Valentine's Chocolate Cookie Truffle Box

This cookie box can be made in any shape as I did at Christmas time when I made a cookie box filled with cookies.

Here are the recipes and how I made this Chocolate Cookie Truffle Box.

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

You will need two sizes of heart-shaped cookie cutters. I used a 6-inch and a 4-inch cookie cutter to make the truffle boxes.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. Sifting will break up any clumps of cocoa powder.

In a large bowl and using a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until completely smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in a couple of batches and mix on low until combined. The dough will be soft.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll the dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap to ¼ inch thick.

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour or until the dough is firm.

When the dough is chilled and fills very firm, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  You will need six 6-inch heart-shaped cookies. Remove the top piece of plastic and using the 6-inch cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as your can. Re-roll the dough until you have six 6-inch heart-shaped cookies. Chill the hearts for about 30 minutes or until they fill firm. Remove four of the 6-inch heart and using the 4-inch cutter, cut out the centers of the 6-inch cookies. These will form the walls of your truffle box. You will end up with 4 4-inch cookies and 4 6-inch cookies with a center cut out.

You should have two 6-inch pieces and four 4-inch pieces. Chill the cutouts while the oven is preheated. Chilled cookie dough keeps its shape better.

Arrange shaped cookies on baking sheets 3 inches apart. Bake for 11-12 minutes and rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time. Allow cooling on baking sheets before moving to a rack to cool completely.

After the cookies are cooled, stacked them to make the box. If your stacked cookie hearts are not exactly the same size, use a lemon zester to gently file the cookie pieces to fit. Melted chocolate or royal icing can be used to “glue” the cookie layers to form the box. Do not attach the lid. You will need to be able to remove the lid to get to the truffles.

The lid of the cookie truffle box can be decorated with royal icing or left as it is. I covered mine with a chocolate transfer sheet, which can be purchased online. I purchased mine from https://www.countrykitchensa.com.

Milk Chocolate-Espresso Truffles

8 ounce best quality milk chocolate – chopped (you can use bars but don’t use chips they don’t melt)

½ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

½ tsp vanilla or your flavoring of choice

Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Set aside.

In the microwave, heat the heavy cream until it is simmering. (use 10-minute blasts)

Pour the heavy cream evenly over the chocolate, do not stir. Let the hot cream do its job and melt the chocolate. I cover the bowl with a paper towel and leave it to sit for a couple of minutes. Remove the paper towel and using a whisk, start in the center making small circles. When the mixture begins to blend add the butter and vanilla. Whisk slowly until completely melted and combined.

Pour in an 8x8 inch baking dish and cover with a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface (to avoid condensation) and refrigerate for 1-2 hours until set.

Decide which topping you want to use; chopped nuts, cocoa powder, sweetened cocoa, etc. I used sweetened cocoa to roll mine. Get your toppings ready before you scoop out the truffles.

I used a 2-teaspoon cookie scoop to portion the truffles. Scoop the truffles and roll in the topping.

Cover tightly and store truffles at room temperature for 3-4 days if that last that long.