Chocolate Raspberry Liqueur Truffles

I found this recipe from the lovely Barefoot Contessa.  After watching her cook for hours and hours on end, I decided to actually try one of the recipes myself.  With the holidays just past, I decided to finish off the winter season with these little delights.  I was a little nervous at first, as I’ve never made truffles before, but they turned out quite nice – with the perfect creamy consistency you’d expect.

White Chocolate Truffles

2 tablespoons heavy cream
7 ounces good white chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur (but I put in Raspberry Liqueur instead, yum!)
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

Place the cream in a heat-proof bowl, and set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Cook until heated through. Using a wire whisk, slowly stir the white chocolate into the warm cream until completely melted. Whisk in the liqueur and vanilla. Cover and chill for 1 hour or until pliable but firm enough to scoop.

With 2 teaspoons, make dollops of the chocolate mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes, until firm enough to roll into rough spheres.

Melt the bittersweet chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water.

Drizzle the melted bittersweet chocolate over 10 of the truffles. Roll the remaining truffles in the chopped nuts. Chill until ready to serve.