Horsing Around and Derby Truffles

I’ve been horsing around lately~ visiting with this 4- legged neighbor.

While I’m no horse whisperer, this handsome guy has become a little less camera-shy, progress, since he is no longer running in the opposite direction when he sees me :)

Around the corner from him, there is a white house in a beautiful setting~ complete with white barn, fencing and more horses. . .

You can see it covered in snow here.

I found a recipe in the May issue of Southern Living for

Derby Truffles.

These truffles are rich, easy, and can be made ahead~

A Winning Trifecta!

Ingredients:

~3 (4-oz.) bittersweet chocolate baking bars, chopped (I used Ghiradelli)
~1 1/2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed 
~2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
~9 tablespoons heavy cream
~1/4 cup bourbon (a mini bottle is 50 ml, and just shy of 2 oz. if you don’t have any bourbon )
~1 (5.3-oz.) package pure butter shortbread cookies, crushed (I used Walkers)
~2 cups finely chopped roasted, salted pecans

Preparation:

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large glass bowl. Cook cream and bourbon in a small saucepan over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is hot but not boiling. (Mixture will steam, and bubbles will form around edge of pan.) Pour cream mixture over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute.

2. Stir chocolate mixture until melted and smooth. (If mixture doesn’t melt completely, microwave at HIGH 30 seconds.) Stir in crushed cookies. Cover and chill 3 hours or until firm. (Mixture can be prepared and chilled up to 2 days ahead.)

3. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls (about 2 tsp. per ball). Roll in chopped pecans. Place on wax paper-lined baking sheets. Chill 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 5 days.

 I bought a mini bottle which was just shy of the 1/4 cup needed, and close enough.

Also, I used a combination of roasted, salted mixed nuts and pecans. The saltiness of the nuts is perfect with the sweetness of the chocolate and a winning combination!

I ended up with around 30 truffles.

You can find a printable recipe, HERE.

You can meet all of the horses for this year’s Kentucky Derby here.

I’m not much of a gambler, but if I was betting strictly by name~ I’d place my money on Itsmyluckyday, but I have to pull for Rosie’s run for the roses!

Hope your horse is a winner on Derby Day!

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

 Metamorphosis Monday, The Scoop,

Inspire Me Tuesday, Wow Us Wednesdays,

 Foodie Friday and Everything Else Link Party