Maple Bacon Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate truffles stuffed with maple cream and topped with candied bacon… what more can you ask for?

Yesterday’s Lemon Ginger Scones were all about me and the kind of baked good that might make me swoon. These Maple Bacon Truffles were created with Shawn in mind. That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy them too – they’re pretty awesome – but the look on his face when I set down a platter of truffles and a glass of whiskey? Priceless.

I’ve been looking for an excuse to make chocolate truffles ever since the chocolate making class I took last fall, so when Jones Dairy Farm suggested that I might try using bacon in a Valentine’s dessert, it didn’t take me long at all to figure out what I wanted to make. Of course I wasted the better part of a week trying to perfect a chocolate and banana ganache before switching gears and deciding to go with a maple filling instead. The ganache tasted amazing, but I was having some pretty serious textural issues with it. It’s all for the best tough because oh boy… this maple filling is dangerous! It’s basically a cross between maple sugar candy and maple fudge. It’s crazy sweet and super maple-y and it pairs really, really well with the smokey, salty bacon.

(Nutritionally, these are just about on par with commercial truffles, butI’m not even going to pretend for a second that they’re healthy. They’re delicious little balls of sugar and fat and are definitely a once a year treat that are best shared. I’ll get back to healthy recipes next week – promise!)

Maple Bacon Truffles

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

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Ingredients

For the candied bacon:

• 4 ounces Jones Dairy Farm® applewood smoked bacon
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the truffles:

• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1/2 cup chocolate candy melts

Instructions

For the candied bacon:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Cut the bacon into 1/4-inch squares. Cook until very crisp; drain on paper towels. Add the brown sugar to a clean, dry pan set over high heat. Keep a close eye on the sugar, as soon as it starts to melt, stir it constantly. As soon as all of the sugar has melted, stir in the bacon. Spread in a thin layer on the parchment and let harden. Crumble.

For the truffles:

1. Add the condensed milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter to a saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and cook until it resembles a thick caramel sauce, about 7 minutes. Test for doneness by dropping a small amount of the maple cream into a glass of cold water – it should solidify into a soft, pliable ball. Chill thoroughly, until the fudge solidifies/hardens.
2. Melt the candy melts according to the directions on the package. Working quickly, roll teaspoons full of maple fudge into balls, then use a fork to dip it into the candy melt. Let the excess chocolate drip off. Top with crumbled candied bacon.

Nutrition Information

Amount Per Serving Calories 178Total Fat 7.7gProtein 5.7g