Black Pepper Chocolate Truffles + Microwave Tempering (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free)

Have you ever added black pepper to fudgy dark chocolate truffles? Maybe you should. Black pepper adds many nutritional benefits.

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Black Pepper Chocolate Truffles + Microwave Tempering (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free)
I love shortcuts.

Haha, if you have been following any of my other recipes, you know this by now. Perhaps you like short-cuts too and that’s why you follow me?

Here I decided I wanted shiny snappy chocolate to coat my treats like truffles and bars, but was tired of using the complicated and lengthy and sometimes-not-so-successful tempering process.

I tried to “shortcut” it here, but the cut wasn’t very short and still involved equipment and work and time – all of which I did not want to put into my chocolate coating texture.

And this older truffle recipe of mine LOOKS tempered, but it’s not, haha, it was just wet when I shot it.

And some people say to add wax to chocolate as a shortcut-tempering method, but I don’t want to eat wax, do you?

Microwaving is Best Chocolate Tempering Shortcut

Sooooo, I came up with a quick microwave method that actually works if you pay attention to the steps.

I mean, it might vary with the temperature of your microwave and home environment, but it doesn’t take much work so, the next time you make a truffle recipe or a bliss ball recipe or a chocolate bar recipe or even THIS recipe, I encourage you to give it a try!

Plus this truffle, with the addition of black pepper, is hauntingly snappy and delicious.

To temper successfully, all you really need is a good quality dark chocolate: with at least 70% cacao although 85% works best, and with no emulsifiers in the ingredients, and – very important – with cocoa butter as an ingredient.

The bar I found recently that is very accessible and works perfectly is this one, but you can also try your own favorite dark chocolate as long as it is considered high quality and follows those rules.

Incidentally, I found this awesome breakdown of fine chocolates article you might like to read.
And also regarding this recipe, yes! I used white beans again. I’m getting good at finding ways to sneak this high-protein source in, aren’t I?

I was going to keep this recipe and the short-cut tempering method for my upcoming book (due out in 2019), but I was too excited about it and felt a blog post would allow for more conversation and questions.

I do hope you try it!

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Black Pepper Chocolate Truffles + Microwave Tempering (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free)

Have you ever added black pepper to fudgy dark chocolate truffles? Maybe you should. This recipe makes 12 truffles

Course Dessert

Cuisine vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free

Keyword black pepper, chocolate truffles, healthy

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 12

Author Dee Dine

Ingredients

Truffles

• 1/2 cup white beans (I use organic, BPA-free navy beans from Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup cashew butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Veerrry Optional Ingredients - JUST for flavor

• 1 tbsp cold coffee (because adding coffee to chocolate always enhances the chocolate flavor)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (because I love cinnamon, haha)

Coating

• 1 (3.5 oz) dark chocolate bar (I also love quality chocolate by HU, Valrhona, Pascha, and Eating Evolved)

Useful Equipment

• 2-cup pyrex measuring cup
• Small rubber spatula
• Candy Thermometer (optional) (I used this brand )

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Truffles

1. Mix the mixture in a single bowl, roll balls into 1-inch span size and put on a row on parchment, and refrigerate.

Make the Coating Using Short-cut Tempering

1. (Only when you are full prepared to dip as soon as it is tempered!)
2. Hand-break-up the chocolate bar into small pieces
3. Put 2/3 of the bar into a pyrex measuring up and microwave for 60 seconds.
4. Remove from microwave, and stir with something rubber (not metal) until the remaining chunks of unmelted chocolate are mostly melted.
5. Add in the remaining 1/3 chocolate bar chunks. Keep stirring until those melt. At this point, your chocolate is above 100 degrees F and is tempering.
6. To finish the process, let the pyrex jar stand with occasional stirring for 8.5 minutes in a normal-temperatured home. If your home is warm, wait 9 minutes; if your home is cold, wait 8 minutes. Your goal is to get the chocolate to a temperature of 90 degree F but you don't need a thermometer unless you want to use one.
7. I found 90 degrees F is pretty identifiable by touching the chocolate with a finger tip and touching it to your lips - it feels only slightly warm.
8. At this point, the chocolate is ready for you to dip your truffles and FAST. The faster you dip, the shinier the chocolate will be when set.

Coat the Truffles

1. Once the melted chocolate is ready, remove truffle balls from refrigerate, have another parchment-lined tray ready, and dip each ball in the chocolate. Lower each ball on a fork into the chocolate; use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate all over the ball.
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top fast! Even black sesame seeds if you'd like to keep up the non-sweet theme.
   
3. Let sit until ready to serve at room temperature.