Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

These are always a huge hit. My husband loves them so much I have to make a batch just for him every Christmas. I love them because they look so "fancy" but are so easy to make. I usually make 1 batch per cookie tray because they are always the first to go.

Ingredients
Adapted from Ina Garten

nocoupons

• 1/2 pound good bittersweet chocolate (recommended: Lindt)
• 1/2 pound good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Ghiradelli)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons orange flavored liqueur, optional (I use Frangelico, which is hazelnut)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract

Directions

-Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Place them in a heat-proof mixing bowl.

Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds. Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with chocolate. With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the liqueur if using, and vanilla. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

With your hands and/or 2 teaspoons, make round balls of the chocolate mixture and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Place them in the freezer to "set up" before coating in chocolate, just for a few minutes. Remove from freezer.

Set up a double boiler on your stove top and add about 1/2 bag of semi sweet chocolate and a few heaping spoonfulls of shortening (I use Crisco). Stir mixture and continue to stir until the mixture is very smooth and everything is completely melted. One by one, using a teaspoon, dip truffles in melted chocolate mixture until completely coated and put on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Put tray in refridgerator for about an hour or two, until chocolate is completely hardened. Either serve as is, or drizzle with white chocolate.