Chef Nathan Lyon’s Chocolate Truffles Four Ways
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: February 9, 2013

“Chocolate truffles are one of the most elegant bite-sized deserts out there," says Chef Nathan Lyon, host of Good Food America on Veria Living and author of Great Food Starts Fresh. Chocolate truffles are a surprisingly easy treat to make, yet so decadent! For Valentine's Day, we're featuring Chef Lyon's chocolate truffles in four delicious flavors: dark rum, almond, peppermint and orange.
	Flavor Tip: Enjoy a little heat with your chocolate? Try stirring in some ground cayenne pepper with some melted chocolate for a nice kick of spice!
 Chef Nathan Lyon’s Chocolate Truffles Four Ways
40 Truffles, 10 of each flavor
	1 cup heavy whipping cream
	12 ounces dark chocolate (containing 60% to 72% cocoa solids), chopped finely
	3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
	1/16 teaspoon kosher salt
	½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
	¼ teaspoon dark rum, almond oil, peppermint oil, and orange oil
	½ cup each: finely crushed hard mint candies, unsweetened shredded coconut, and finely chopped almonds in separate bowls
	¼ cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
	Pour cream into a medium saucepan and stir slowly over medium-low heat to just a simmer, being careful not to let it boil.
	Combine the chopped chocolate, butter, and salt into a large bowl. Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the chocolate mixture. Cover with plastic wrap.
	Let the mixture sit undisturbed for 1 minute, then uncover and slowly stir with a spatula until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract.
	Divide the melted chocolate evenly among 4 small bowls. Add the dark run to the first bowl, the orange oil to the second, the almond oil  to the third and the peppermint oil to the fourth. Cover each bowl loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours.
	Using a melon baller, small ice cream scoop, or teaspoon, scoop the chilled chocolate into one-teaspoon portions. Quickly roll each portion of chocolate between the palms of your hand to achieve a somewhat round ball.
	Gently roll each chocolate ball in one of the four separate bowls filled with the cocoa power, mint candies, shredded coconut, and toasted almonds (flavor combination is up to you!)
	Transfer the coated truffles to a parchment paper-lined plate, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, approximately 30 minutes. Remove truffles from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.