Makes 12-14 Truffles

Equipment

1. Blender
2. Heat proof bowl

Ingredients

Mint Dark Chocolate or Plain Dark Chocolate	100	grams
Almonds (whole or ground)	100	grams
Espresso	1	shot
Olive Oil	1	teaspoon
Cocoa Powder, cocoa nibs or icing sugar (or all three!)	40	grams

Method

1. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of hot water. Make sure no water gets into the chocolate else it will turn grainy.
2. Blend the almonds if not already ground.
3. Add the melted chocolate and blend to combine.
4. Add the espresso – this is technically optional but it does add a wonderful richness to dark chocolate.
5. Add the olive oil – this ensures that the truffles stay soft once cool. Blend or stir to combine.
6. Allow the mixture to cool a little so that you will be able to shape it into balls – say 30-60 mins.
7. Prepare your working area – you’ll want a teaspoon or two for getting the mixture out of the bowl, your coatings (cocoa powder, nibs or icing sugar) in wide shallow bowls to dip coat the chocolates and a plate with some grease-proof paper for the finished articles.
8. Taking a teaspoon-ish of mixture at a time, shape lightly into a ball in your hands. Work quickly and don’t worry too much about the exact shape – it’s all part of the rustic charm and you’ll be there for hours trying to make neat shapes while chocolate just sticks to more and more of your hands.
9. Pop the ball onto the coating of your choice and lightly turn on each side to coat, again, not an exact science. The coatings are key though as these truffles don’t go hard so the coating means they won’t stick together and you will be able to pick them up without immediately getting into a sticky mess.
10. Shake off any excess and pop on your plate before moving to the next one.
11. Keep for several days or even a week in an airtight container. Enjoy with an espresso after dinner.