Tea Party: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Weakness, thy name is cookie dough.

Chocolate chip cookie dough, actually.

Chocolate chip cookie dough truffle enrobed in melted chocolate and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips, really.

I wonder how they fit that on the birth certificate?

Not that I would mind if there were, but there's no raw egg in this cookie dough, either.

To think, I put off making these for a year and a half because I didn't want to buy miniature chocolate chips!

I've got a stockpile of mini chocolate chips now, though. Believe you me.

Tea party, birthday party, baby shower, because it's Friday, or to celebrate the UK's National Hug Your Boss Day, go ahead and make these.

They're really that good.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
2¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1½ lb. semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, coarsely chopped
Mini chocolate chips (for garnish)

Directions:
Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up enough to form balls.

Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into 1-1½ inch balls.  Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Cover loosely, transfer the pan to the freezer and chill for 1-2 hours.

When ready to dip the truffles, melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Dip each chilled truffle, one at a time, coating in chocolate and shaking gently to remove the excess.  (If at any point during dipping, the cookie dough balls become too soft, return to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.)  Transfer to a wax-paper lined surface.  If using mini chocolate chips for garnish, sprinkle on top quickly after dipping each truffle before the chocolate sets.  Once all the truffles have been dipped, store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Recipe from Annie's Eats
 
Recipe Note: I halved the recipe (not reflected in the recipe above) and still had over 2 dozen truffles. The original recipe would be perfect for a party, but I'd halve it otherwise.

Tea Party: Orange Cream Chocolate Truffle Patties

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, these little treats were my favorite at our recent tea party.

I also only happened to make 7 of them, so they were all the more desirable for their scarcity.

They were also semi-disastrous. They wouldn't set up and came out as patties instead of nice round truffles, so I almost threw the whole thing away.

But I'm SO glad I didn't. Really glad. Really really glad. Because there's something irresistible, to me, about the chocolate and orange combination. I really enjoy it in general, and these?

Smooth.

Velvety.

Bliss.

Orange Cream Chocolate Truffle Patties
Printable recipe

For the filling:
1 cup of good quality white chocolate very finely chopped (or white chocolate chips if you want patties)
Zest of 1 orange (reserve a little for garnishing)
5 tbsp. heavy cream

For the coating: 
1 cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I did actually use a good quality chocolate baking bar instead of chips here)
3 tsp. oil (optional -- to make the chocolate coating smoother)

Heat the cream to a simmer (in the microwave or on the stove). Pour heated cream over chopped white chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes. Add in zest and stir until white chocolate is smooth and melted (if there's just not enough heat, microwave in 10-15 second intervals until it melts). Cover and refrigerate until the filling is firm and scoopable, 2-3 hours (I let it go overnight).

Using a small scoop or measuring spoon, scoop a small amount of the filling mixture and, working quickly, roll into a smooth ball (if it will let you), about ¾-1 inch in diameter. If it won't let you roll it into a ball, you'll have truffle patties but they still taste amazing. Don't sweat it. Transfer the shaped balls/patties to a flat plate or baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Chill for 30 minutes.

 To coat the truffles, melt the bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water (this really does make it smoother and helps it stay smoother longer, but you can microwave for 20 second intervals until smooth, as well).  Mix in the oil, if using.  (You may want to transfer the melted chocolate to a small, deep bowl for easier dipping.)  Using a fork, quickly dip a filling ball into the chocolate and remove, gently shaking off the excess.  Return the filling ball to the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining balls until all are coated.  While chocolate is still wet, garnish with a little more orange zest (I used lemon zest because my orange was already stripped bare, and they still tasted amazing). Chill to set the coating, at least 30 minutes.

Tea Party: Easy Oreo Truffles

I've posted Oreo truffles before, but they were of the mint variety. I know they've been popular around the blogosphere and the magazine world (magasphere?), and you've probably even made them before, but I post them again because they're just SO good, and SO easy!

They're also a nice little bite-sized treat for a tea party.

I made the filling one day, and rolled and dipped them the next.

Actually they can stay in your fridge (after dipping) for weeks, but good luck making them last that long.

Go ahead, girls... whip out a batch of these tonight!

You know they're calling your name.

3 ingredients, why not?

Easy Oreo Truffles
Printable Version

1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (yeah, I didn't actually use Oreos, I used Famous Amos I think)
1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
white chocolate bark (or 1/2 a bag or so of white chocolate chips + 2 tsp. oil)

1. Crush cookies (filling and all) in food processor, blender or in a ziplock using a rolling pin
2. Stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together.
3. Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.
4. Melt chocolate as directed on the package (if using white chocolate chips and oil, don't add the oil until after the chocolate is melted) and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.
5. Garnish with cookie crumbs.
6. Once dry (if they get to that stage before you polish 'em all off), refrigerate and enjoy!
Makes about 36 truffles.

Tea Party: Cherry Almond Orange Scones

The cherries that went into these little babies were so ripe they looked like black olives.

But no... they were just super-ripe super-sugary cherries.

Almond extract and orange zest rounded out the flavor balance. I really like these and will make them again.

And whether for a tea or for breakfast, I would highly encourage you to do the same!

Cherry Almond Orange Scones
Printable Recipe

1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour (unbleached is nice)
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter
1 egg
1/4 cup cream
2 cups cherries (approximately -- I didn't measure)
orange (zest from a large orance, and/or 1 tsp. orange oil/extract... I used the zest, 'cause it's what I had)
1 tsp. almond extract (and/or ½ cup almond slivers)

Preheat oven to 370°F.

In a small bowl, mix sour cream and baking soda.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Cut in butter (I literally cut the butter by putting it onto a cutting board and chopping it... but you can use a pastry blender, a fork, a food processor, a penny whistle, or any method you normally use to cut in butter).

Add sour cream mixture, 1 egg, and 1/4 cup of cream almond (extract and/or slivers) and orange (zest, or extract) to the dry ingredients.

Mix with a wooden spoon just to combine. Add in cherries and knead lightly (in the bowl) just until it forms a cohesive mass with well-dispersed cherries. (Note: it won't be pretty, it's a very shaggy dough, but that's what makes them nice and crumbly. DON'T OVERKNEAD, the less you handle the dough the better the end result).

Choose your adventure:

A) Divide the dough into two portions and make each into round discs. Freeze 1 disc to use later and cut the remaining one into 8 pieces (like you would cut a pizza or a pie). Put on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 20-25 minutes.

B) Form the dough into a large round disc. Cut it into 8 pieces (like you would a pizza or a pie), put the mondo scones onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for 27-35 minutes, or until golden brown and the middles look cooked.

Tea Party: Egg Salad Sandwiches

Next week in the Tea Party series we'll cover sweet treats, but today we finish up the miniature sandwiches.

Mix together chopped hard boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, a little garlic powder, fresh (or dried) dill, chopped dill pickle, minced celery and you've got one of my favorites smiling back up at you.

If your hard boiled egg has a grey ring around the yolk, you've cooked it far too long. It tastes fine, of course, but if you're hosting a tea you don't want anything as indelicate as grey egg yolks!

For perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs, bring a pot of water with 1 Tbsp. vinegar to a boil. Gently place eggs (room temperature eggs are best, as they won't crack open from temperature shock) in the boiling water, cover the pot with a lid, remove from heat, and set a timer to 15 minutes. You'll have the happiest hard boiled egg you've ever cooked.

It makes a tasty Friday lunch, as well.

Tea Party: Smoked Salmon Caper Sandwiches

Today's tea party recipe is, perhaps, a little unorthodox. I mean, smoked fish with Earl Gray? But the point is, it's delicious, and when served as a tiny tidbit, is elegant and dainty as well.

I don't think I'd serve this to children (because, after all, kids can't appreciate the greatness of smoked salmon... more for MEEEE), but if you're having ladies over it's a lovely addition to the sandwich platter.

Grapes are a classic pairing.

Served on sourdough, pumpernickel, or rye, this little sandwich has layers of flavor and character.

Salty briny capers, smoky peppery salmon, garlicky creamy Boursin (or Rondelle or garden herb cream cheese) cheese...

Forget the tea, I'm making these for lunch!

Tea Party: Cucumber Sandwiches

Hello ladies. Welcome to the tea party!

I don't know about you, but when I hear "tea party," the first thing I think about (even before tea) is cucumber sandwiches.

They're little. They're dainty. They're light. They're lovely.

A few notes:

• cucumber sandwiches are supposed to be bread, butter, cucumbers, and maybe a little salt
• cucumber sandwiches with the above ingredients taste bland but are perfect for tea
• as much as I love being traditional, I have a hard time making bland
• Ergo, my version isn't traditional
• and I don't care

Now that that's settled, let's proceed.

Very simple. Bread, cucumbers, salt, sprouts (I used clover and radish), cream cheese.

Assemble, with a tomato rose, and voila...

... a dainty and elegant presentation.

You could, of course, use much more thinly sliced bread. And of course you could use flavored cream cheese (garden variety, anyone?). As it was, these were airy little clouds of crispy goodness. Not a flavor-filled punch packer, but a dainty accompaniment to tea.

Perfect.