If you are sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner this Tuesday, I have a delicious little treat to go along with the pumpkin pie, Pumpkin Seed Oil Truffles! Often added as a finishing oil to the salad course, this is a simple addition to dessert, served separately or as a finishing decoration.
All truffles need some sort of fat to soften the chocolate and allow for it to have the consistency of a “cream”. Some recipes use scalded whipping cream and others use butter. This one uses pumpkin seed oil which adds a lovely nutty undertone to the truffle itself.
Magically connected to healing it is not surprising that the web site for Styrian Gold (styriangold.ca), the pumpkin seed oil I used, lists a plethora of health benefits from vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and other vital nutrients. Combined with good quality dark chocolate, and considered a whole/super food, this is one truffle I am hoping you will enjoy without any added guilt.
Pumpkin seed oil is not a happy camper over 120 degrees or it begins to break down so for this recipe we will gently melt the chocolate and stir in the unheated pumpkin seed oil to keep the mixture under the danger zone.
You will need:
1 cup good quality dark/semi sweet chocolate, chopped
4-5 tsp. pumpkin seed oil
3 -4 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds, roasted and chopped
” In my kitchen filled with care, I welcome, Earth, Water Fire, Air“. Since we are putting this together at a time of giving thanks, hold with your intention, gratitude for good health. Breath in, focus, release and begin.
Chocolate is usually measured by weight but I recognize not every one has scales so chop/flake the chocolate as finely as possible. The finer the chocolate the more more will fit in the cup. The bigger the chunks, the more air will fill the measuring cup. Melt the chocolate, in a bowl over hot water or by a few bursts of 30 seconds in the microwave, stirring regularly.
Add the oil and mix well. Put the bowl in the fridge for 30 – 60 minutes to allow the mixture to firm up.
Place the pumpkin seeds in the toaster oven. Be sure to spread them out evenly and do not take the dog for a walk, they crisp up fairly quickly. You may hear a little popping as they heat up. Once cool enough to handle, chop and set aside.
15 minutes before rolling take the mixture from the fridge and allow it to soften/warm up a bit. When you are ready to roll the balls, wash your hands, finishing with a cool rinse. As the chocolate is not tempered it will soften/melt on you fairly quickly, especially if you have warm hands or are roasting turkey in the oven. Roll balls the size of a small walnut and then drop into the chopped pumpkin seeds and roll around to fully coat.
If you have extra hands so that one person can concentrate on rolling the truffle mixture while the other keeps their hands clean for rolling in the seeds, life will be simpler but you can switch back and forth with a few hands washes along the way.
Once rolled pop in paper cups if you have some handy and return to the fridge until about 15 minutes before serving.
The filling can also be made a few days ahead and rolled as needed if you like your pumpkin seeds crunchy or finish fully and store in a cool dark location. Over time the moisture from the truffle mixture will soften the roasted nuts but usually these little nibblies will not be around that long.
This recipe will make about 12 rich intense truffles, probably not a young persons first choice but that will leave more for the adults to enjoy. Serve alone or use to top the individual pieces of whatever dessert you are serving.
Give thanks…
Pumpkin Seed Oil Truffles from My Kitchen Wand
