Coconut Rum Truffles

This one has been on my blogging to-do list for a while....Dave and I made these months ago!


Ingredients:
8 oz dark or semi-sweet chocolate
just shy of 2/3 c. heavy cream
2 Tablespoons dark rum
1/4 tsp coconut extract (or more...taste it to see what you like)
1 tbs butter - optional (I don't remember if we used this or not)
unsweetened coconut flakes, to roll truffles in

Directions:

1. Chop the chocolate into fairly even, small pieces—a heavy serrated knife works well. Place in a mixing bowl
2. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to boil. Remove from heat, and add the cream to the chopped chocolate. For an extra smooth truffle, add butter. Add rum and extract . 
3. Once most of the chocolate and butter look melted, whisk until smooth. Quickly but gently transfer the mixture to a bowl so that you can form your emulsion in a cooler environment. (I didn't do this)
4. Whisk the mixture vigorously until it’s thick and smooth, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl and incorporating all the cream and chocolate. If you have one, an immersion blender helps make sure the emulsion is stable.
5. If the ganache shows signs of breaking at this point (if it looks curdled or oily), you can add a few drops of cream to help re-emulsify it. A well-emulsified ganache should look like chocolate pudding: thick, smooth, and glossy. Refrigerate until firm.
6. Once the ganache has set into a uniformly firm mass, scoop out small balls with a melon baller or spoon. Roll each one briefly in the palms of your very clean (or gloved) hands. It helps if you have cold hands or are in a cool room.
7. Chill the truffles briefly, for about 15 minutes, while you prepare whatever you’d like to roll or enrobe them in.
8. Roll the truffles in unsweetened coconut flakes.

Store them at room temperature for up to a week, in the fridge for two to three weeks, or in the freezer for two months. They taste best eaten at room temperature.

note: I am unsure of the source of this recipe, since I combined aspects of a few truffle recipes I found online.