For all those people who scoff at Valentine’s Day, look away now. These truffles are unashamedly pink and cute and all the things that frankly I am not. I’ve never been a pink girl. I even had a conversation once about where one might buy black clothing for baby girls. It is perhaps a blessing that I am the mother of boys. There is one less goth baby in the world as a result.
But hey, it’s Valentine’s Day so let’s kitsch it up. And let’s get really sticky. And let’s drink the rest of the bottle of Baileys on ice with the person we love most, be that husband, wife, lover, mother, father, brother, sister or best friend. Maybe not the dog. I think the RSPCA would have something to say about that and quite rightly so. I do think Valentine’s affection should be extended beyond romantic love though. And as this makes about a million truffles then you may need to extend the love pretty far to people you only mildly like. Feel free to scale the recipe down if you only like your husband or best friend, or even just yourself.
Makes: About 25 truffles but it all depends on size. Mine were about a tablespoon’s amount.
Adapted from this recipe which was taken from this marvellous book which I urge you all to buy as a gift for Valentine’s Day.
Ingredients:
150mls Baileys
310g sultanas
300g dark chocolate (please don’t substitute this for milk as it really affects the sweetness and we already have condensed milk in these little beauties)
50g milk chocolate
397g sweetened condensed milk
75g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
155g rich tea biscuits, crushed into pieces about 1cm across
100g mini marshmallows
Sprinkles and glittery stuff to roll the truffles in
Firstly measure out 100mls of the Baileys and pop in a saucepan with the sultanas. Heat on the hob until the booze is absorbed by the dried fruit. Remove from the heat and pop to the side for later. Heat the rest of the Baileys, both lots of chocolate, the condensed milk, butter and syrup in a saucepan on the hob until completely molten and smooth. Add the sultanas, biscuits and marshmallows and stir until all covered. Pop onto a lined tray and leave in the fridge until set – takes a few hours so maybe leave overnight.
When it’s set, and remember that this never sets like a normal fridge cake as it has a whopping 150mls of Baileys in it, you need to get ready for the sticky rolling factory line up. Have one plate with loads of sprinkles on and another larger one covered in greaseproof paper that will fit in your fridge to keep the truffles cool and firm and truffle like. Take about a tablespoons worth of fridge cake, roll into a ball in your palms and then roll in sprinkles. Lastly place on the greaseproof paper covered plate.
That’s it. Now enjoy. I also completely forgot to tell you that my husband bought me the best Valentine’s Day pressie ever the first year we met. A huge bottle of Malibu, full fat coke and loads of unpasteurised cheese from a little place in Wales. Unfortunately I was pregnant already. Still, he won huge brownie points for originality. Not a heart shaped chocolate in sight.
Holly Bell 