Say I Love You With Chocolate

I am a sucker for a truffle – the chocolate kind, not the fungus kind. I love a shiny chocolate shell that promises a creamy, flavorful center. Not just any truffle will do, though. Sorry, but a Whitman’s Sampler does not cut it. I prefer high quality dark chocolate.

We have some really nice chocolatiers in our area, like Fera’Wyn’s Chocolate Cafe, and Tsuru Sweets & Coffee. Both of these local shops have some gorgeous options for your valentine, if you want show-stopping chocolate truffles. Fera’Wyn’s has dairy-free and gluten-free options, too.

But if you are in the market for something a little more hands-on, you can make some handmade chocolates with just a few ingredients at home. This week, I made some treats a little early for my valentines, and tried out the recipe for Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Balls from www.momontimeout.com.

I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, specifically DARK chocolate. This recipe combines peanut butter, dark chocolate, and crunchy, salty pretzels. It was just instinct to save this recipe when it popped up on my Facebook feed, but I hadn’t gotten to try it out yet.

All you need is some creamy peanut butter, 4 oz. of cream cheese, a bit of vanilla, crushed up pretzels, mini chocolate chips and some high quality dark melting chocolate.

I usually buy Neufchâtel cream cheese, which is lower in fat and naturally softer, so I used this instead of standard cream cheese. The flavor is very much the same, so use what you prefer. I also had no mini chocolate chips in the house, so I just chopped up some standard semi-sweet chips. Otherwise, I set out to do everything like the recipe said.

Full disclosure – I was fighting a migraine, which is similar to cooking under the influence for me. I really did read the directions, but somehow I missed that the cream cheese should be whipped first, then add the peanut butter, then all the chunks of stuff. I just blopped it all in the bowl of my stand mixer.

Just before I started whirring away, I realized my mistake and poured out the chocolate chips and pretzel bits, but the cream cheese and peanut butter had already bonded, so I just creamed those 2 ingredients together. It didn’t seem to cause any problems. Then you add the vanilla and mix it in a bit, THEN add the chocolate chips and pretzel bits.

While mixing the chunky ingredients with the mixer will disperse them through the the peanut butter mixture, it will not form it nicely into a pliable dough until you get your hands in there.

Smoosh it together until it is a bit like a fresh can of PlayDoh.

Next, using a cookie scoop if you have one, scoop out 1 inch balls. Roll them between your palms until they are a perfect ball and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Fill up the cookie sheet, leaving space between the balls. Place the whole cookie sheet in the refrigerator for an hour, or the freezer for 15 minutes.

After your peanut butter balls have chilled appropriately, melt 16 oz. of the dark melting chocolate and 1 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time until is is nice and smooth.

Incidentally, the recipe doesn’t mention why you mix the melting chocolate and chocolate chips, but I have a theory. Because chocolate chips contain less cocoa butter, they retain their shape while baking. I am guessing that by adding this dimension to the high quality dark melting chocolate, it allows the chocolate to dry more solidly and not require refrigeration.

Once your chocolate is melted and blended smoothly, drop the peanut butter balls into the chocolate, one at a time, and coat all sides well. Carefully place back onto the parchment-covered cookie sheet and sprinkle with desired topping. I used Valentine-colored nonpareils and fleur de sel.

Once all of your peanut butter balls are coated, allow them to dry completely. If you find you have leftover chocolate, dip something else in there – whole pretzels, strawberries, whatever. Or stir some nuts into the remaining chocolate and pour out onto another parchment-lined pan to create a bark. Just don’t waste that yummy chocolate.

Store in an airtight container or package individually in mini muffin papers for sharing with your valentine. I got 35 chocolate peanut butter balls, plenty for sharing or keeping all to yourself.

The recipe doesn’t discuss whether or not they should be refrigerated. Because they contain a bit of cream cheese, it might be best to store them in a cool place. Some professional chocolatiers suggest not storing chocolates in the fridge, as they may absorb odors and the cocoa butter may migrate to the outside of the chocolate coating, leaving a white residue. I am not sure that these particular chocolate peanut butter balls will last long enough to be a problem, as they are extremely irresistible.

The bottom line of this recipe is that it is a pretty easy way to make a deliciously satisfying chocolate treat. I am admittedly not great about dipping each peanut butter ball identically and without making a chocolatey mess in my kitchen. I had chocolate on the counter, on the faucet, on the fridge. But I would do it again in a heartbeat. They are fairly simple and harden up pretty quickly, so they make a perfect weekend project.

Find the full recipe here: https://www.momontimeout.com/chocolate-pretzel-peanut-butter-balls/?fbclid=IwAR19RafIwQA8dPhOgkk5NvPn1fszupiRP7l5mgBQDdtwybrHEcO_G2mbZMc

Happy Valentine’s Day!