Truffles

Any food is only as good as the ingredients you use.... My favorite is Ghirardelli. It's not too expensive, and it's not chalky like Nestle.

WHAT YOU NEED:
12 oz. (1 bag) Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Chocolate Chips
3 TBSP. unsalted Butter + a little tiny pinch sea salt
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup Ghirardelli Baking Cocoa Powder
4 oz. (1/3 bag) Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

HOW TO:
Place the 60% chocolate chips with room-temperature butter and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add vanilla to cream in a sauce pan. Heat on stove top to slight simmer, over medium heat. (This should only take a minute. Stir constantly. When cream gets too hot, it's done for...)
Pour over chocolate mixture in mixing bowl. Leave for about two minutes! Then, stir to mix well. (If it's cold in your house, or the chocolate chips or butter are cold, then you might have to do like I did and dump the whole mixture back in the pan to melt thoroughly -- that's okay, but take heed to ONLY bring it to the melting point, stirring vigorously!!!)
When melted together thoroughly, cover mixing bowl and leave in fridge for at least one hour.
When chocolate and cream mixture is well-set, use a spoon or ice-cream scoop to scoop out enough to make one-inch balls. Use your hands -- but only your fingertips, and be QUICK!!! The heat from your hands will surely melt anything they touch... Then your kitchen will be pretty grimy, like mine was =)
As you roll each truffle ball, set on a large plastic cutting board or a cookie sheet lined with parchment or foil.
Let these rest in fridge again as you prepare the toppings.
Pour 1/4 cup baking powder in a cereal bowl (or something large enough to just hold about 3-4 truffle balls.
Pour about 1/3 of the bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips into a microwave-safe dish, and melt in microwave on high heat, at 20-30 second intervals -- STIRRING in between!!! (Do not cover the chocolate as it heats in the microwave!)
Pour that into a zip-top bag, squeezing out the air, and sealing it.
Remove truffle balls from fridge.
Roll in cocoa. Place back on cutting board, or whatever they came from =)  Make sure they are close, but not touching.
Cut a small hole in one corner of the zip-top bag, and squeeze semi-sweet swirls on top of each truffle.
Refrigerate to keep... They keep for a couple of weeks in a sealed container!!

I know, I know... Everyone says that Truffles taste best at room temperature, but I just don't like chocolate at any other temperature than straight-from-the-fridge! I always thought my Grandma was SO weird for keeping KitKats and M&Ms in the fridge, and now I see why =)

COST:
About $8 for 25-30 Truffles.
....Let's see here, you divide by... and add the 1... that's... Um, I'll check on my calculator.... between 27-32 cents/each
(Does anyone really care how much good chocolate costs? It's usually worth it!)