Thank goodness Christmas is still ahead of us. Winding down one winter holiday so early in the season turns out to be a brilliant stroke of good luck, because now the celebrations can go on twice as long. Eggnog is hands-down my favorite flavor of the upcoming fete, despite the fact that I’ve never had a nog with egg in it. An rich and frothy beverage combining all the best sweet, savory, and salty elements that could possibly mingle in one glass, it doesn’t have to be “authentic” to be utterly delicious. As long as there’s a light splash of rum and a generous sprinkle of nutmeg, it’s all nog to me.
Converting those essential essences into a bite-sized sweet treat was a must for gift giving and snacking this year. A truffle of a different color, these would be beautiful mixed into an assortment of various spiced, mint, or dark and candies as well. In fewer words, they play well with others.
Nog Truffles
1 Cup Raw Whole Cashews, Soaked for 2 – 3 Hours and Thoroughly Drained
1/4 Cup Light Agave Nectar
1/4 Cup (2 Ounces) 100% Pure Cocoa Butter, Melted
1 Tablespoon Dark Rum
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 Teaspoons Nutritional Yeast
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Kala Namak (Black Salt)
White Chocolate Coating:
2/3 Cup Vegan White Chocolate Chips
1 Tablespoon 100% Pure Cocoa Butter
Ground Nutmeg, to Garnish
Place the soaked and drained cashews in your blender or food processor, along with all of the remaining ingredients that make up the centers. Blend until completely and perfectly smooth, pausing to scrape down the sides of the work bowl as needed to ensure that all small nut fragments are incorporated. Transfer the sweet puree to a heat-safe bowl and let rest in the freezer until firm; at least 1 hour.
Retrieve the truffle centers from the freezer and use a small cookie scoop or 2 spoons to scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the mixture at a time, rolling the chunks into smooth balls between the palms of your hands. Place the rounded centers onto a silpat or piece of parchment paper on top of a sheet pan, and repeat until the mixture is used up. Work quickly to prevent the filling from becoming too soft and unworkable. Move the whole sheet of naked truffles back into the freezer on a flat surface, and chill until solid; at least another hour.
When you’re ready to finish off the candies, combine the white chocolate chips and cocoa butter in a microwave-safe dish, and heat for 60 seconds. Stir very well until the mixture is smooth. If there are still a few stubborn chips that refuse to melt, continue heating the coating at 30 second intervals, stirring thoroughly between each, until entirely lump-free.
Dip each truffle center, one at a time, into the melted white chocolate. Use a fork to pull them out of the mixture and allow the excess coating to drip free. Move each piece back onto the silpat or piece of parchment paper, and quickly sprinkle lightly with additional ground nutmeg before the coating solidifies. Repeat with the remaining truffles. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container.
Makes 12 – 18 Truffles
Reblogged this on My Vegetarian/Vegan Journey and commented:
For the active sweet tooth!
These look lavish…. I bet they taste as rich as they look! Can I make a confession, though? I’ve never tried eggnog!! Crazy, I know! Perhaps I can dip my feet into the eggnog waters with these? ;)
Nog truffles–you’ve thought of everything! Love the little bit of rum in them :)
Oh ♥♥♥ i used the same white chocolate, it is very perfect for melting ♥
OMG it’s very appetizing ♥
Bravo Hannah, you are the best, one’s again ♥
It’s amazing the powers of agave, cashews, nutri yeast, and that you made a white-chocolate eggnog inspired treat, totally vegan. And totally gorgeous, of course!
Those are so pretty and must be really good. And I think I will have no problem finding those vegan chocolate chips here;D
These sound wonderful,and I love your presentation! I’m quickly posting this on my best friend’s Facebook wall… She’s a vegan and I bet she’d LOVE these!
I bet these are utterly indulgent beyond belief my friend :)
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Those look and sound great! I’ve been planning to do something with cocoa butter for quite a while, maybe that’s it…
One question: What do you add the nutritional yeast for?
The nutritional yeast adds a bit of a savory, slightly eggy flavor. It could be omitted without compromising the final texture, but it would taste less nog-like.
Good to know, thanks!
Yum! I love eggnog flavor too. I am pretty intrigued by this recipe! I might have to buy some cashews.
Black salt? You are such a clever chickadee. x
Obviously they would be less pretty, but do you think they’d still be okay without the candy coating? I love egg nog and egg nog baked goods but the idea of nog flavored truffles is brilliant!
The centers are pretty soft and the coating hold together, but I think that if you kept them in the fridge or freezer you might be able to get away with omitting it. Alternately, if it’s just an issue of being able to get vegan white chocolate, you could also go with a classic dark chocolate coating instead. It would necessarily taste different, but still delicious.
Oh my goodness gracious, Hannah, you have done it again! These look phenomenal! I just adore nog and cannot wait to give these a try!
Yum yum! Thanks for sharing I love eggnog and I love truffles! Can’t wait to try these!
Trish
I tend to like eggnog flavor in all forms other than actual eggnog. These truffles sound addictive with their festive flavors!
Yum! These are gorgeous:)
I don’t actually remember trying eggnog before, but I would gladly try these little noggy delights. :-)
can you pretty please send me some truffles :) they sound insanely delicious!
Yay, good timing with this post – I’m making a bunch of truffles toward the weekend. :) And nog with egg in it is about as good as it sounds like…which is not very, ha ha! I prefer vegan versions so much more.
I don’t know how you come up with these amazing combinations but they never fail. These truffles look divine, going to try them this weekend.
Alex
http://www.delicious-knowledge.com
I don’t know how you come up with these fantastic treats over and over again. You’re a bottomless well of creativity!
These truffles sound and look awesome Hannah, I so wish I could have one…almost can taste the creaminess of it.
Very creative as always…have a great week!
These look super good but i don’t know where to find black salt, can i substitute sea salt?
You could, but the black salt contributes the bulk of the “eggy” flavor here. Without it, these would be more accurately described as white chocolate nutmeg truffles- Which is not a bad thing either!
I’ve never had eggnog! Can you believe it? Receiving this recipe from you and a raw vegan eggnog recipe from Fork and Beans in one day might be a sign that I need to try it. Or maybe a sign that it is December. Who knows!
I just pinned this one on pin interest as this little sweet treat is a major contender in the arena of special holiday treats. Happy holidays to you Hannah! Take Care, BAM
These truffles look heavenly. I love their snowy white color, and what an interesting combination of ingredients! I’ll have to try this out for myself. I can’t contain my curiosity!
Oh wow I’m very intrigued by the black salt! These look gorgeous and egg nog is my favourite flavour too :)
This sounds and looks totally Christmassy and beautiful! If I have these, I would be popping them non-stop over the holidays!! lovely recipe Hannah!
How pretty! I’m heartily in agreement with you on the rum and nutmeg.
I just finished these over here:
http://moderngirlnutrition.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/holiday-desserts-roundup/
Thanks for the recipe!