Peppermint Hot Cocoa Truffles

It's no secret that I'm slightly caffeine dependent  And my slightly, I mean if you try to take away my coffee or diet coke, I will turn into a caffeine-deprived Sarah-zombie.

OK- I probably won't turn into an actually zombie. I am, however, very likely to glare at you really passive-aggressively and then fall asleep.

But like everything else- too much of a good thing isn't necessarily the best for you. Which is why no matter how much coffee I consume throughout the day, I have to cut myself off by mid-afternoon. Otherwise I'm up at 2am watching the "Chaz Dean for Wen" infomercial for the 32nd time. 

So what is a girl to do when it's a cold, rainy night and all she wants is a cup of joe to warm her up yet doesn't need to be told once again that she's been shampooing incorrectly her whole life? Unfortunately my options are kind of limited.  I refuse to drink decaf - I think it tastes different and I feel like I'm cheating on my full-leaded true love.  And I'm not really a fan of tea.  I know it's the trendy, anti-oxidant filled thing to do, but it just isn't my thing.

The answer to my woes? Hot cocoa.  But this isn't just any old package of mix powder. No my friends- this is a rich, velvety, minty hot chocolate bomb that slowly melts into a warm cup of awesome.

P.S. If you do use Wen, I'm sure it works wonders. I mean- Alyssa Milano uses it..... I'm just too cheap to spend $60 a month on shampoo.

Peppermint Hot Cocoa Truffles

adapted from this recipe

What You'll Need:
4 oz Quality Dark Chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp Sugar
3/4 tsp Peppermint Extract

(This recipe makes 6- 2T sized truffles and can be easily doubled or tripled to make great gifts)

What To Do:
1. Combine chocolate and cream in a heat-safe bowl and place bowl over a pot of simmering water, constantly stirring.  When the mix begins to melt, stir in sugar and extract and then continue to stir mixture until it's melted and completely smooth.

2.  Once melted, allow to cool for about 15 minutes at room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for an additional 2 hours.

3.  Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Once firm, use either an ice cream or cookie scoop to scoop mixture into 2-Tbsp sized balls (I used my large cookie scoop). Place on baking sheet and chill for another hour, until hard.

4.  Wrap each cocoa truffle in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use.

5.  To make cocoa, add two truffles to 8oz of milk and microwave for about 90 seconds.  Stir until melted and combined.  Top with whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate sauce, etc...

More idea: Replace peppermint with almond and serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon or instead of milk, drop truffle into a cup of hot coffee for a mocha :)

You can find this recipe at these link parties