Flavors of the Sun: truffles

Holiday Pecan Pie Truffles on a Moroccan Fossil Plate

Holiday Pecan Pie Truffles

by Victoria Challancin

After a rich, heavy holiday meal of turkey and trimmings, a bite-size sweet is sometimes just enough. Simple. Delicious. Pretty. Irresistible. These Holiday Pecan Pie Truffles come together in a snap. And who doesn't need more recipes for easy-to-make holiday treats in their repertoire? This is one of those recipes that really delivers at all levels--looks good, tastes good, and is easy to make. My only complaint is that the recipe doesn't make enough!

I knew I would like these when I first spied them on Oprah's website. But even after reading the recipe, I didn't fully comprehend just how easy they would be to prepare--so much easier than pecan pie. Made by layering chocolate ganache with a simple pecan filling, these truffles are simple, praise-worthy, and a perfect size for those times when you are just too full of holiday food to manage more.

The gooey pecan pie filling

Ready to chill

Cook's Notes: I made these recently in a class for Mexican cooks. I gave them the option of brandy, bourbon, or a liqueur. They chose Bailey's Irish Cream, which worked perfectly! According to the instructions, it is best to have everything measured and ready before you start cooking so none of the ingredients become too firm.

Recipe: Holiday Pecan Pie Truffles

(Recipe created by Cheryl Slocum for Oprah)

For the ganache:

1/4 pound bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

For the filling:

3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons bourbon, whiskey, or brandy

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

12 pecan halves

To make the ganache:

Line a 12-cup mini-muffin tin with mini baking cups; set aside. Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons cream to a boil in a small saucepan, and immediately pour over the chocolate. Let mixture sit for 1 minute before stirring with a whisk to melt chocolate and form a smooth ganache. Avoid stirring too vigorously. Fill each muffin cup with 2 teaspoons ganache, and tap the tin gently to allow chocolate to spread. Set remaining ganache aside in a warm place (on top of the stove) until ready to use. Chill tin in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

To make the filling:

Meanwhile, bring chopped pecans, corn syrup, sugar, butter, salt and 2 tablespoons cream to a boil in a medium pan over medium heat; boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in bourbon or whisky and vanilla. Let cool slightly before spooning 2 teaspoons of mixture into each muffin cup, followed by 1 teaspoon of remaining ganache. Garnish each with 1 pecan half. Chill in refrigerator until set (about 1 hour), then serve. Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.