EASY Dark Chocolate Truffles

I love truffles! Especially dark chocolate truffles! I have made truffles several different ways and these are definitely the easiest. I am almost embarrassed to share this recipe because it is so easy!

I make these for teacher gifts (some teachers have even requested them) and put them in a cute little tin or jar. The minimal effort in making these does not mean I appreciate them any less, but I do feel a little guilty when anyone is impressed by them.

Ready for the recipe with step by step pictures? It took me longer to edit pics and blog about these truffles than it did to make them.

These are your ingredients. Yup. That is it! One pack of cream cheese (I think I do prefer Philadelphia just a bit) and two bags of Hershey's Special Dark chocolate chips. You can use other chocolate if you prefer, but this is my favorite.

Melt one bag of chocolate chips. I used to have a chocolate melter, but the kids broke it. My other tactic is this one: pour a bag of chocolate chips into a plastic, microwave safe container. (I use plastic because after it is empty you can put it in the freezer and then squeeze the container so the hardened chocolate bits pop right out. Easy clean up!)

Melt the chocolate for one minute at 50% power. Stir. Place chocolate back into the microwave at 50% power and stir every 30 seconds until melted.

Put the cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. I guess you could soften it, but it always seems to be soft enough for me to work with. Your call.

Pour the melted chocolate over the cream cheese.

Mix the chocolate and cream cheese together.  You are going to need some sort of mixer for this one, especially if you didn't soften the cream cheese.

Roll the truffle mixture into little balls. I have a small cookie scoop that is the perfect size and keeps them pretty uniform. Place the truffles on a wax paper covered cookie sheet.

Place the truffles in the refrigerator or freezer until they are firm.

Melt the second bag of chocolate chips as before. I like the chocolate a little thick so I do not add any wax or oil. I am not great at chocolate coating, though, so do whatever works for you! Dip the truffles into the melted chocolate. I just use a fork and tap off the excess chocolate before placing them back on the cookie sheet.

Since the cookie sheet should still be cold the chocolate hardens right away.

That is it! Easy, right? You don't have to share the recipe. No one will know.

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Here are some more chocolate recipes that you might enjoy...

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

Easy Banana Bread

Did I ever tell you about the time I bought a 40 lb. box of bananas? They were only $4.99 so it was a really good deal! My husband thought it was completely ridiculous. It was. And I think I have learned my lesson.

I gave some away, but mostly I just made a crazy amount of banana bread and banana muffins. This recipe is great for banana bread, but I also bake it in muffin form sometimes. They freeze well if you happen to have 40lbs. of bananas or so to use up! I also like freezing muffins so that the kids can get their own breakfast when I am not much of a morning person.

Another nice feature of this recipe is that everything just gets put in the bowl and then mixed really well. Easy!!!

Since I have scaled back my banana bread baking, I keep an eye out for the little bags of discount bananas that are starting to brown at the grocery store. Yellow bananas never have a chance to turn brown in this house- they don't last long enough!

Easy Banana Bread

3 extra-ripe medium bananas 2 eggs 1/3 cup softened butter 3/4 cup sugar 1 1/3 cup flour 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. baking powder

Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl in the order given. Mix really well. Pour into greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until you can stick a toothpick in the center and it comes back out clean. For muffins, pour into muffin pans either greased or with paper liners and decrease baking time.

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Pumpkin Muffins

Zucchini Carrot Casserole

Our summer vegetable garden is pretty much an overgrown weed patch. Seriously. It is the weediest it has ever been and the little that was planted got out late. It is so bad that we just got our first zucchini of the year last night. Most people I know have been drowning in zucchini for weeks, so this is embarrassing. Usually by this time of year, the kids are all sick of the many zucchini recipes I try, but now they are really excited! They are requesting zucchini alfredo, zucchini gratin, and zucchini chocolate cake. I am hoping for a good zucchini crop so that we can make all of those, but last night I decided to make zucchini carrot casserole.

I haven't shared this recipe on the blog before and it isn't something I make an awful lot because I don't usually buy the key ingredient- stove top stuffing mix. Yes, we try to make food from real ingredients most of the time, but sometimes, like when the summer has been a long and challenging one, I just don't care anymore. This casserole is so easy and that is pretty much my game plan these days.

In a baking dish (mine is 9" x 13") mix cooked zucchini and carrots, sour cream, and a can of cream of chicken. I peeled the zucchini before I cooked it 'cause some of us are picky.

Sometimes I make the cream of chicken myself, but I just lack the ambition right now. I am dragging myself to the finish line of summer vacation here, people.

Mix it all up. Don't bother dirtying another bowl. It was bad enough I used two pots to cook the vegetables.

Finally, prepare stove top stuffing according to the package directions and spread it on top of the zucchini mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until everything is heated through and the stuffing starts to get a tiny bit crispy on the edges.

Yummm....

If you have lots of zucchini, this is a good recipe to use some up. It would also work well to take along to a potluck or picnic.

 

Zucchini Carrot Casserole

6 c. cooked zucchini 4 c. cooked carrots 1 pint sour cream 1 can cream of chicken 1 box of chicken stove top stuffing, prepared

Mix zucchini, carrots, sour cream, and cream of chicken in a 9" x 13" baking dish. Top with stuffing. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until casserole is heated and stuffing is lightly browned.

Here are some more zucchini recipes you may like:

Zucchini Gratin

Zucchini Mock Crab Cakes

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

Pizza Sauce Recipe & Summer Pizza Alternatives

I love having my homemade pizza sauce on hand.

The weather lately has been HOT! I really don't feel like cooking. Making "pizza" doesn't always mean I have to heat up the oven. Here are some options to keep your kitchen cool:

~toasted cheese sandwiches with mozzarella and a little garlic salt- dip it in the sauce ~pizza quesadillas ~pizza mountain pies over a campfire ~english muffin pizzas ~pizza lunchables ~grilled pizza

Keeping sauce and cheese on hand makes these some of my quicker meal options, too.

Eating the sauce from fresh tomatoes with fresh herbs in the summer is so much better, but I also can it for later use. For our household, I like to can about 20 pints of pizza sauce. I usually make it when the tomato harvest is fading at the end of the season and my batches of sauce are smaller. I do a mixture of pints and half-pints.

If you want step by step pics of how I make my pizza sauce (for a small batch) click HERE. Since my photography skills and equipment are a little better I thought I would repost the recipe.

Pizza Sauce

8 oz. tomato sauce 1 tsp .oregano ½ tsp. marjoram ½ tsp. basil ½ tsp. garlic salt 1 Tbsp. sugar (I usually add this when I open the jar to use it instead of before canning)

Combine all ingredients and let sit for a half hour to marry the flavors. Alternatively, make a larger batch of pizza sauce using this ratio, place in clean, hot jars topped with lids and bands, and process in a water bath for 30 minutes.

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Cheeseburger Soup

A few years ago a friend and I traveled to Lancaster for a quilt show. It was such a blessing for me to be able to get away for a few days! It is the only time I have been able to do something like that and, as much as I missed my kids, I really enjoyed the break from being needed all the time. We stopped at a little Amish diner for lunch when we arrived. I was so excited to be able to sit down and eat a still-warm meal without feeding anyone else, playing referee, or having to go wipe that kid who ALWAYS has to go in the middle of supper. Feeling wild and adventurous by this newfound freedom, I tried something new and ordered cheeseburger soup with my sandwich. It was awesome!!! So, cheeseburger soup always brings fond memories of a good friend and a relaxing time. When I came home, I wanted to try to make my own cheeseburger soup, so I found a recipe in my Amish cookbook that we liked.

Flash forward a few years to a local Christian school's 5K and soup/chili cook-off. I sampled the winning soup- cheeseburger soup! - and she confessed to using frozen hash brown cubes to cut down on the prep time. Now, when we are out of our home grown potatoes and I need to buy them at the store anyway, that is what I get.

And, to cancel out that time saving step, I love to make homemade bread bowls to serve it in! YUM!!!

I have made a few changes to the soup over the years, and it can be a little different each time I make it because that is how I cook. Last time, I measured and took pictures so that I could share the recipe here on the blog.

I took some process photos, but my kitchen lighting is pretty awful. If anyone wants to give me the money to completely renovate it and add more windows that would be great! I will even make you some soup! ;)

Also, the pictures show a double batch because I wanted to share some and have leftovers. The measurements I am giving are for a regular batch that will make about 4 quarts of soup.

First, brown 1lb of ground beef in a pot. Drain the grease and put the beef on a plate or in a bowl or something to save it for later. No picture here, because I forgot.

Second, saute one chopped onion, 4 large shredded carrots, 3 stalks finely diced celery, and a Tablespoon of dried parsley in 2 Tablespoons of butter. (The food processor is a big time saver for this step!)

When the vegetables are tender- it usually takes about 10 minutes, add the ground beef and stir.

Add 6 cups of chicken broth, a teaspoon of salt, and a dash of ground black pepper. Bring to a boil. Then, mix in a 32oz. bag of cubed, frozen hash brown potatoes. (Shredded would work as well, but I like the variety of texture since the carrots are shredded.)

Simmer until the potatoes are tender- about 10-15 minutes.

In a separate, 2 quart pot, melt 2 Tablespoons of butter and whisk in 1/2 cup of flour. When combined, slowly add 3 cups of milk and heat until it begins to thicken. Add it to the soup and stir everything up really well.

Finally, add your cheese! Sometimes I use 4 cups of shredded cheddar, and sometimes I live dangerously and add half Velveeta. It is up to you, since I know that Velveeta is offensive to some, even if it is really creamy. If you like, you can also add some sour cream, but I almost always forget.

Cheeseburger Soup

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 large carrots, peeled and shredded
• 3 stalks of celery, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1 stick of butter, divided
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp. salt
• dash of ground black pepper
• 1 32oz. bag diced, frozen hash brown potatoes
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese/Velveeta
• sour cream, optional

Brown ground beef over medium heat. Drain and remove from pot. Saute onion, carrots, and celery in 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-low heat until softened- about 10 minutes. Return ground beef to the pot and add 6 cups of chicken broth, 1 tsp salt, and a dash of ground pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Stir in frozen hash browns. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. In a separate saucepan, melt remaining butter. Mix in flour and gradually add milk. Heat over medium heat until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Stir into the soup. Add cheese and heat on low to melt. May also add sour cream just before serving.

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