Skip to content
Hola Cultura Logo
DONATE-DONAR

Recipes-Recetas / Food-Comida

¡A Comer!: Mesoamerican chocolate truffles for Valentine’s Day

By | Published | No Comments

Mesoamerican chocolate truffles on a blue flowered plates, one with a decorative ruby red heart

History: Chocolate originated in Mesoamerica

Maybe you like chocolate? Did you know that the ancient Aztecs and Mayas considered it the “food of the gods?” 

¡A comer! logo

The beans from the cacao tree used to make chocolate were valued so highly that they were used as currency — the dollars of those days — in many ancient Mesoamerican cities, according to historians and archeologists. Today’s $145 billion global market in “Dutch” chocolate, “Swiss” chocolate and fine French confections (among others) may create confusion about its origins. But the fact is, chocolate — which was brought to Spain by conquistador Hernán Cortés, after Aztec Emperor Montezuma II shared some with him — arrived in Europe late. 

Back then — and today, too, in some places — hot chocolate was made with water, not milk, as in the famous 1989 novel, “Like Water for Chocolate,” by Mexican author Laura Esquivel. The ancient beverage also included cornmeal, chile pepper and cinnamon. Today, all but the cornmeal are still required in authentic Mexican chocolate, along with a lot of sugar, making a beverage far different from the bitter elixir enjoyed by the ancients.

Truffles are delicious and surprisingly easy to make, so this Valentine’s Day, we are taking back the tradition. Here’s our recipe that converts the classic truffle into a Mesoamerican truffle fit for “a god” … or at least a sweetheart!

Mesoamerican chocolate truffles

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup ground cinnamon, separated
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground all-spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground hot pepper of your choice (see note below)
Mesoamerican chocolate truffles on a blue flowered plate

Directions

  1. Make the ganache
    Add the chocolate to a heat-resistant bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium heat until small bubbles form around the pan’s edges. Remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate. Wait a minute, then stir until the mixture is liquid. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. Mix until combined.
  2. Refrigerate
    Cover the ganache and refrigerate for about an hour until firm but still pliable.
  3. Make the truffles
    Mix ½ cup of cocoa, the remaining ½ cup of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove and chile pepper in a small bowl. Remove the ganache from the refrigerator and form balls using a spoon or small ice cream scoop. Drop the balls into the spice mix and roll until coated and ball-shaped.
  4. Refrigerate again
    Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Consume within two weeks.

Tips

  • Skip the chopping and use dark chocolate chips.
  • Don’t over-refrigerate the ganache, or you will have to melt it down and refrigerate it all over again!
  • About the chile: Most of the recipes we looked at used cayenne pepper to deliver the expected heat. But any Mexican chef or home cook will tell you traditional Mexican or Central American chocolate recipes are more likely to use chiles such as ancho, guajillo, pasilla, chipotle, chile de árbol or a combination. We tried this recipe with dried cayenne and pasilla chiles. The pasilla truffles were far superior and had a more authentic flavor.

Do you have a favorite chile for making chocolate? Share your experiences in the comment section below!

Reading List

– Copy edited by Kami Waller

Recent Stories