Coconut, Chocolate and Rum Truffles (Bounty Truffles)
As soon as I think about the approaching Christmas, I feel like making truffles. I am always planning to offer them as edible presents and… finally end up eating most of them on my own (although I did manage to offer some Prunes in Chocolate last year!). Last week I was looking for something new and browsing through cooking blogs I finally found on this wonderful blog the inspiration I was looking for: Bounty truffles. Unable to stick to almost any sweet recipe, I have modified this one too, mainly replacing butter and sugar with white chocolate, switching to dark chocolate and using real rum.
After all these changes I found the result surprisingly successful (even though my truffles are far from looking as neat and perfect as the original). If you share my passion for coconut and dark chocolate, you will certainly love them. The rum adds a certain lightness, freshness and elegance you shouldn’t refuse these otherwise homely, rich sweet treats. Therefore I want to emphasize that unless you hate rum or cannot consume alcohol (I don’t talk about those who get drunk easily because 2 tablespoons alcohol in 20 truffles wouldn’t affect even the weakest head), do not skip it!
If you are not fond of the above mixture of flavours, you might like some of these:
Matcha, White Chocolate and Oat Truffles
Matcha and White Chocolate Truffles
TIPS: Melting dark chocolate here might prove difficult for those who have never made it. There are several methods: microwaving, melting in a hot water bath and simple melting in a pan over very low heat. My favourite is the latter. I break the chocolate into pieces, in a small pan, on very low heat, constantly stirring. The important thing is not to let the chocolate boil. Take the pan off the heat before the chocolate melts completely (I usually wait until 90% of chocolate melts) and keep on stirring. It will melt in the already warm melted remaining chocolate and this way you will avoid bringing chocolate to a boiling point, which makes it impossible to use. I usually melt butter this way together with chocolate.
The above method doesn’t work for everyone though (it’s easy to boil the chocolate and spoil it), so you might want to try the safer method recently mentioned here by A_Boleyn: put the broken chocolate into a metal bowl. Place it over a pan of boiling water. Turn off the heat and stir the chocolate vigorously until it melts.
Melting in a microwave consists of doing it in several short stages, but the details depend on the chocolate amount and the microwave you use (Eva does it in several 15-second stages).
(White chocolate is melted here together with cream, see below).
If you want to sprinkle the truffles with coconut, moist them slightly with water and the sprinkled coconut will stick.
Preparation: 20 minutes + 2-3 hours
Ingredients (yields about 20 truffles):
100 ml/about 3,5 oz cream (at least 18 % fat)
100 g/about 3,5 oz white chocolate
2 cups/500 ml desiccated coconut
100 g/about 3,5 oz dark or milk chocolate (whichever you use, choose a good quality product; it will make a huge difference)
2 tablespoons rum
Pour the cream to a small pan.
Break the white chocolate into pieces and throw into the cream.
Heat the mixture of cream and chocolate on very low heat, constantly stirring until the chocolate is dissolved. (Do not overcook!)
Put aside.
Add the rum, the coconut and mix well.
Put into the fridge for 30 minutes until the mixture becomes very cold and easier to handle.
Form truffles, rolling them delicately on the inside of your palms.
Put them back into the fridge, placing them on baking paper (so that they don’t stick).
After 1 hour take the truffles out of the fridge.
Melt the dark or milk chocolate (see TIPS above).
Dip each coconut truffle in a bowl with melted chocolate and put back on the baking paper.
Refrigerate for at least one hour.
I love Moje Wypieki! Haven’t made Dorota’s version of the bounty truffles but from my own trials I like the homemade version much better! Addition of rum makes them that much more festive – yum!
Thanks a lot, Martyna. Frankly speaking I have hardly followed her recipe this time (although I am sure her truffles are fantastic: I like her blog a lot too) because I absolutely wanted to include white chocolate.
Sissi, I love the coconut and chocolate bar you’ve recreated with your truffles. Rum is good too. Thank you for the opportunity to indulge at least visually. 🙂
Thank you so much, A_Boleyn. I wish we could exchange a part of our sweet chocolate treats… Your caramels look divine.
OH…, YES PLEASE!! and make it a triple order!! :). Sissi, I love your chocolate confections – last Christmas I think I made three rounds of your prunes dipped in chocolate – my husband adored them and none of us could believe how prunes could be reinvented in such a delicious format! (yet *so* simple). Love. I use the exact same method as you for melting chocolate – I have never had the time nor inclination to do the double boiler system or other. If you watch over the chocolate and keep it nice and low, it’s all good! Your picture is so appetizing Sissi… that dish is gorgeous too – love the blue tones… can’t wait to try this one! (we both have chocolate on the mind today ;-)).
Kelly, I would be delighted to prepare even a quintuple amount for you! I am thrilled to learn you enjoy the simple prunes in chocolate so much (I have actually made some tonight!). I am also glad to discover I am not the only one who prefers pan method to melt chocolate and finds it easiest. Thank you so much for the compliments. I have made lots of photos, but since it has been snowing during the days I still had these truffles and there was almost no light, it was difficult to obtain something presentable.
Your truffles are gorgeous! I am thinking about making them as Christmas gifts for my neighbors and friends! Still remember the first year we moved into this house, I decided it would be the neighborly thing to do to make some truffles, without knowing what truffles look like! It was a disaster and I never made them again, haha!
Thank you so much, Jeno. I am sure that if you offer chocolate truffles to your neighbours, they will love you forever. These are really very easy. I hope you will try them.
Perfect timing SIssi, and your truffles look absolutely perfect. I am going to make truffles this year too, but I have a very easy recipe using Sweetened Evaporated Milk. Love the other versions you posted too.
I’m going to try to flavour mine with some unusual flavours this time!
Thank you very much, Eva. Frankly speaking, I rarely use evaporated milk. I am looking forward to learn about your future experiments.
YAY TRUFFLE TIME! Really love the collection of exotic unusual flavours you have!
Thank you, Shu Han.
I love bounty, will surely attempt this.
Some foods do have a very short life, you can’t keep them for long. I just learnt that apparently truffles is one of them:)
“even though my truffles are far from looking as neat and perfect as the original”
Really, are we looking at the same photo?
If I plan ahead I melt chocolate by putting it in a bowl and leaving in the oven thats been heated to around 50 degrees and turned off. Takes longer but no risk of boiling and you don’t have to do anything
MR. Three-Cookies, thank you so much for the compliments. (The truffles were not very smooth really… I still don’t know how to dip them in chocolate and leave everything smooth apart from the bottom).
Your chocolate melting method sounds sensational! You should patent it. I have just had an idea: maybe it’s possible on a radiator??? It would cost no energy!
I would have forgotten: these truffles keep in the fridge for a week (tightly covered and in the coldest part). (I haven’t tested more… I already don’t know how I have managed to keep them a week).
I melt chocolate and butter the same way 🙂
We all prefer the lazy way then 😉
I know I’m going to love these truffles. Mounds used to be one of my favorite candy bars growing up.
Thank you, Karen.
Sissi, what a treats you have created! Clever idea, and perfect timing too. 🙂
Thank you so much, Marina.
I love all of your truffles, but I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of coconut and chocolate. It’s weird because I love coconut and I love chocolate, but I don’t like them together. It does look pretty! What I do love are those matcha and white chocolate truffle. I’m hoping to make them this holiday season. Thank you for all of your wonderful truffle recipes!
Thanks a lot, MJ. I am sure they would be fantastic just rolled in coconut without any dark chocolate or you could dust them with matcha too!
oh, your truffles look very presentable, perfect to giveaway..
Thank you, Sonia.
Wow Sissi! Your truffles look amazing! Just beautiful!
Thank you very much, Tessa.
Aah, I remember well your truffles from last year Sissi! I vowed to make some this year, but actually I’m trying so hard to not break my dieting resolve – even though it’s Christmas. That means I don’t want to fill the house with too much irresistible stuff because I’m coming down 1kg per week right now and I’d be so sad if I screwed it all up!
These ones looks fantastic though – I love coconut (and Bounty… mmm). Also – no problem for melting chocolate for me now… my parents bought me a one-piece bain-marie for my Birthday! It’s a pan with a slot on the side… you fill the gap with water and it will heat the pan which is fixed above… no difficult cleaning or different parts to take apart!
Congratulations, Charles! I’m sorry to tempt you with chocolate treats.(On the other hand, if you really need to have something sweet, some truffles, such as prunes in chocolate or oat truffles are certainly a better option than gingerbread or similar cakes… You eat smaller portions, they are very filling and actually not as unhealthy as typical floury cakes.) I cross my fingers for your diet! Do not give up even for Christmas!
Oh I wish I lived next door to you at Christmas. These look so melt in your mouth good.
Thank you, Maureen.
I don’t know Sissi, but those truffles look pretty perfect to me. 😉 Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Thanks a lot, Jed. They are far from perfect visually, but the taste is perfect.
Been missing you, hope you’ve been well! These look beautiful! So beautiful for me, I don’t know which to have!
Thank you, Squishy Monster.
Oh Sissi is that time of year again? Christmas baking is on the hold for me until the last birthday of the year, only after the 14th can I focus on baking dainties. Your array of truffles is amazing, nice to look back to the familiar goodies you have made over time. Hubby and I always pick up a Bounty Bar when we are on the road; there are two bars in every package. If I made these truffles, would we want to jump in the car and go someplace?
Thank you so much, Zsuzsa. I hope your trip would be even more pleasant with home-made truffles. (Contrary to truffles filled with only chocolate ganache, these keep quite well at room temperature).
Sissi, your truffles look absolutely gorgeous. I’m a fan of dark chocolate and coconut and would absolutely love to bite into one of those truffles right now. Did any of these ones end up as gifts?
I don’t know about you, but I’m finding it hard to fit in time for blogging when the to do lists are bursting at the seams! Sorry I’m so behind in my commenting. Hopefully I’ll get caught up soon!
Thank you very much, Barb. Unfortunately they never left the house 😉
As you see I am also a bit lazy with blogging recently… The hunt for Christmas presents, the winter cold which makes me sleepy and slow…
Oh Sissi, you have such a collection of truffles…I would love to try them all.
It would make a nice gift to give this holiday…
Have a great week!
Thank you, Juliana. Have a great week too.
You are expert in truffles Sissi!! I especially love abundant coconut in the chocolate! Everyone seems so busy with making holiday treats… So far I just made one kind of cookies this holiday..and I think that’s it. Haha. So busy everyday that I don’t have time to cook! >_< Hope you are enjoying this holiday season, Sissi!
Nami, you are so kind, but I’m too clumsy to be expert in truffles! I simply like truffles a lot. I don’t enjoy holiday season at all… maybe when I finally get my Christmas presents and eat some good food… Now I’m too nervous to enjoy it…
My husband is a big fan of coconut and I am sure he would love these little treats. I on the other hand I would go with the prunes and chocolate which are my favorites!
It’s so funny: even though I like coconut a lot, I’d also always choose prunes in chocolate (I love the tangy side!) and my husband would always prefer coconut.