Maple Walnut Truffles

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon maple extract
• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 8 ounces chocolate candy melts (such as Candiquik)

Instructions

1. Mix butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer. Add both extracts and beat until creamy. Stir in walnuts. Chill for 30 minutes.
2. Once chilled, scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls of dough and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill again until just ready to dip (at least 10 minutes).
3. Melt your candy in a microwave safe bowl according to package directions. Dip each truffle in the bowl of chocolate. Do not roll it around, use a spoon to spoon chocolate over the top. Lift onto a fork carefully and tap to remove excess chocolate. Place on a wax-paper lined cookie sheet. I find it best to use a toothpick to help the truffle slide off the fork without disturbing too much of the coating.
4. Note: these truffles soften quickly. If you find them getting to soft, re-chill them and only remove a few at a time to dip.
5. Chill dipped truffles for just a few minutes, until coating is semi-hard. Meanwhile transfer the remaining chocolate to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with the tip cut off) and pipe swirls or swipes of chocolate over the top for decoration.

Notes

To keep my chocolate warm, I like to heat my electric griddle to 200F and cover it with two kitchen towels. Then I place the bowl of melted chocolate on top to keep it warm and liquid while I dip.