Tuffles for Valentine's Day

I love chocolate truffles -- here is a friend's basic recipe.  Use the basic and experiment with white chocolate chips, white or dark chocolate almond bark, crushed nuts, or coconut.

Jean's Truffles 

• 6 cups semisweet chocolate chips (recommended: Ghirardelli baking cups)
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese at room temperature
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 Tablespoon sweet red wine 
• 16 ounce bar of almond bark (or more if you want white and brown chocolate)
• coconut, chopped nuts, or whatever you might wish to garnish the truffles with.

Directions:

1. Step 1: In a very large mixing bowl, beat the 16 ounces of cream cheese with an electric mixer until soft an fluffy.  Gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar until completely incorporated.
2. Step 2: (Melting the chocolate) Melt semisweet chocolate in a double boiler (or if you don't have a double boiler set a heat proof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.  Make sure no water gets into the chocolate or the chocolate will seize).  Stir occasionally until the chips are melted and smooth.  Remove from heat.
3. Step 3: Add the wine, and stir the melted chocolate into the cheese/sugar mixture.  Once all is stirred together into a dough like mixture.  Cover and refrigerate the dough for one hour or until firm.
4. Step 4: Shape the mixture into 3/4 inch balls and place on a baking tray lined with parchment / waxed paper.  
5. Step 5: Melt the almond bark.  Dip the individual truffles in the almond bark to coat the outside, or simply drizzle almond bark in a decorative design over the truffles.  Use you imagination.

For Valentines day -- Use white chocolate chips, make the truffles, dip into the almond bark, and coat the truffles with the white almond bark, and then drizzle white almond bark tinted pink.

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