Vegan white chocolate truffles made from scratch with cocoa butter. Optional peppermint flavor and/or dark chocolate shell. A delicious gluten-free holiday treat!
crushed peppermint candies(the basic red and white peppermint candies are usually vegan)
Instructions
For the vegan white chocolate ganache:
Combine all ingredients together in a blender until completely smooth. There is no need to melt the cocoa butter first, as the heat produced from blending is sufficient to melt it.
Add more sugar or salt to taste. Pour the ganache into a bowl and place in the fridge to set for 2 hours up to overnight. I like to also place a baking sheet in the freezer at this time so that it's nice and cold for the next steps.
To shape the truffles:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Use a spoon to scoop out portions of the ganache and roll it between your hands to shape into a ball. Place each truffle on the prepared baking sheet.
(Optional) Roll each of the truffles in finely crushed pepperment candies before placing on the baking sheet. This works with or without the dark chocolate shell.
Place the baking sheet of truffles in the freezer for at least 60 minutes or in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to firm up.
To make the dark chocolate shell:
Either follow these instructions to temper the chocolate, or simply melt it over indirect heat along with the vanilla powder (optional) and sea salt.
Take the shaped truffles out of the fridge. One by one, place the truffles on a fork and dip them into the chocolate, coating all sides. Gently shake off any excess and return them to the baking sheet. If any extra chocolate goes with it, you can always snap it off later.
Before the chocolate cools too much, sprinkle with additional crushed peppermint if desired.
Let the truffles cool in the fridge or freezer for an hour before eating. Store in an airtight container, in the fridge or freezer if not tempered.
Notes
Made with only agave, these truffles are quite sweet. I prefer desserts that aren't very sweet so I usually use all brown rice syrup. Half and half of agave and brown rice syrup is a nice compromise. Choose according to your sweetness preferences, and adjust to taste.I don't recommend a food processor for the ganache, because it will take quite a long time to get the cashews smooth due to the small amount of liquid in the recipe. However, it can be used if necessary.If you choose not to make the dark chocolate shell then I recommend rolling the truffles in cocoa powder or crushed peppermints so that they have some sort of coating.Nutrition facts include half of the semisweet chocolate (since it's impossible to use all of it for dipping).