Tiny Thai Chocolate Truffles with Coconut Milk

I'm sharing another chocolate truffle recipe with you...'tis the season after all. This time, the truffles are infused with tropical flavors and a little heat.They're easy to make. Creamy coconut milk, warm ginger, cozy cinnamon and bright lime make them sophisticated and special. They're finished with a final rolling in coarse raw sugar for crunch. I'm taking them with me to a Christmas party soon.  

My sister grows tiny Thai chilis in her garden. She dries them and gives them to me. If you can't find dried Thai chili peppers, regular red chili flakes are just fine. 

Tiny Thai Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Makes About 20-25 Small Truffles 

Some Notes:

My nice neighbor brought me back kaffir lime leaves from her daughter's California garden. They infuse the coconut milk with more southeast Asian flavor. Most Asian grocery stores sell kaffir lime leaves. But you can leave them out with good results. Coarse natural sugar counters the dark chocolate and gives the truffles a nice crunch.

I use rich Saigon cinnamon for this recipe. It's just delicious! Penzey's  makes a great one. Regular cinnamon is fine too.

Put your own spin on them by infusing the coconut milk with your favorite flavors and have fun! 


Ingredients

• 10 ounces of dark chocolate chips. Use whatever kind you like.  
• 1/2 cup of full fat coconut milk or coconut cream. I use Trader Joe's coconut cream.
• 1 small lime
• 1-2 kaffir lime leaves, torn (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
• 1 pinch of ground Saigon cinnamon or regular cinnamon, plus more for rolling
• A few good pinches of dried red chili flakes or to your taste. I use dried Thai chilies. 
• A good pinch of sea salt, plus more for rolling
• 1/4 teaspoon of real coconut extract (optional)
• To Finish: Roll them in natural turbinado coarse sugar (such as Sugar In The Raw ) with a few more pinches of cinnamon and sea salt. You can also put some shredded coconut in the rolling mix.    

Instructions

Zest the lime and then cut it in half. 

Heat the coconut milk or coconut cream in a pot with the lime zest, torn kaffir lime leaves (if using), coconut extract (if using), cinnamon, ginger, sea salt and chili flakes. Gently warm the coconut milk to infuse it with flavor. Remove the torn lime leaves. Then stir in the chocolate chips, adding a squeeze of fresh lime juice too.

Remove from heat and stir until the chocolate is thoroughly melted and combined. Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch pan with some cooking spray and pour the chocolate in the pan.   

Refrigerate until hardened, about one to two hours. Scoop out the chocolate by rounded teaspoons or use a small melon baller. Roll the chocolate in your hands to form balls about the size of walnuts. Mix some coarse sugar with a few pinches of cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt. Then roll the chocolate balls in coarse sugar mixture. Serve immediately or store in the fridge and allow the truffles to warm to room temperature for serving.

Merry Christmas Everyone! 

Many Blessings!