Chocolate Bacon Truffles (with a Dairy-Free option)

My darlings, I am so glad to bring this post to you. All of that broken computer nonsense is over and done- how lucky and thankful I am to have a husband who can fix anything (thank you for all your help, too, YouTube- couldn't have done it without you). And what better way to greet you than with this platter of chocolate bacon truffles? I am convinced that these are the ultimate offering of love, peace and good cheer.

Here's the deal- I was planning on making regular chocolate truffles, and then I saw the bacon in the fridge.. and there was no turning back. You know what I'm talking about- bacon just does that to people! I only allowed myself to eat one of these.. but let me tell you. They are beautifully creamy on the inside.. and they've got that savory, smoky bacon taste.. and then there's the little chewy bite from the topping.. it's a Christmas miracle, forreals.

Gah, look at those beauties!

You can totally make these dairy-free, and even refined sugar-free if you use a very dark chocolate and use plain bacon instead of the candied bacon. They can actually be a great source of good fat if you want them to be.

And another thing- I had some melted chocolate and some bacon left and I couldn't bear to part from it.. so I poured it into a small loaf pan and made a bacon chocolate bar. 

Yeah, things are looking good around here.

And yes, these are the perfect gift for your BFF, your man, your dad, your boss.. anyone who loves bacon. (So anyone, am I right?)

Chocolate bacon truffles!

My love letter to you.

A very merry, chocolate-y, bacon-y Christmas to all!

Chocolate Bacon Truffles (Dairy-Free option included)
by Oven Love

-inspired by Martha Stewart, Michael Ruhlman and Nom Nom Paleo
*If you want to reduce the sugar, you can just add bacon bits on top of the truffles instead of making the candied bacon topping.*

Ingredients

• 8 oz bittersweet or dark chocolate
• 8 oz milk, bittersweet or dark chocolate (this is based on what flavors you like- milk will make them smoother and sweeter if you aren't into dark chocolate)
• 1 1/3 cup heavy cream (or full fat coconut milk for dairy-free)
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 11 tablespoons good quality, unsalted butter at room temperature (or coconut oil for dairy-free)
• 8 oz good quality bacon (look for natural, pastured, nitrate-free, wood-smoked, amazingly delicious, etc)
• 1/2 cup Sucanat or turbinado sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 16 oz more chocolate, for dipping
• sea salt or smoked sea salt (optional)

Directions

1. In a large glass bowl, melt the 16 ounces of chocolate in a large bowl.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and vanilla bean/extract to 120 degrees (warm, but not boiling). Remove from the heat. If using the vanilla bean, let the milk steep for a few minutes and then remove the bean.
3. Add the cream mixture to the melted chocolate and stir until combined. Add the butter or coconut oil and combine with a stick blender (or whisk very, very quickly).  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and put in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours or up to overnight. Cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
4. To make the bacon topping, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry until crisp. Strain the bacon over a small bowl, reserving the bacon fat (you should have around 1/3 cup). Combine the cooked bacon pieces, sugar and water and bring to a boil. Cook until caramel-colored and most of the water is gone (about 275 degrees). Add the baking soda and quickly stir (it will foam up a little) and pour onto a parchment-lined pan. Refrigerate or freeze until firm. Break up with your fingers into small pieces or put into a food processor or blender to make it look more like bacon "dust."
5. To finish the truffles, scoop out the cold truffle filling by the tablespoon and and roll into balls. Return to the fridge if they start to warm up too much. When you're ready to dip them, melt the additional chocolate with the reserved bacon fat until smooth. Drop each ball into the melted chocolate, pull out with a long-tined fork and tap on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Place on a parchment-lined pan and sprinkle with the bacon topping and salt, if using. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.