Chocolate Coconut Truffles

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, we all know that the easiest way to someone’s heart is through chocolate. After all, what could be sweeter than a box of decadent chocolates on the most romantic holiday of the year? The answer: making your own DIY chocolate truffles for that special someone. Truffles are not at all difficult to put together and only involve a few steps of choosing from the endless possibilities of fillings and rolling them in delicious chocolate ganache. The result? A homemade sweet treat that comes from the heart and is sure to impress. For today’s recipe, we’re merging two of our favorite desserts together into one. Coconut macaroons? Meet your new best friend, chocolate. These quick and easy Chocolate Coconut Truffles are cool, creamy and luscious and make quite a gorgeous gift for your significant other, best friend or even yourself! Make a big batch of these bite-sized, melt-in-your-mouth goodies and place them into a pretty box for a memorable Valentine’s Day gift this year. For other delicious Valentine’s Day recipes, check out our menu with romantic dinner and dessert ideas.

These Valentine’s Day truffles get their extra punch of coconut flavor from Melissa’s shredded coconut. Each bite yields a distinct chewiness that you can only get from using real coconut. And its fine texture makes it easy to mix into the truffles and other various desserts. Shredded coconut can be used in so many different ways, from cakes to pies to cookies and more. It’s also utilized in plenty of Asian dishes and can add a subtle sweetness to breading for meat, fish and chicken.

Chocolate Coconut Truffles

Yields: 20-24 truffles

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips or baking chocolate
• 1 and 1/2 cups of powdered sugar
• 1 cup of shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1. Use a hand mixer to beat the butter until smooth. Then mix in the condensed milk, vanilla extract and coconut extract.

2. Add the powdered sugar and shredded coconut and mix until well combined.

3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Take a scoop of the coconut mixture and roll into evenly-sized balls.

4. Chill the balls in the freezer for about half an hour.

5. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave. Dip the coconut balls into the melted chocolate. Then roll them into more shredded coconut.

6. Place the balls onto a cookie sheet that’s newly lined with wax paper. Place the truffles into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes for the chocolate to harden.

7. Serve the truffles at room temperature. You can serve them right away or place them into a box to give as a gift.