Mayan Gold Truffles

Inspired by Green & Black's 'Maya Gold' chocolate, these silky truffles have a spicy kick, & dazzle the eyes as well as the tongue!

Truffles are simple enough, combining cream and chocolate to form a ganache, which is then rolled into small balls for the perfect after dinner treat. Infusing the cream with citrus and spices adds some mouthwatering layers to the flavour.

To start, line up the necessary ingredients. This makes around 10 truffles, but is easily scaled up, as they make perfect presents/bribes/apologies...

100g Good quality dark chocolate
100 ml Double cream
Ground CInammon
Ground Ginger
Ground Nutmeg
Chilli powder, or freshly chopped chilli, or of you're feeling brave, a bit of both
Orange Zest
Cocoa powder
Gold edible lustre (optional)

You'll also need a saucepan and/or microwave, plenty of bowls & spoons, and a desire to get a little messy. A handy housemate to lick the bowls clean also helps.

First, you need to infuse the cream with the spices, this gives a beautiful flavour while maintaining the perfect silky texture of the truffle.

Flavour is very personal and subjective, but these are the quantities I used:

1/2 tsp ground cinammon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp chopped chilli (I am still working through some scotch bonnets from the freezer, which will blow your head off, so adjust this depending on the trength of your chilli)
1 tbsp orange zest

Add all of these, and the cream, to a saucepan and simmer over a low heat for about five minutes to bring the flavours together. Do not allow the cream to boil.

Now, chop the chocolate, place it in a heat proof bowl, and microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.

This is where the beautiful reaction between the cream and the chocolate happens, to make a rich, smooth ganache.

Strain the cream through a seive and pour it onto the melted chocolate. Stir the whole thing together until it's totally combined, and the mixture is dark and glossy.

Cover the bowl and leave it all to cool, in the fridge if you're feeling impatient, for a few hours until firm.

When the mixture is firm, scrape out small spoonfuls and roll into balls. This is a sticky job, though the mess can be put off a little if you spread a bit of oil over your hands first.

Don't worry if the balls are irregular and a little messy, all blemishes will be covered in the final stage.

To make the truffles beautiful as well as delicious, spoon some cocoa powder into a bowl. Mix in the gold lustre, if you're using it, and roll the balls in this powder until they are fully coated.

Eat and enjoy!