With American Thanksgiving coming up this week, we’re heading into the holidays whether we’re ready or not! It’s such a busy time of year that I’m always on the lookout for time-saving tips and recipes I can make in advance as well as dishes to have on hand for unexpected company. My neighbours are a particularly social bunch (case in point, we turned yesterday’s communal eaves trough cleaning into a porch party with cake – supplied by me, of course as I happened to be out there taking photographs of said cake!) and it’s not uncommon to end up at some sort of impromptu gathering on any given night!
For this month’s Kraft Canada #whatscooking assignment, I was looking for a holiday dessert that can be prepared ahead of time so that if guests drop by unexpectedly, I have something on hand to serve! I always find I have a lot of savoury items I can produce at short notice but not sweet. These peanut butter “cookie balls” fit the bill as my inspiration – and I used what I had on hand to create a festive “truffle” that can be made in advance. And by “on hand” I mean I used the limited edition Philadelphia Chocolate Brick cream cheese. Oh yes, it’s “all the creaminess you love from Philly” combined with chocolate (I challenge you to not just eat it straight!) and you can access a “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” coupon for Philly Chocolate Brick until November 30th (or while quantities last) over on the Kraft Canada website.
- 250g Philadelphia Chocolate Brick Cream Cheese, softened
- ¼ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 225g Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate
- extra desiccated coconut for garnish
- Mix softened cream cheese with coconut and cranberries.
- Use a tablespoon measure to form approximately 18-20 1-1.5 inch truffle balls.
- Place cream cheese balls on a tray and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate over a bain marie or in the microwave (at 50% power for 2-3 minutes, checking and stirring occasionally)
- Dip the cream cheese balls in the melted chocolate, using two toothpicks to help you evenly coat the entire surface as you roll them around in the chocolate.
- Allow excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl.
- Place on wax or parchment paper and sprinkle with extra coconut.
- Refrigerate.
Verdict? As a huge fan of chocolate coeur à la crème, I really really loved these “truffles”. So much so that I had to take them to work to share with my colleagues because otherwise I would just eat these all by myself. I think the possibilities for changing up the flavourings are endless and because they are so easy to make, you could even get the kids involved. Messy, delicious, festive fun. T’is the season, right? 😉
Disclosure: As a Kraft Canada #whatscooking contributor, I receive compensation for writing these posts, however, all opinions are 100% my own.
US/Canadian readers – Win a copy of Mastering the Art of French Eating! Ends November 25th 2014 6pm EST. Details here.
Canadian readers – Win a copy of Street Food Diaries! Ends November 25th 2014 6pm EST. Details here.
Just the name on these alone made me do a double take! (I know I can get Philly cream cheese here in Shanghai, but not so sure about the chocolate brick…) Wish I could have you over for Thanksgiving, Mardi!
You can always try making yoru own Philly chocolate – see my coeur à la crème recipe linked in the post! Melted chocolate (cooled) mixed with Philly!