Chocolate Truffles and a Big Valentine's Day Giveaway

Who needs chocolates in a heart-shaped box when you can make your own (without milk, gluten, or nuts) at home?  I've never been a fan of those chocolates in the heart boxes anyway. I admit, I like my chocolate dark and plain.

Today I am sharing my favorite chocolate truffle recipe... AND... I have teamed up with some fabulous gluten-free bloggers to bring you an awesome giveaway.

Allergy-friendly Chocolate Truffles

¼ cup So Delicious coconut creamer
1 ½ tablespoons Earth Balance Vegan Shortening (or another shortening)
1 cup allergen-free chocolate chips
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup cocoa (I prefer natural unsweetened) and/or candy sprinkles

The coconut creamer is the perfect replacement for traditional cream in these truffles because it contains thickeners. Use your favorite allergen-free chocolate chips with this recipe. Pascha, Enjoy Life, and Divvies chocolate chips all work beautifully, and any size chocolate chip will work.

Let's get started making truffles, shall we?

Melt the coconut creamer and shortening together over medium heat. Slowly bring it to a boil. When boiling, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chocolate chips and vanilla (if desired). Mix vigorously until you have a creamy ganache:

Refrigerate for an hour. Before refrigerating, I transferred the ganache to a mixing bowl to prepare for the next step -- soften the ganache with a mixer (use the paddle blade for about 30 seconds). It should look like this:

Scoop out truffle-sized balls of chocolate using a small spoon, and place them on a lined cookie sheet. Don't worry about how they look at this point.

Use your hands to gently roll the chocolate into smooth balls. (This works best with gentle pressure and cool hands.) Place them back on the cookie sheet. If you want Classic Chocolate Truffles, place the cocoa in a shallow bowl and gently roll each truffle into the chocolate until just coated:

Or, to make the wonderful Valentine's Chocolate Truffles you see below, roll the truffles in the candy sprinkles to coat them on all sides.

Refrigerate the truffles for an hour before sharing them with someone you love! 

Now for the BIG giveaway.

More than a dozen bloggers have teamed up to bring you Sweets for Your Sweeties and a fabulous giveaway, a KitchenAid Stand Mixer (in choice of color) and the accessory stainless steel bowl. (I love having two bowls for my stand mixer!) The contest is open to U.S. residents only,18 and older and ends Wednesday, 2/10 at 11:59 pm Mountain Time. To enter, please leave a comment here, and then maximize your chances to win with all of the entry methods allowed:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


And, be sure to visit all of the participating blogs and check out the goodies:

• Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies from Sarah Bakes Gluten free
• Gluten Free Raspberry Chocolate Truffle Brownie Bombs from Flippin' Delicious
• Royalty Cookies from Gluten-Free Palate
• Gluten-Free Dye-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes from gfJules
• Chocolate Love Cakes from My Gluten-free Kitchen
• Gluten-Free Sweet Tortilla Pizza from Allergy Free Alaska
• Cookies and Cream Truffles from Vegetarian Mamma
• Chocolate Truffles from Learning to Eat Allergy Free
• Double Chocolate Cookie Cups from Making it Milk Free
• Smoothie Bowl from My Plant-Based Family
• Gluten Free Cookie Dough Brownie Cake (Vegan) from Petite Allergy Treats
• Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites from Iowa Girl Eats
• Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Pizza from Faithfully Gluten Free
• Ooey Gooey Red Velvet Cookies from Gluten Free Frenzy
• The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie from Only Taste Matters

Happy Valentine's Day!!