If there was one recipe in the entire Sweet Melissa Baking Book that screamed “Tracey” it would be this recipe.  The peanut butter/chocolate combination is my favorite flavor combo (with salted caramel being a close second).  Ever since I was little I have loved peanut butter cups, chocolate and peanut butter ice cream, peanut butter and nutella sandwiches (those were the days – I’d never eat one now!) or just dipping chunks of chocolate into peanut butter.  My palate has changed, and maybe even become a bit more sophisticated, but I will always go back to this flavor combination.  It’s a classic.

I was even more excited to make these after reading the recipe and discovering they are gluten free (or can be made gluten free with the right chocolate and peanut butter choices).  My nephew is on a gluten free diet, not because he has celiac, but because he has some sort of gluten intolerance.  I was babysitting him last week so the timing was perfect.

Peanut Butter Truffles

I’ve never made truffles before but have made plenty of ganache.  There really isn’t a big difference.  I used 6 oz of bittersweet chocolate and 6 oz of milk chocolate because I love milk chocolate with peanut butter.  I just divided the peanut butter infused cream in 1/2 to make the two batches.  The milk chocolate ones were definitely more difficult to roll into balls.  They were very soft, even after sitting in the fridge overnight.  Maybe because of the milk fat?  I have no idea.  I do know that the milk chocolate flavor brought out the peanut butter flavor more so than the bittersweet chocolate did.  The bittersweet chocolate really overpowers the peanut butter flavor.

Peanut Butter Truffles neatly lined up

Since I live with some nut haters I rolled 1/2 of them in cocoa powder and the other 1/2 in crushed peanuts.  The peanuts give the truffles a nice texture.  Had I not been babysitting a 2 1/2 year old I would have tried to dip these in melted chocolate.  I think a crunchy outside would really go nicely with the creamy soft inside.  Next time.

Thanks to Mara of Love Your Mother for hosting this week.  For the recipe visit her blog or go buy the book!