Vegan chocolate ganache truffles {London marathon fundraising}

I think I need to start this post with a disclaimer: these are not my usual wholefood truffles. These are the real thing. Rich, creamy, sweet, and incredibly decadent. They give Lindt lindor balls some competition.

The key ingredient for the decadence is soy cream. My purchase of said cream is an example of foolish impulse buying (as my regular readers will know, I don't like cream or creamy products!). I saw the soy cream, thought "wow, vegan cream", threw it in the shopping trolley, and then left it in the cupboard for months without a clue what to do with it.

Truffles provided an excellent solution.

 

There are lots of chocolate recipes around this week, but I'm of the view that more chocolate is generally a good thing. These would be very appropriate for Valentine's Day, but they are also very appropriate for any day. You can share them with others or keep them all to yourself. They last well in the fridge if you want to savour them gradually.

Mr Bite compared these to Lindt balls, although it's worth noting he eats his Lindt balls from the fridge (foolish dear man). He also described them as being like chocolate butter. I prefer 'ganache', which is exactly what they remind me of, but whatever description you use they are quite delicious.

I coated the truffles in crumbled biscuits (the Biscoff brand, which is helpfully vegan), cocoa powder, and freeze dried raspberries. Mr B has been enjoying the biscuit variety and the raspberry version is my favourite. You could also coat these in a solid layer of chocolate, which Mr Bite has requested for future occasions. However, they are rich enough that I suspect I'd prefer them as is.

I have noticed that Alpro now makes rice cream as well as soy cream, and I am sure that would also work for making these. If you don't have access to commercial non-dairy cream, you could try coconut cream instead, but may need to experiment with the quantities of ingredients to get the correct consistency.

Chocolate ganache truffles

Decadent, rich chocolate truffles that are vegan thanks to soy cream

Makes about 24 large truffles

Allow 2 hours standing time for the truffle mixture plus an additional 2 hours for the truffles to set

Author: Bite-sized thoughts

Print recipe

Ingredients

100g dark dairy-free chocolate (I used 70% cocoa)

1 cup (250ml) soy cream or rice cream (I used the Alpro brand)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup white sugar

1-1/2 tbsp coconut oil

Coatings to taste (I used cocoa powder, freeze dried raspberries and crumbled vegan biscuits)

Method

Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.

Combine the cream, cocoa powder, sugar and coconut oil in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until completely smooth. Transfer to the mixing bowl with your chocolate pieces and stir until the chocolate is melted.

The mixture will be quite runny at this stage. Place the bowl in the fridge for at least 2 hours, until the mix is firm enough to scoop with a spoon (if you have a large freezer you could speed the process up that way).

When the mix has firmed up, set out small bowls with your coating ingredients and line a plate or baking tray with non-stick paper. With clean hands, scoop truffle-sized balls of mixture with the spoon, then roll between your hands to shape, and dip in your coating ingredients of choice. Set on the non-stick paper and repeat.

Allow the truffles to firm up further in the fridge, approximately 2 hours. Store in the fridge.

                                                                                                                               

This post is part of my fundraising efforts for the 2015 London Marathon. I am running for Beat, the UK eating disorder charity. If you liked this recipe and are in a position to make a donation, I'd be grateful for any contribution you could spare! You can make a donations of any size on my fundraising page.

Check out my introductory post and my fundraising page for more information. 

Days until the marathon: 72                    Training miles logged in 2015: 164.78

                                                                                                                               

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