This is another recipe from Ana’s blog called Prstohvat soli. Like all her recipes, this one is adorable as well. I like baking and making things from her blog and I enjoy her beautiful photography.
With holiday season fast approaching, I steep into Christmas mood and start planning the menu. Mom is usually assigned to come up with savory dishes, whereas cakes and cookies are my field of interest. Lately, I have been testing some of the recipes I plan on using for Christmas and this is one of them. And it’s great. During Christmas time, I am all about cookies and truffles. These are a new addition to my truffle family. They contain chocolate (of course), cherries, roasted hazelnuts (oh, that lovely flavor), cocoa powder, a tiny bit of cherry liquer and home made marmalade. It all combines into a delicious mixture that you let cool and dip into melted chocolate. I used cherries drained from a cherry liquer we call visnjevac, so they are a bit “drunk” and I think they give these truffles a lovely flavor. You can also use pitted frozen cherries. Every time I work with chocolate I am reminded of Joanne Harris’ book Chocolat and the movie.
You can play with the recipe and use any other nuts, as well as some cinnamon that goes great with cherries. The base are cherries and chocolate. This type of recipe is very common in Croatia and Balcan area during Christmas holiday season! 
Check out the original recipe here.
PrintChocolate cherry truffles
- Total Time: 80 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 20 truffles 1x
Description
These Chocolate Cherry Truffles combine rich chocolate, roasted hazelnuts, and ‘drunken’ cherries for a decadent holiday treat.
Ingredients
- 7.5 oz (200 g) chocolate, grated
- 7.5 oz (200 g) roasted hazelnuts, finely ground
- 7.5 oz (200 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tbsp marmalade
- 2 tbsp cherry liqueur or rum
- Cherries (frozen, pitted, or drained from cherry liqueur)
- Additional chocolate for coating, melted
Instructions
- Grate the chocolate and combine it with the sifted powdered sugar, finely ground roasted hazelnuts, and sifted cocoa powder in a large bowl.
- Add the marmalade and cherry liqueur (or rum) to the mixture and stir until well combined.
- Fold in the cherries, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
- Chill the mixture in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.
- Once chilled, roll the mixture into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter.
- Melt additional chocolate in a double boiler or microwave until smooth.
- Dip each truffle into the melted chocolate, ensuring it is fully coated, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set.
- Allow the chocolate coating to harden at room temperature or refrigerate for faster setting.
- Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
You can substitute other nuts for hazelnuts or add cinnamon for extra flavor. Use pitted frozen cherries if you don’t have cherries soaked in liqueur. Store truffles in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. These truffles are a popular treat in Croatia and the Balkan region during the holiday season.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Croatian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 truffle
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 5
- Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 15
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 0
I want to make this, but I suppose this is an American recipe. What do you mean by ‘marmalade’? For me that is a bitter orange jam. Also, I presume that the ‘chocolate’ is dark.Also, are the frozen cherries to be defrosted, or what? At the start I thought this an absolutely delicious recipe, but now I am not so sure. Also I think fresh cherries would be far nicer, as frozen ones will give out a lot of water. I think a few explanations are necessary please.