Chocolate Cherry Truffles

Thirty. I walked into it on March 3rd with my eyes open, the way I said I would. Ryan made coffee before I was fully awake and left a card on the counter that said, in his handwriting, "Happy birthday to the person who makes this house a home. Thirty looks good on you." I stood in the kitchen in my robe reading it and held the feeling of being known by someone for ten years.

Patty called at 7:15. She sang the birthday song, slightly off-key, as she does every year. I listened to it with the attention I give to things I want to remember. She said: thirty. I said: thirty. She said: that's something. I said: I think so too. We talked for thirty minutes and she told me about my thirtieth birthday, which she remembered in more detail than I do, which is how mothers are: they carry the days that you were too young to carry yourself.

Dinner at the neighborhood Italian place. Ryan and me, Patty with the twins. I had the chicken vesuvio and a glass of prosecco and for dessert I ordered the tiramisu and I did not share it with Ryan, who had ordered cannoli anyway, which was fine, which was the right choice for him, and which meant neither of us had to negotiate. I ate the tiramisu slowly and tasted every layer of it — the ladyfingers, the mascarpone, the espresso, the dusting of cocoa — and I thought about being twenty-one and being twenty-five and being twenty-eight in the NICU holding my babies' hands through the incubator portholes, and I thought: I am thirty now. I am here. I made it.

I thought about Jess. I always think about Jess on large days. She would have been thirty this year too. She would have been at the table, across from Ryan, giving me a hard time about the tiramisu. She would have ordered something impractical and delicious and she would have eaten it completely. I ate my tiramisu for both of us. That is what you do.

I have been thinking about that tiramisu ever since—the way I ate it slowly, the way I tasted every layer, the way I did not rush it or share it or feel any guilt about either of those things. When I got home that night, I wanted something I could make in my own kitchen that carried the same feeling: dark chocolate, a little luxury, something you make for yourself because you have earned it. These chocolate cherry truffles are that. They are not complicated. They are rich and soft and just a little bit extra, the way a birthday should be.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 24 truffles

Ingredients

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup maraschino cherries, drained and finely chopped
1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, for rolling
1/2 cup powdered sugar, for rolling (optional)
Pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

Make the ganache. Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream just to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes.
Stir and finish. Whisk the chocolate and cream together until completely smooth. Add the softened butter, cherry juice, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Stir until the butter is fully incorporated and the ganache is glossy.
Fold in the cherries. Pat the chopped maraschino cherries dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture, then fold them gently into the ganache.
Chill. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until the ganache is firm enough to scoop and roll.
Shape the truffles. Using a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon, portion the ganache into roughly 1-inch mounds. Roll each portion quickly between your palms into a ball. Work in small batches—returning unrolled ganache to the refrigerator if it softens.
Roll and coat. Sift cocoa powder into a shallow dish. Roll each truffle in cocoa powder until evenly coated, tapping off any excess. For a sweeter finish, roll in powdered sugar instead, or do a combination of both.
Set and serve. Transfer finished truffles to a parchment-lined plate or airtight container. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving to let them firm up. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chocolate Cherry Truffles — For the Days You Eat Dessert and Don’t Share