Easy Truffles — The Sweetness You Pass Around a Table of Twelve

Thanksgiving 2023. The table is the fullest it has ever been: me, Luis, Luis Jr., Andrea, Isabella, Sofia, Diego, Camila, Carmen, Concha the dog, and — for the first time — Andrea's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Montes, who drove from Las Cruces for the holiday. Twelve people (plus the dog). The table designed for six, extended with Diego's folding tables (the ones he built for the wedding, deployed early for Thanksgiving), holds twelve, and the holding is the table doing what the family does: making room, always making room, because room is the thing you make when love requires it.

The menu: caldo de res, enchiladas, the turkey (year seven, Mexican-seasoned, permanent, Diego's), flan, Sofia's pumpkin tres leches, Andrea's tamales (year two of Andrea's tamale tradition — she is getting better, the masa is smoother, the filling ratio is correct now), and a new addition: Mr. Montes's green chile stew, a New Mexico recipe that his mother taught him, and the stew was excellent, and the excellence was the blending, and the blending is what families do when they expand — they blend their recipes the way they blend their bloodlines, and the blending makes both richer.

Camila's grace, year eight: a full two-minute address that covered every family member, the dog, the dead, the Anapra bakery dream, the upcoming wedding, and — for the first time — a request for "guidance for my singing career, which I intend to pursue professionally after high school, and I know this is seven years away but early prayers are the best prayers, and I am an early prayer." She is eleven. She just announced her professional singing career in a Thanksgiving prayer. The prayer has evolved from a pet petition to a career announcement. God's inbox is now receiving résumés.

I made the flan. Rosa's. The tradition. The twelve people at the table ate it and the twelve people were the largest number of people who have ever eaten Rosa's flan in my house, and the largest number is the growth, and the growth is the family, and the family is the flan, and the flan is Rosa, and Rosa is the twelve people and the dog and the table that makes room and the room that is the love.

The flan was gone in under ten minutes — twelve people, and every one of them wanted seconds, and there were no seconds because there was only one flan, and one flan is not enough for twelve people who love flan the way this family loves flan. So this year I am planning ahead, because that is what the table teaches you: make room, make more, make something you can pass in every direction at once. These Easy Truffles are what I am making alongside Rosa’s flan from now on — rich, hand-rolled, coat-them-in-cocoa-powder truffles that I can make two days before and pile high on a plate in the middle of that extended table, so that when Camila finishes her career-announcement prayer and everyone finally sits down, there is more than enough sweetness to go around.

Easy Truffles

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Total Time: 2 hrs 25 min | Servings: 24 truffles

Ingredients

• 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (for coating)
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional, for coating)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped toasted pecans or sprinkles (optional, for coating)

Instructions

1. Make the ganache. Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream and butter to a bare simmer — do not boil. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes.
2. Stir smooth. Whisk the chocolate and cream together starting from the center outward until the ganache is completely smooth and glossy. Stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Chill until firm. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the ganache is firm enough to scoop and roll.
4. Set up your coating station. Place cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and any other coatings in separate shallow bowls. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Roll the truffles. Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, portion the ganache into roughly equal balls. Working quickly — the warmth of your hands will begin to melt the chocolate — roll each portion between your palms into a smooth round ball.
6. Coat immediately. Drop each ball into your coating of choice and roll to cover completely. Place finished truffles on the prepared parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Chill and serve. Refrigerate the finished truffles for at least 15 minutes before serving to firm them back up. Pile them high on a plate and set them in the center of the table. Watch them disappear.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 72 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 4mg