There's magic in these mushrooms! Actually, not magic. There's a secret ingredient that you would never guess that makes these truffles absolutely delicious! ....still guessing?

Avocado.

Yes way!

The basic truffles are simple to make, but of course there are always over-achievers in the bunch who want to take things a few steps further....

Step 1: Basic Truffles Supplies Needed

Mushroom Shaped Truffles
For the basic mushroom shaped truffles you will need the following:

Ingredients:

A) Truffle filling:
1 medium avocado (very ripe, soft to the touch)
1 cup high quality cocoa powder, such as Droste
3 cups 10X confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup unsalted butter

B) Candy coating:
14 oz vanilla (white) candy melts (or one 11 oz bag white chocolate chips )
14 oz bag light cocoa candy melts (or one 11 oz bag milk chocolate chips)
sugar decorating sprinkles
1 extra chocolate bar for decorating (..does anyone ever really have an "extra" chocolate bar in the house??)

Kitchen Utensils needed:
blender
electric mixer
empty ice cube trays
plastic wrap

Step 2: Making the Truffles

Making the truffle mix:

1) Melt 1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter in the microwave, or in a pan on the stove set on medium-low heat taking care not to burn the butter.

2) Cut the avocado open. Discard the skin and pit. Place all of the soft ripe avocado flesh in a blender, and blend until smooth. If you don't have a blender, place the avocado in the mixing bowl and use an electric beater to blend until smooth. Remove any noticeable lumps, if any. If helpful, you can add a small amount of the melted butter into blender to assist in making the avocado smooth.

3) Blend the avocado, the melted butter, and the vanilla to the mixing bowl. Add the cocoa, and blend. Add the confectioners sugar and blend.

Your truffle mixture should be firm enough to mold into a nice soft ball in your hand. If your dough is too sticky (if it sticks all over your fingers when you try to roll it), add confectioners sugar in 1/4 cup increments until the dough will hold a nice soft shape and is no longer sticky.

4) Wrap your truffle dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and place it in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to firm up slightly.

Step 3: Shaping the Mushrooms

5) Shaping the truffles by hand:
Roll 1 Tablespoon of dough quickly in the palm of your hand into a round ball.
While cupping the ball of dough in the palm of one hand, grasp the center top of the ball with the fingers of your other hand and press/pull the dough into a stem shape

- Or-

Shaping the truffles by mold:
See the cute little ice tray mold I found in the grocery store? It has a nice flexible tip at the bottom of each little ice cube well, that makes it easy to pop the truffle dough out when you're done. If you have an ice cube tray like this one, just stuff each little ice cube well with 1 Tablespoon of truffle dough, and press/pull with your fingers to shape the excess dough into a stem shape.

Put the mushroom shaped truffles into the freezer to harden, about 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Decorating the Truffles

Decorating the truffles:

6) Microwave 1/2 cup of white vanilla candy melts in a small microwave safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir. If not smoothly melted, microwave in 10-15 second intervals until melted and smooth. Let cool slightly, but not so that it begins to harden.

7) Remove the chilled mushroom truffle shapes from the freezer. Holding the mushrooms by the top, dip the stems into the melted white vanilla candy bowl until the stem, and underside of the mushroom top are coated. If (WHEN) you need more white vanilla candy coating, melt another batch in the microwave as per the prior step.

8) Set the mushrooms stem-down into empty ice cube trays to hold them upright, and return them to the freezer to harden.

Step 5: Decorating the Mushroom Tops

Decorating the mushroom tops:

A) For Red Mushroom tops:

1) Microwave 1 cup of white vanilla candy melts (or if using white chocolate chips, add 1 tsp shortening to 1 cup of white chocolate chips) for 50-60 seconds. Stir. If not fully melted and smooth, microwave in additional 10-15 second intervals until smooth.

2) Add red and orange candy coloring (such as Wilton candy coloring), or red and yellow food coloring and stir. Keep adding small amounts of coloring until you the nice red-orange color you want.

3) Remove the chilled truffles from the freezer, hold them by the white candy coated stem, and dip the tops into the red colored melted candy. Set the truffles stem down back into the empty ice cube tray.

4) Sprinkle immediately with decorating sugar while the tops are still wet. (Once the melted candy sets, the sugar will not stick to the mushroom tops.)

B) For light cocoa mushroom tops:

1) Microwave 1 cup of white vanilla candy melts plus 8-10 light cocoa candy melts(or if using white chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips, add 1 tsp shortening to chips before microwaving) for 50-60 seconds. Stir. If not fully melted and smooth, microwave in additional 10-15 second intervals until smooth.

2) For the chocolate flakes, scrape the edge of a chocolate bar with the edge of a vegetable peeler into a small dish.

3) Remove the chilled truffles from the freezer, hold them by the white candy coated stem, and dip the tops into the vanilla/cocoa colored melted candy. Set the truffles stem down back into the empty ice cube tray.

4) Sprinkle immediately with the chocolate flakes while the tops are still wet. (Once the melted candy sets, the sugar will not stick to the mushroom tops.)

Return your candy coated mushrooms to the refrigerator to harden.

Your mushrooms truffles are complete :)

......and now, for those over-achievers in the crowd, read on for a few extra steps that will turn your little treats into little edible treasures!

Step 6: Mushroom Truffle Forest Cups

Mushroom Truffle Forest Cups

To turn your little mushroom truffles into little forest cups like the ones in the photo, you'll need to make a wonderful Mocha Mint chocolate clay base to set your mushrooms on, and decorate them with jelly beans and dyed coconut flakes.

Extra Ingredients:
Mocha Mint Chocolate Clay ingredients:
14 oz candy melts (light cocoa works well)
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp mint extract,
1/2 tsp instant coffee such as Starbucks Via Ready Brew

Decorations:
Flake coconut
Green food coloring
jelly beans

Extra supplies:
rolling pin
round cookie cutter (sized to fit your muffin tops), or sharp knife to cut clay into the shape you need to fill your decorative container
Muffin top cups or decorative container*

*These muffin Top Cups are like short, wide cupcake paper liners from "Cupcake Creations", and are slightly sturdier than the usual cupcake paper liners...You could just use little paper doilies, or cut down the sides of some pretty cupcake paper liners to be about 1/2" high. Another idea would be to use cardstock to shape a small shallow square shaped decorative tray.

Step 7: Mocha Mint Chocolate "Clay"

Mocha Mint Chocolate Clay recipe:
1) Microwave 14 oz of light cocoa candy melts for 1 minute in the microwave. Stir. If mixture is not smoothly melted, microwave in 30 second increments until mixture is fully melted.

2) Add 1/3 cup light corn syrup, 1/2 tsp mint extract, and 1/2 tsp instant coffee. Stir.

The mixture will quickly take on a dough-like feeling while you stir. Once the ingredients are full blended, place your dough on parchment paper. Rub a very light coating of shortening onto your rolling pin and a section of parchment paper and roll out like pie dough with a rolling pin to approx 3/8" thick.

You can make your candy clay any flavor you like. I made two flavors. The darker one in the photo is the mocha mint. The other is simply 12 oz of vanilla candy, with 2 oz of light cocoa candy, and 1/3 cup of light corn syrup (without the mint or coffee flavoring).

Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and leave out at room temperature overnight to "settle"

Step 8: Decorating the Forest Mushroom Cups

1) Cut your "base" from the candy clay to fit the size of your muffin top cup, or other decorative container

2) Melt 1/2 cup of candy melts or chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir until smooth.

3) Spread melted chocolate onto your candy clay base

4) Place the candy clay base, wet side up into the decorative container

5) Dip the bottom tip of a chilled candy coated mushroom stem into the melted chocolate, and press the mushroom into the melted chocolate coated candy clay base. Hold it steadily for a few seconds until it sits securely on its own.
Add as many mushrooms to the base as you like this way.

6) Place 1/2 cup of coconut flakes into a small plastic sandwich bag. Add 4-6 drops of food coloring, and shake the bag to mix well until your dye is evenly distributed.

7) Add the dyed coconut grass to your decorative container around the base of the mushrooms. Add jelly beans.

Step 9: Epilogue- the Busy Bee

I love it when stories have that extra little tidbit at the end that just wraps up the whole plot into a nice complete package.

How about adding a bumble bee truffle to top off your mushrooms?

1) Take 1/2 tsp of your chocolate truffle dough, and roll it in your palm to make a "jelly bean" shape. Chill it in the freezer for few minutes.

2) Coat with melted chocolate (I used my chocolate bar for this so as to have a nice dark brown for the bee). Chill again.

3) Add yellow stripes with Yellow Writing Icing (by Cake Mate)

4) Secure to your mushroom by adding a dab of melted chocolate to the belly of the bee. Press the bee onto your mushroom and hold in place until set

5) Add two sliced almond "wings" by dipping one end of each in melted chocolate, and pressing it gently into the bees body on each side. Hold each wing until set.

6) Eyes? Add two dots of blue Writing Icing.

7) Smile! No, seriously- a BIG SMILE. Great job! Your little Mushroom Forest cups are so darn cute!!