Vegan Chocolate Truffles

Traditional chocolate truffles are made with cream, so they aren't vegan, but many chocolate desserts can easily be "veganized." I made these for Christmas and they were a huge hit at my sister's Christmas party. I based this on a recipe I found on the internet (posted below). Essentially, you can take any traditional chocolate truffle recipe and substitute coconut cream (the "cream" at the top of full-fat canned coconut milk). Remember to use high quality chocolate that doesn't contain milk. I flavored the truffles shown above with Cointreau and rolled them in roasted ground almonds, cocoa powder and shredded coconut. I served them with fresh raspberries.

I stole the recipe from the following website and modified it a bit based on flavorings and sweeteners I had available:
http://ohsheglows.com/2011/12/19/easy-holiday-gift-vegan-chocolate-macaroon-truffles/

"Yield: 17-19 large truffles
Ingredients:

• 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Camino semi-sweet)
• 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (cream from top of can)
• 3-4 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener), to taste
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt, to taste
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
• Cocoa powder, for rolling (or finely chopped toasted nuts)

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the chocolate chips on the lowest heat, stirring frequently. Alternatively, you can use a double boiler if you prefer.

2. Open a can of full-fat coconut milk, and gently scrape the cream from the top of the can to make 3/4 cup. Whisk this into the melted chocolate.

3. Stir in the vanilla, salt, maple syrup all to taste. Whisk well to remove all clumps, as the maple syrup may harden it up again. If it does harden up just keep heating it on low and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut.

4. Scoop mixture into a bowl and place in the freezer for 30 mins. Stir with a spoon to break up the hardened spots and place in the fridge for 45 mins to firm up some more.

5. Once firm, shape mixture with fingers (I wore plastic gloves to avoid making a huge mess of my hands) into 1.5 inch balls. The mixture will be quite sticky. If it’s too sticky, simply return it to the fridge for a bit longer.

Roll into cocoa powder and repeat for the rest. Store in fridge until ready to use."

I  saw some other truffle recipes on the internet that substituted the cream with Tofutti Cream Cheese that also looked promising and I may try them in the future.