One of the most welcomed of homemade holiday gifts is a box of homemade chocolate truffles. Making the chocolates out of a whole food sugar adds a new dimension—nutrients!—and will introduce this contemporary holiday choice to your friends and family. Place a postcard with this recipe for the truffles in the package as an extra gift.

To assuage some guilt about these decadent confections, let me give you the link
for Care2’s Directory of Natural Sweeteners.

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients
9 oz. semisweet chocolate (Belgian is recommended)
1 c. heavy cream
1/4. c. unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Sucanat or organic sugar
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or Caraco liquor
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/8 cup instant coffee (optional)

Melt the chocolate and half the butter in a pan over warm water (or in a double boiler). Add the cream, the rest of the butter and Sucanat, stirring vigorously between each additional item. Do not overheat. Stir in the liquor. Remove from heat, place in a bowl, and cool. Place the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. Once set, shape into balls and roll in cocoa, ground almonds, roasted ground hazelnuts, praline, or other coating as desired. Package as desired.
Makes about 30 truffles.

To give you another of our favorite winter holiday baking traditions, make Our Candied or Crystalized Citrus Rinds!