chocolate salty balls - 3 ways!

 

 

I am participating in the Blogger Bake Sale tomorrow. In deciding what to make, I knew I at least had to make some balls.

 

I'm a long-time South Park fan (can you believe it's been on for 15 years?! I feel old), so when I start to think of baked goods and balls, I immediately get Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls in my head. Classic.

One of my favorite chocolate salty desserts is my friend Kelly's Dark Chocolate Tart with Pretzel Crust. I decided to make basic truffles and coat them in pretzels. Done? Nah. too simple... I needed to make this more interesting! So I came up with 2 other ways to make these dark chocolate truffles salty. 

One uses a recipe from one of my favorite St. Louis Chefs, Josh Galliano. He makes a praline bacon that is addicting. Luckily, it is easy to make, and Josh shared his recipe with local food magazine Sauce. Find the recipe here, or check out my buddy Stacey's post about this glorious pork candy. So I made praline bacon and chopped it up and rolled truffles in it. Whoa.

For a spicier take, I put some salted roasted pepitas in the food processor with some cayenne pepper and pulsed it a few times until everything was chopped up and combined. Then I rolled my balls in it! This is so so delicious. Salt, rich chocolate, and a subtle but present burn. 

I also did crushed up pretzels... simple but classic.

Dark Chocolate Truffles

-2/3 cup heavy cream

-12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

-3 1/4 cups 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the chocolate chips. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and pour into a shallow bowl. 

Cool, cover, and refrigerate the mixture until firm, at least 2 hours. 

Using a melon baller or small spoon, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the coating of your choice (see above). 

Year of the Balls posts:

Crawfish Boil Balls

Moroccan Lamb Balls with Figs

Hummus Balls

Cashew Chicken Balls

Salsiccia Balls with Peppers

Sesame Salmon Balls

Fish Balls with Pork Filling

Related Posts From the Archive:

Cookies for your underwear drawer

Such a SWEET movie

Coconut Curry Peanut Butter cookies

Bowling Ball Truffles

Chocolate, Brie & Basil Sandwich

My Nonna's cookies recipes

Dulce De Leche Duos Cookies