White chocolate, Baileys & coconut truffles

These little winter beauties are probably the closest I'll come to a white Christmas this year... although freezing cold, there's no snow in sight which makes it really hard for me to get into the whole spirit. I don't know how they do it in the Southern Hemisphere actually, for me, those three Holy Days have always been intrinsically linked with snow.
After trying my luck at truffles for the first time for our fantastic Sugar High Friday recently, I had to roll a few more for my husband's team at work this week... so when I thought I had Christmas sorted and could finally put my feet up, I was instead rolling up my sleeves to make another sixty-odd truffle concoctions. And while I rolled them, I realised one more thing I had forgotten to do: buy a tree. In fact, I still haven't got one. Just hope that, as they used to tell us when we were little, the Christkind (our equivalent of Father Christmas) will bring one this year - or I'll have to decorate a yukka this time!
With the White chocolate, cardamom & sesame truffles I made for SHF having proven to be quite temperamental at times, I wanted to try a new recipe and found an old note scribbled onto a used paper napkin somewhere in my recipe folders. My mother-in-law had made some confectionary one year which doesn't really qualify as truffles, but I'll let it pass - and my (almost incomprehensible) hand-written notes from back then provided the inspiration for these pseudo-truffles.
So I combined mascarpone, white chocolate, a bit of Baileys and crushed sponge fingers (the latter making the centre, although utterly soft and creamy, very rollable - always a bonus) and covered them with dessicated coconut. I have yet to hear back from the team (believe it or not, I didn't try a single one), but this flavour combination really just cannot fail, can it...

White chocolate, Baileys & coconut truffles
(yields ca. 30)

100 g white chocolate
50 g butter (soft)
120 g mascarpone
10 sponge fingers (ours are 8 x 2 x 1cm)
4 tbsp Baileys liqueur
dessicated coconut for rolling

Melt the chocolate over steam until completely soft. Meanwhile, grind the sponge fingers finely.
Combine the chocolate with the other ingredients (save the coconut) and work into a smooth mixture.
Rest the the fridge for at least an hour, more if you have the time.
Form little balls, using about 1 tsp of the mixture every time, smoothing the surface through rolling them gently in the palms of your hands.
Roll in dessicated coconut until covered all over.

These truffles are best kept in the fridge and should be consumed within a week (the best-by date of the mascarpone you're using should be your guide).

Comments

[Brilynn]

How on earth did you resist eating 1 or 12 of these?

[elmake]

Your blog is fantastic. Interesting, well-written, and great photos.

My husband and I are going to Salzburg, for a three-day side trip during our visit w/ his family in Stuttgart.

Can't wait to try the local food of Salzburg... and it sounds like a trip to Obauer is not to be missed.

Have you any advice on where to stay? Being a woman, I like atmosphere. Though my husband would prefer not to spend the money. So, I'll pay for the hotel!

Thank you for creating such a beautiful blog.

[peabody]

Oh...these look good.

[Sandi @ the WhistleStop cafe]

I have just stumbled onto your blog. I just love your photos~ definitely passionate!

[foodiemama]

oh my, these sound so amazing! i wish i had some baileys to make them right now!

[Scott at Real Epicurean]

My wife just loves Baileys, and recently I came up with the idea of Baileys truffles.

You beat me to it, only with your usual style and finesse!