest chocolate cravings, rights all wrongs, and brings out the oohs and ahhs. I hope you enjoy!

~ Moni

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Yield: ~25 truffles   |   Inspired by Something Swanky and Savory Simple

Ingredients
16 oz semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 - 1/2 cup cocoa powder, for dusting

Directions
Place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl. Heat the heavy whipping cream in a small saucepan on medium-high heat, just until it begins boiling. Immediately transfer the heavy whipping cream to the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for several hours or preferably overnight.

The next day, use a truffle scoop or hand-and-spoon method to shape the truffles. Chill in freezer for another couple hours, then prepare a bowl of cocoa powder and roll the truffles in it until completely coated. Chill again before serving, or enjoy right away.