Today’s post is brought to you by my friend Carolyne. I’ve known Carolyne forever and she has baked some amazing things – including an amazing Tardis cake. I’m excited to see what she can make. And I’m especially excited about these Bailey’s Samoa Truffles – perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!
When one of your best friends since forever tells you they’re working on a project for their blog combining girl scout cookies and booze into desserts, and they need some help, here’s a pro tip: help them. Because those are the three best things on this planet.
I immediately called dibs on Samoas, aka Caramel Delights. All the other cookies are great, but Samoas are my jam. And so today, I bring you Bailey’s Samoa Truffles.
Yup, you read that right. And you might be thinking “oh man, truffles sound hard” but I’m here to tell you that truffles are actually surprisingly easy. Super messy, yes, but also easy.
A few tips: use a stand mixer if you have one, or a hand mixer on low, to mix the insides of the truffles. Don’t do it by hand, like I did, or you’ll end up with a very sore wrist in the morning.
Also, when you go to put the inside mix in the fridge, keep an eye on it. You want it to just begin to solidify, but still be malleable so you can roll it into balls. I left it in the fridge for too long, and had to essentially melt it again and start over. And rolling your truffle insides is going to be messy. You’re going to have chocolate all over your hands, and it’s going to be so worth it.
Lastly, a nice way to ramp up this recipe would be to use caramel flavored Irish cream instead of classic Bailey’s.
What you’re left with in the end is a delicious mouthful of rich, creamy chocolate with a hint of boozy cream and a little crunch from the samoa coating/filler. You can also pop them in the fridge in an airtight container and they’ll keep for that day you have a serious chocolate craving.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4oz semi sweet and 4oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped fine
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
- 3-4 tablespoons Bailey’s Irish Cream
- Finely chopped Samoa cookies (I used about 8 in total, but you can absolutely eyeball this)
- 8oz semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped fine
- More chopped/crushed Samoa cookies
Instructions
- Bring the cream to a boil over medium heat. Pour the hot cream over your combined 8 ounces of chocolate. Wait a few moments to allow the chocolate to soften, and then mix. Stir in the butter and Bailey’s and blend until smooth (you will want to do this quickly, while the cream is still warm, so a hand or stand mixer is recommended). Spread the ganache into a shallow glass pan and refrigerate until just beginning to solidify. This will likely take an hour or so, depending on the temperature of your fridge.
- Chop a few Samoa cookies into small pieces. Take your ganache mixture and form into 1in diameter balls around a few pieces of cookie. Roll in your hands until they’re spherical, and place on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm
- Temper your remaining 8oz of semi-sweet chocolate, by melting 2/3rds in the top pan of a double boiler until it reaches 110°-115°F. This will happen pretty quickly, so be prepared. Use hot, but not boiling water (Don’t have a double boiler? You can also use a metal bowl over a pot of water, which is what I did). Once the chocolate has melted and has reached the right temperature, remove from heat, and cool until it reaches 95°-100°F. Add remaining 1/3 of your chopped chocolate and mix until smooth.
- Remove your chocolate balls from the fridge, and roll or dip in your tempered chocolate to coat. Finally, place a few more pieces of chopped Samoa cookie on top, place back on the parchment and allow tempered chocolate to harden before serving.