Dessert & Baked Goods › Vegan Truffles

This silky dairy-free chocolate comes together quickly and makes an elegant gift. The satsuma is a particularly honey-sweet variety of mandarin orange. Its relative, the clementine, makes a good substitute, but any citrus may be used here.

Yields 25-30 Truffles

• 10 oz bittersweet dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup unsweetened soymilk
• zest of 2 satsuma (seedless mandarin oranges)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1½ tbsp agave syrup
• cocoa powder for rolling
• candied orange peel (optional for garnish)

1. Fit a small bowl with the chocolate over a pan filled with 2-3" of boiling water, ensuring that the water does not reach the bottom of the bowl. Allow the rising heat of the steam to gently melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally to redistribute the melting chocolate. Continue to heat until all chocolate is melted and smooth. When fully melted, remove from heat and place bowl securely on a towel folded flat
2. As the chocolate melts, zest the satsumas. Combine zest with the unsweetened soymilk in a small saucepan and heat until steaming. Remove from heat prior to boiling and cover securely with a lid or plastic wrap. Allow the zest to steep for 10 minutes under its cover. Optionally, at the end of 10 minutes, strain the zest from the soymilk
3. Pour the warm, steeped soymilk into the bowl of melted chocolate and whisk well to combine
4. Add the olive oil and agave syrup, continuing to whisk and combine the mixture into a thick pudding consistency
5. Pour the mixture into a flat pan or shallow bowl to cool completely for several hours, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. When the mixture has fully set, use a teaspoon or melon baller to remove walnut-sized scoops of the mixture. Gently roll the scoops into balls and then dredge them in the cocoa powder to cover completely. Optionally, decorate each truffle with a small bit of candied orange peel
6. Serve at room temperature. Store in a covered container in a refrigerator for a week.