Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

There are some great duos in the world. Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy. Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone. Pancakes & maple syrup. Apples & cinnamon. But nothing quite compares to peanut butter and chocolate. Sorry jelly. I know PB&J flavored sweets are all the rage these days, but I will always be Team Chocolate.
There was a food service size tub of peanut butter sitting on the shared food shelf in my house. It could have fed a small army of first graders. Every time I opened the kitchen cabinet it kept calling to me, begging for me to eat a tablespoon or two. After a few days and a few cups of peanut butter slowly devoured, I decided that it would be best for me to turn the peanut butter into something really rich that I couldn't eat too much of without regretting it. I settled on truffles. They are the quickest little treats, super indulgent, and look really nice in a box with a doily. Because sometimes you just have to share the perfection that is peanut butter and chocolate.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles
yield varies based on scoop size, approximately 2 dozen

8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped roughly if not using chips
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tbl PB2, highly optional

In a double broiler combine the chocolate, peanut butter, coconut milk, and salt. Melt until the mixture can be whisked completely smooth with no visible bits of solid chocolate remaining. Pour the ganache into a bowl and allow to chill for at least an hour until firm to the touch and scoopable. Using either a tablespoon or a disher, portion out small chunks of ganache. Allow to chill for ten minutes once scooped. Then quickly roll the chocolate into balls and roll the truffles in cocoa powder (If you have PB2 feel free to combine it with the cocoa to roll the truffles in). The truffles keep well chilled or at room temperature and are good for several days. Because of the intense peanut buttery-ness, the cocoa powder will absorb into the truffle after an hour or so. It is best to re-roll these in cocoa powder shortly before serving. I really like the rustic look the patchiness of the cocoa powder lent to them.


Because I had the PB2 laying around from a past Vegan Food Swap, I initially thought I would roll the truffles completely in the powdered peanut butter. But this was not as pretty or tasty as I had expected it to be. The powder because really sticky and it didn't add any extra peanut butter flavor. Since I had already poured it into the bowl I just added cocoa powder to it and proceeded to roll. It you want to avoid the mess or don't enjoy the bitterness of the cocoa powder, you could definitely dip these in melted chocolate. They would look beautiful with a sprinkle of sea salt on top of the chocolate. You could also roll the truffles in chopped peanuts to add a bit of texture, but since I had already done with the nutella truffles I made recently I decided to switch it up.
I used a sugary cheap peanut butter, but if you are using a natural spread you might want to lean towards a semi sweet chocolate. I also just had Earth Balance's new coconut peanut butter, and I feel like that would make for an amazing flavor in this recipe! If you haven't given it a chance yet and aren't opposed to coconut, then you'll probably be blown away by how terrific it is.
So if you haven't come up with anything for Valentine's Day to surprise your partner or best friend or mother with, these chocolate peanut butter truffles are my suggestion. They pair well with roses and/or a movie marathon on the couch in your pajamas. A girl can't ask for more.

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I'm warning you now that as summer approaches this blog might devolve from a baking blog into a blog devoted to frozen desserts. Maybe a few raw treats too, but I know I'm not going to want to turn on my oven. Baking in the summer heat is like going to bikram yoga without feeling better about your health after! I went to a few bikram yoga classes last summer and was not the biggest fan. But then again I think it's definitely one of those practices that many people hate while doing it, but love it after they have left. I just can't get over with overwhelming sweaty-ness. Yoga poses that I could do in my sleep become something completely challenging because there are ounces of salt water dripping into my eyes and causing my feet to slip across my mat. No thanks! I will stick to antigravity yoga. Still a bit of the shock factor, but I find it much more rewarding. Hanging upside down for a few minutes at a time stretches out my spine and limbs in ways that I crave.


Speaking of craving, I have been daydreaming about all sorts of ice cream and sorbet and popsicle flavor combinations. I'm feeling really inspired by The Vegan Scoop. I've made several recipes now, and all of them have exceeded my expectations. This peanut butter ice cream was no different. Chock full of peanut butter, it tasted just like the inside of a frozen Reese's cup. To keep up with the frozen Reese's cup taste, I sandwiched a scoop of ice cream between two chocolate chocolate chip cookies. It was a mess. I was far too impatient to wait for the ice cream to harden enough to cut it with a cookie cutter, so I just scooped a mostly frozen blob of ice cream on the cookies and devoured it. Be thankful that I spared you from the pictures. It was gluttonous and magical and sinfully sweet.
If you are a fan of nut or seed butters, then this recipe is something you should definitely try out. I'm sure it would be just as wonderful with almond butter or sunflower butter!
Are you a yoga fan? Or do you have another favorite type of exercise? My gym hours have been on a resurgence with all the recipe testing I have had to do for work lately. I do a one hour antigravity class once a week, and then mostly stick to the elliptical and a few weight machines the other days. I use to be a huge fan of zumba and spin, but our the classes at my gym are so packed that it's difficult to make it in. I've done a few kickboxing classes, but none are offered at my current gym. I'm interested in trying a few other things. Do you go to a gym or workout at home? Do you have a favorite workout video?