Strawberry truffles are amazing - creamy and sweet with just a hint of bitterness from the dark chocolate coating. And you can make the truffles dairy free and even vegan if you use the right chocolate. :D

I'm always scoping out dairy free desserts - I want to eat all the desserts without getting a food baby!

These strawberry truffles came out of recipe I found for strawberry creme truffles on Pinterest. I tried it out but just wasn't happy with the flavor - there wasn't any! So I messed with the recipe and I think it's much tastier now. I hope you'll agree. :)

Step 1: Ingredients + Tools

1 quart strawberries (at least three cups sliced)
1 cup coconut butter
3 tablespoons powdered sugar (or to taste!) - if you would like to use a liquid sweetener instead do 2 tablespoons.
12 oz good quality chocolate for melting - I'm using Guittard

Pick the freshest, strongest smelling berries you can. Try to make these at the peak of strawberry season for best results. Otherwise you won't get much flavor! You may be able to boost the flavor by using a strawberry extract, too.

You can buy coconut butter or make it yourself if you can't find it locally. Click here to check out how to make coconut butter at home.

In addition, you'll need the following equipment:

a food processor - I always recommend this Cuisinart one! I've had it for a couple years now and really put it through its paces. It's a workhorse!!
a spatula
parchment or wax paper
a cookie sheet

Step 2: Prep the Strawberries

Wash the strawberries and cut off the tops. I like to halve or quarter mine as well for easier blending. Just go ahead and prep the whole quart - whatever you don't throw in you can eat. :D

Step 3: Process Everything But the Chocolate Together

Combine the coconut butter, powdered sugar and two cups of strawberries in the food processor. Process until nice and smooth.

At this point you will need to decide two things:

Does it need more strawberries? If it's lacking flavor the answer is yes. I pretty much put the whole quart in. The theme of the day became MOAR STRAWBERRIES
Does it need to be sweeter? If so, add a half tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time and process again.

Keep on trucking until you like the mix.

Step 4: Chill, Form Into Truffle Balls and Freeze

At this point you should have a beautiful and tasty truffle mix. Test it to see if you can form it into balls right away. If the mix is too warm and soft, pop it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and then take it out and test again.

You want the mixture to be firm but not hard. :)

Place a sheet of parchment or wax paper on a cookie sheet.

Scoop out 1-2 tablespoons of the mix and roll it quickly into a ball with your hands. Try to work quickly so the coconut butter doesn't get too melty.

I was able to get 20 truffles out of this mix, but you may get more or less depending on the size you go with.

Once all the truffles are formed, put the whole sheet in the freezer for at least an hour. (The outside needs to be rock hard for the next step!)

Step 5: Melt the Chocolate Coating

After the truffles are nice and frozen, you'll get the chocolate ready.

I do this in the microwave, but you can use the double boiler method too - just whatever you're comfortable with!

Put your chocolate in a medium sized bowl and pop them in the microwave. Microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds and then stir with a spatula. Scrape down the sides and mix well every time - mixing well means the chocolate melts faster!

Repeat microwaving at 50% power for 30 seconds until all the chocolate is nicely melted. For me, this normally takes 3-4 cycles.

Step 6: Dip and Chill!

For this next part, all you need are the frozen truffles, the melted chocolate and two forks.

Drop one truffle at a time into the chocolate and use the forks to roll it around. Coat all sides well and then use the forks to transfer it back to the baking sheet.

If you truffles are cold enough, the chocolate will firm up immediately.

Repeat until all the truffles are done!

If you find the chocolate starts to firm up, you can microwave it as you did before to get it nice and fluid again.

Once they're all done throw them back in the freezer.

Step 7: Serving + Storage

I like to keep the majority of the truffles in the freezer for long term storage and one small container in the fridge for immediate eating. I divvied them up into small freezer bags - 4-6 per bag. As I eat the ones in the fridge, I replace them with new ones from the freezer.

These truffles are best nice and cold out of the fridge. The insides are nice and creamy that way! Eating them straight out of the freezer works, too - but they're quite firm and crumbly.

The frozen truffles should keep very well for 2-3 months, but try to eat the ones in the fridge within 5-7 days.