So has summer ended now? This time a couple of weeks ago I was sat in the park catching a major sunburn (oops!), and now its raining! WHY?! These caramel rye truffles are sure to cheer you up though! They’re little decadent morsels, that are just the perfect treat to accompany a coffee.
I really enjoy making my own truffles. Its definitely one of those bakes that seems way more impressive than it actually is and really holds the ‘magic’ of baking for me in that such simple ingredients can become something so fancy. A plain truffle can be simply double cream and chocolate. Literally, thats it! Obviously these have abit more to them though 😉
I love Rye bread, its such a interesting almost sour taste that is a little chewier and denser than a regular white loaf. It makes for a really interesting combination with the bitter dark chocolate in these truffles. But its the addition of caramel that adds the perfect sweetness and ties it all together.
To include the rye flavour, I dehydrated some rye bread by breaking up a few slices into breadcrumbs and baking them on a very low heat. This is where personal preference comes into play, as I kept my breadcrumbs slightly larger giving the truffles a slightly chewy texture. However, you could blitz the dehydrated breadcrumbs into a fine powder if you wanted to keep the truffle texture smooth.
The trickiest part to making these truffles is probably making the caramel. Though not because I think making caramel is hard, but I think it incites fear in most people! But honestly, so long as you keep the heat low you shouldn’t run into any problems. Its simply heating sugar in a pan, stirring occasionally to cover clumps with the liquified caramel and then adding in cream and sea salt when off the heat. Simple!
They may not look like much, but I think the truffles are so delicious and a real treat. I hope you like them!
Caramel Rye Truffles
Ingredients
- 100 g german-style rye bread
- 75 g caster sugar
- 150 ml double cream
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 225 g dark chocolate preferably 70%
- 25 g cocoa powder
Instructions
- Firstly, preheat the oven to 100C/Gas Mark 1/4 or its lowest setting.
- Then to dehydrate the rye bread, crumble it into breadcrumbs and spread over a large baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no moisture remains and the breadcrumbs are crisp and crunchy. Then set aside to cool.
- For the caramel, place the sugar into a small saucepan and place over a low heat. Once the sugar begins to liquify, stir the mixture until all the dry sugar is coated in the liquified sugar. Keep cooking for another 5-6 minutes until the mixture just begins to smoke. You want to create quite a dark caramel. Then remove from the heat and carefully stir in the cream and salt. Set aside to cool, you'll need it to be just warm to the touch when you mix it with the chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie or in a microwave, until the chocolate is just melted but not hot. Add the cooled caramel into the melted chocolate and stir well. Then add the rye breadcrumbs and mix well again.
- Leave the mixture uncovered for about 30 minutes at room temperature to firm up slightly, giving the mixture a stir from time to time to ensure it sets evenly.
- Then line a baking tray with baking paper and scoop out tablespoons of the mixture, roll into balls and place onto the baking tray to firm up. Leave for 20-40 minutes to set fully.
- Finally, place the cocoa powder into tupperware or a sandwich bag, add the truffles and shake to coat them well.