Yes. Red Wine. Chocolate. Truffles. You read that correctly.

I'll give you a minute.

Ok. Now that we've processed this bit of information, you may notice that you're experiencing a bit of déjà vu, which is probably because you had a similar moment of -- chocolate?! wine?! dessert?! all together?! -- last year, when I posted this recipe for Red Wine Chocolate Cupcakes. Indeed, much like a snow day on the morning of a test you haven't studied for, wine and chocolate made in to a dessert seem almost too good to be true.

It's no coincidence that these truffles fit pretty well in to the the whole romantic-box-of-chocolates-Valentine's Day-thing -- I wouldn't be doing my duty as a blogger if I didn't post a recipe related to a holiday -- so if you're looking for a recipe or a homemade gift to celebrate February 14th with your significant other, here it is (after all, does it get more romantic and Valentine-y than a box of homemade, red wine, truffles?! I think not). That being said, I've realized that Red Wine Chocolate Truffles are more versatile than you'd think, stretching far beyond Valentine's Day. Situations where Red Wine Chocolate Truffles are also appropriate include, but are not limited to:

-After dinner, if you need something sweet to close out the meal;
-To placate 11am hunger pains at work, when lunch is in sight but not quite close enough;
-To quell a 3pm chocolate craving at work, when lunch seems like a distant memory and dinner is hours away;
-As a pick-me-up after a long, not so good day;
-As a reward after a good, productive day
-As a midnight snack;
-As a treat at any point in the day, no matter what kind of day you've had;
-Literally whenever you want because hey, you have a box of (homemade) Red Wine Chocolate Truffles on hand, and we're not one to let those go to waste!

Moral of the story then is: significant other or not, these truffles are good for anyone, anytime (hurray!) Now that we've cleared that up, let's get to the recipe, which comes from one of my new favorite blogs, Girl in the Little Red Kitchen. GLRK is run by Susan Palmer, who, for any of you lucky enough to be living in NYC, is also the owner of Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop, where she bakes up a variety of not only cookies but cookie pies (!!!) The recipes you'll find on Susan's blog are the kind that you read and immediately bookmark in your brain under "MUST MAKE," and these Red Wine Chocolate Truffles are no exception. They are deeply, darkly, chocolate-y, with a bittersweet flavor complemented by warm, slightly sweet wine-y undertones, and a perfectly smooth and fudge-y texture finished off with a dusting of cocoa powder to keep things fancy. Long story short: a few of these are far better than a bouquet of thorny roses or a bottle of potentially-cloying perfume, and they hands down put any box of store-bought chocolates to shame. If you're concerned about making homemade candies, don't be! All you have to do here is melt all the ingredients together on the stove, after which its just a matter of rolling the ganache into truffles and giving them a quick dip in their cocoa powder bath. But I think I had you at "Red Wine Chocolate Truffles" anyways, didn't I?

A couple of notes: Use good quality chocolate and wine that you would actually want to drink for this recipe; there are so few ingredients that everything counts here. Susan suggests using disposable gloves for rolling the truffles (understandable as this can be quite messy) but I didn't use them and was able to form the truffles just fine, just had to do a little hand washing after. Do try and roll the truffles quickly so that they don't start to melt with the heat of your hands. The truffles will stay good for about 3-4 weeks, as long as they are refrigerated or frozen.

Looking for other Valentine's Day desserts? Click here!

RED WINE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Recipe from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen. Makes about 20 truffles.

Ingredients:
8 (224) ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao), chopped
1/2 cup (120ml) red wine
1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream
Pinch of salt
Good quality cocoa powder for dusting
Sea salt for dusting (optional)
Mini cupcake liners for serving

Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the wine and heavy cream to a simmer. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl and pour the wine and heavy cream mix over the chocolate. Let sit for about 30 seconds to let the chocolate soften and then whisk until the chocolate is completely melted.

Cover the bowl, and place in the refrigerator to chill until solid (for at least 4-6 hours or overnight).

Using a small cookie scoop (or a regular spoon if you don't have one,) scoop out the ganache and roll into balls. Once all the truffles have been scooped and rolled -- you should have about 20 -- place the platter in the freezer for about 5 minutes to let your truffles set.

Arrange a bowl with cocoa powder and another clean tray lined with mini cupcake liners to place the finished truffles in. Remove the truffles from the freezer, put on disposable gloves if you have them, and quickly roll the truffles so that they are evenly round and coat with cocoa powder. Place in a cupcake liner and top with a touch of sea salt, if using. Continue until all the truffles are rolled and coated.

Store the truffles in the refrigerator, covered and bring to room temperature before serving.