Pecan Pie Eggnog Truffles

I have a confession to make: we have already decorated our tiny apartment with Christmas decor and we’ve been listening to Christmas music for the past two weeks. Which also means that my mind  has been filled with sugarplums and fairies and all sorts of holiday treats.

These Pecan Pie Eggnog Truffles are the first treats to come out of my kitchen. Smooth dark chocolate enrobe a buttery filling of roasted pecans and graham cracker crumbs, with subtle creaminess and spice provided by eggnog. The eggnog cements these truffles into the decadent holiday dessert category, and the bright red nonpareils add just a touch of whimsy.

As I mentioned last month (when I was already thinking about the holidays), I love celebrating the season with delicious Hood® Eggnog – whether straight from a cute glass, as the topping for an iced latte, or with my favorite recipes. For these Pecan Pie Eggnog Truffles, I used Hood Golden Eggnog – made with Hood’s secret recipe of extra creamy milks, sugared yolks, and spices. Hood Eggnog is back on shelves for the holiday season and can be found in dairy cases throughout the Northeast.

I wanted to make a festive and portable dessert that doesn’t require a lot of ingredients nor a complicated list of instructions. These truffles are easy to whip up and don’t even require any baking, because I only used a microwave to melt the butter and chocolate. What it does necessitate is a little time and patience. You’ll need to let the truffle filling chill for a couple of hours (or overnight) to let the flavors marry each other, and to let the balls firm up and not crumble when you dip them in chocolate. You’ll also need some self-restraint not to eat most of the filling after you’ve had a little taste for testing purposes. This is probably the hardest part in making these little chocolate balls.

I always get the warm and fuzzies during the holidays – starting right before Thanksgiving and extending through the New Year – especially when I get to spend some quality time with my loved ones. And this year, I’m extra excited to savor those special moments with my husband Matt <3

In fact, the inspiration for these truffle are some of Matt’s favorite ingredients: pecans, graham crackers, and eggnog. I added melted butter to help bind everything together, and to also intensify the smooth pecan flavor (is there another nut that tastes richer than buttery toasted pecans? I think not.) Brown sugar imparts a hint of caramel. Sweet and creamy Hood Eggnog adds more moisture and holiday flavor. And salt for the perfect amount of contrast. I debated between dark, milk, and white chocolate, and thought that the intense flavors of dark chocolate would make the truffles taste more luxurious.

The end result are little decadent bites that taste like a cross between chocolate pecan pie and butter pecan ice cream, downed with a glass of smooth eggnog.

Yield: 24 truffles

Pecan Pie Eggnog Truffles

Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup Hood Golden Eggnog
12 oz dark chocolate
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
Nonpareils or sprinkles (optional)

Directions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped pecans, graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and salt. Pour in melted butter and eggnog and mix well.
  2. Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, portion out balls on to a wax-paper or parchment-paper lined cookie sheet. You can also use a heaping tablespoon and roll out balls with your hands. (I used a cookie scoop and ended up with 24 truffles, about golf ball sized.) Transfer balls to an air-tight container and freeze for at least 2 hours to overnight.
  3. After the truffles have been chilled, prepare the chocolate. In a microwave-safe bowl, add chocolate (and olive oil, if using). Heat for one minute and stir, and continue heating in 30 second increments until melted and smooth. I ended up heating everything for a total of 2 minutes.
  4. Dip each truffle in the melted chocolate and transfer back to the wax paper. Immediately after dipping each truffle, top with nopareils or sprinkles.
  5.  Chill in fridge or freezer until chocolate hardens, and keep chilled until ready to serve.

The olive oil thins out the chocolate a little, and give it a glossy finish. You can also use coconut oil but the chocolate will harden quicker (almost like a magic shell).

With a grateful heart and a warm sweater, Stevie Wonder and Andra Day on repeat, pecan pie eggnog truffles in my freezer, and a calendar filled with festivities, I am so ready to kick-off the holiday season.

PS – I didn’t forget about Thanksgiving! A quick peep at my sidebar (–>) and you’ll see my Featured Posts highlighting my favorite Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving recipes. And just like these truffles, they’re all potluck- and party-friendly. Enjoy!

This post was sponsored by Hood®. Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Chocoholic and the brands that support this blog.

   

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