Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces

- 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream

- 2 tablespoons butter

- 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (or substitute for another alcohol you might prefer)

Different coating options; cocoa powder, icing sugar, chopped nuts, toasted coconut, shaved chocolate

Directions:

1 - Place the broken pieces of chocolate in a stainless steal bowl and set aside

2 - Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, bringing to a boil

3 - Immediately pour the boiling cream and butter mixture over the chocolate and let stand 5 minutes

4 - Add liqueur and whisk until smooth

5 - Cover and place in the fridge until the mixture is firm (possibly overnight)

6 - Place your chosen topping(s) on a plate, line a tray/baking sheet with parchment paper and remove the truffle mixture from the fridge

7 - Either with your hands or with a melon baller form the truffle mixture into bite-sized balls

8 - Immediately roll the balls in your topping and place them on your prepared tray

9 - Cover and replace in fridge until firm again

*Truffles can be left in the fridge for a couple of weeks or frozen for a couple of months. Bring them to room temperature before serving.

Candy Sticks

Here's a fun way to add a little pazazz to your candy sticks. It's a nice compliment to any tasty treat gift you give away this year too!

Ingredients/Tools:

- Candy sticks; colour/flavour of your choice

- Nonpareils or small candies (found at any Bulk Barn)

- White chocolate

- Water

- Small pot

- Heat safe bowl (that is bigger than your pot)

- Soup bowl

- Cookie sheet or tray

- Waxed paper

Directions:

1 - Melt the white chocolate using a bain-marie (place the water in the heat safe bowl, put a good inch or 2 of water in your pot, place the bowl with the chocolate over the pot, heat the chocolate slowly until melted)

2 - In the meantime, cover your cookie sheet with some waxed paper

3 - Once the chocolate has melted dip one end of one candy stick in and then gently shake off the excess

4 - Immediately sprinkle the dipped candy stick with your nonpareils (hold the candy stick over the soup bowl while dipping so you don't end up with nonpareils all over your kitchen)

*To package them, consider placing 5 sticks in a clear bag. Fold over the open end of the bag and secure it with tape. Attach a tag with colours that compliment the candy sticks. Or pruchase some tall tins at a craft store and wrap some ribbon around them for decoration.