Cashew Truffles

Madeira is fortified white wine. Red petit four cups make a nice presentation for Christmas or Valentine’s Day. If you do not have paper petit four cups, you can put dipped truffles on waxed paper and refrigerate until chocolate hardens. Cooking time does not include refrigeration time. Note: This recipe uses pasteurized egg white product to avoid raw egg issues. I used “All Whites” 100% pasteurized egg whites. It is found in the dairy case at the market. Some egg white products have flavoring. Check the list of ingredients; there should be only one ingredient: 100% liquid egg whites.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 36
• Yields: 36 truffles

Ingredients

• 8  ounces  toasted unsalted cashews
• 8  ounces confectioners' sugar (powdered)
• 1⁄3 cup  instant powdered milk (dry)
• 1⁄4 cup  pasteurized  egg white
• 1  teaspoon lemon juice
• 1  tablespoon madeira wine

• For dipping and decorating

• 36  petit four  paper cups (1-inch)
• 6  ounces  semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2  ounces white chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a food processor with a steel blade, process cashews until finely ground
2. Add confectioners sugar and powdered milk and continue processing until completely combined
3. Add egg white product, lemon juice and Madeira, and process until stiff dough forms
4. Scrape into a bowl, cover airtight and refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 2 days
5. When ready to make the truffles, form the dough into 1-inch balls (slightly dampen your hands to minimize stickiness) and put on waxed paper
6. Refrigerate while melting the chocolate
7. Bring about 1 inch of water to just below simmering in a small skillet
8. Put semisweet chocolate chips in a 2-cup heatproof glass measure
9. Place glass measure in the water and stir the chips until melted
10. Leave glass measure in the simmering water while dipping
11. Remove dough balls from the refrigerator, and using a toothpick or small skewer, quickly swirl a ball in chocolate until completely coated
12. Let excess chocolate drip back into the glass measure
13. Put ball into a 1-inch paper petit four cup and gently remove toothpick
14. Repeat for remaining balls
15. If undipped balls get sticky, return them to fridge for a few minutes
16. Use a toothpick dipped in melted chocolate to fill in any toothpick holes
17. Refrigerate truffles until chocolate hardens
18. Put white chocolate chips in a small zip-lock bag and seal
19. Microwave until melted, checking after 30 seconds and then again every 15 seconds (It should not take much longer than a minute)
20. Knead the chips in the bag until smooth
21. Snip a tiny hole in one corner of the bag and squeeze decorative squiggles on truffles
22. Refrigerate until serving