I love to bake…probably just as much as I look to cook.  I strongly believe that chocolate can mend a broken heart and that some of the best sweets are the ones that don’t require an oven.  Just a few simple ingredients, a “chill chest” as Alton Brown would say, and some TLC and you too can have delightful desserts in no time.

Last night, in honor of an old friend’s birthday, I decided to embark on a recipe I got from Baked Perfection, a baking blog I stumbled upon.  (PS… totally check this site out; the girl is a genius.)  I wasn’t in the mood to bake a cake or do anything ridiculously extravagant but a category on her page caught my eye: Cakeballs.

Okay, okay… they are truffles.  But the most fabulous truffles I’ve ever tried. (Sorry Lintz).  It combines my favorite ingredients, peanut butter and chocolate, into a quarter-sized cookie dough ball (no worries, its egg free).  You then freeze the balls before covering them in melted chocolate and chilling them again.

Now, these may seem mediocre.  Trust me, they aren’t.  They are soft pillows of dessert perfection.  Small enough to pop into your mouth and savor each layer of flavor.  Like a Reese’s PB cup… except 100 times better.  I could’ve eaten the whole plateful.  Luckily, I restrained myself to just one.

Truffles are one of those things that get a bad rep, I think.  They can be incredibly expensive and some of the flavors are just downright weird.  Besides, how much better does it feel when you give a gift, even something as simple as truffles, and the person knows you made them with love.  Plus, how often do you get homemade truffles as a gift?  Especially ones that taste this AMAZING?  Something to think about…

So the next time you are shopping for a holiday present (or just in search of a chocolate-y treat), skip the bagged goodies and make them yourself.  I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Head over to Baked Perfection at www.bakedperfection.com and click on her quick link to Cakeballs…”Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough”. 

Now I must go have one!