Although I’m a quarter Irish, the real reason I look forward to St. Patrick’s Day each year is the excuse to bake with Bailey’s. Last year I made Bailey’s Cupcakes and I still have dreams about that absurdly delicious frosting. Bailey’s on the rocks is one of my favorite guilty pleasures and I sneak it into my coffee whenever appropriate (aka not on school mornings before taking a drill to a patient’s face,of course). So when I saw the idea of a liquor bonbon a few months ago, I knew I wanted to try to recreate them with Bailey’s in time for St. Patrick’s Day. As a true Bailey’s aficionado, I loved these truffles and couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate the 2nd best holiday of March (behind my birthday, duhh!).
What’s so great about these is they’re not just chocolate truffles infused with some Bailey’s, they’re actually chocolate shells with a liquid center. The amount of liquor included in each truffle depends on how thick you make your chocolate shells and the shape of the molds you chose. Some of my friends that sampled these thought they were a bit strong, but those that love Bailey’s as much as I do thought the amount was just right. So you’d have to judge the tastes of your crowd and make them accordingly. Erring on a thicker chocolate shell is probably a better choice anyway though – it limits the amount of liquid inside but also is more protective against leaking. Either way you make them, remember to tell your guests they have to pop the whole thing in their mouths at once or they’ll end up with a big mess in their hands!
I used the same mold as my Birthday Cake Jello Shots, but there are a whole variety of candy and truffle molds out there that would work (this one would definitely work, and here’s the link to the one I used.) I decided to decorate them by piping white chocolate drizzles and then sprinkling them with crushed up Health bar to dress them up a bit. They’re a little on the messy side rather than elegant, but I guess that’s to be expected for a truffle filled with booze. If you’re making these for St. Patty’s, a healthy dose of green sprinkles would be great too!
Bailey's-Filled Truffles
Recipe adapted from Testado, Provado, e Aprovado
Yield: 30 truffles
Ingredients:
2 bags chocolate candy melts
Bailey's liquor (or whatever kind of liquor you like)
White chocolate for drizzling
Crushed up Heath Bar or sprinkles for decoration
Candy mold (like this one)
Directions:
Please refer to the photos below while following the recipe instructions:
1. Lightly grease each well with cooking spray or vegetable oil. Melt chocolate candy and use a spoon to drop some chocolate in each well and spread it up the sides. You have to be very meticulous to cover the entire thing in chocolate and ensure there's no red (or whatever color your mold is) peaking through. I would recommend doing one coat, letting it set in the freezer for a few minutes, and then adding another coat
2. While you're waiting for those to dry, find a circular object in your kitchen (the top to a bottle of vodka was the best size for me) that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the candy wells. Trace the circle repeatedly on a piece of blank paper. Slip this paper under a sheet of wax paper. Melt more chocolate and transfer it into a piping bag. Pipe the chocolate onto the wax paper to make saucers, staying within the lines you traced.
3. Fill the chocolate wells are 3/4 of the way with Bailey's liquor.
4. Place the dried chocolate saucers on top of the Bailey's - you want the saucers to be sitting slightly above the liquid so the two don't touch.
5. Finally, melt more chocolate and pipe another layer to cover the entire top of each saucer-covered-well to secure the edges and make sure there's no leakage. Let them set completely in the fridge before working to remove truffles from wells. Serve cold and enjoy!
OMG YUMMY
Wow my two favourite things….. I am so giving this a try!!
Have you thought about a way to make the insides a baileys chocolate mixture?
This made me so happy. Oh my, so happy!
I am so impressed with you! These are so cute, and so perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. If I can find the time for this meticulous task, I am going to try to make them myself. Yum!
Yes, yes, yes! It’s like a chocolate shot. Bailey’s is my favorite after-dinner drink. These are so yummy!
Seriously awesome!
Wow! Impressive!