maca cinnamon truffles for valentine’s day

when i think valentines day, i think chocolate.  it’s inevitable.  if you have someone to share the day with you spend it feeding each other decadent chocolate treats all day. if you don’t you try to forget by treating yourself with as much chocolate as you can possibly eat.

ever since my local grocery store started carrying organic, dairy-free chocolate chips, i’ve been on a real chocolate kick.  i started dreaming about making my own truffles and i was pleasantly surprised to find out it’s a relatively simple process.

i choose to spice them up with cinnamon because it’s generally considered to be an aphrodisiac that gets your blood moving.  i choose maca because it’s a supplement which has all sorts of benefits to reproductive health.  it reduces risk of prostate, ovarian and cervical cancer, increases sperm quality, and boosts your libido.  you can get it at any healthy food store, i even found it at the hollywood farmers’ market!

maca cinnamon truffles
16 oz semi-sweet or dark vegan chocolate chips.
1 c soy milk
3 tsp maca
2 tsp cinnamon
about 1/4 c cocoa

pour your chocolate chips into a large bowl.  i choose to use 10 ounces of oragnic semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips and 6 ounces of 72% cacao dark chocolate chunks.  you can use which ever chocolate you prefer.

in a large pan heat up the soy milk until just starting to bubble.  then turn off the heat and pour it over the chocolate.  this creates a sauce called ganache, which is usually made by mixing chocolate and heavy cream.  when cool it will be a soft, rich chocolate.

stir with a large spoon or whisk while slowly adding the maca and cinnamon.  i threw them in at the beginning, but later found that sifting them in while stirring will help avoid chunks.

once all of the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth pour it into a shallow pan to cool.  refrigerate for at least an hour until firm enough to handle.

once completely cooled use a table spoon, melon baller, or cookie dough scoop to measure out even amount of the truffle mixture.  roll it into a ball between your hands and then in cocoa powder spread on a plate, you can also dust with more maca and cinnamon if you’d like.  place on a plate or cutting board to be further refrigerated until firm.

you can then place them in a little candy wrapper and in a box to give someone sweet on valentine’s day.

yields about 32 truffles