I can’t believe that I’m about to utter these two words, but I’m just going to spit them right out – Valentine’s Day. If you’re like me, you’ve barely finished packing away your holiday décor and pine needles may still fleck your floors. However, I’m sure you’ve ventured into Target or your local market only to be bombarded by all things pink and heart shaped.

I’ve never really been one to go crazy over Valentine’s Day – honestly I don’t even think Brian and I exchanged cards last year and that’s perfectly fine with me. If you are from the Midwest, you may also “celebrate” Sweetest Day which in my opinion is a marketing ploy to sell some greeting cards during the month of October – apparently Halloween cards aren’t all the rage.

As a kid, my mom always treated us to a special Valentine’s Day treat which usually included various candies and red, heart shaped suckers for Jared and I and chocolate covered almonds for my dad. So, even though I don’t get all gushy and go all out for this holiday – it’s always given me an excuse to eat dessert.

Brian picked up a bottle of Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka because he thought that I may enjoy it with the copious amounts of Hot Chocolate that I have been consuming. However, since I’m not much of a drinker, the amount that I was adding to my mug was quite trivial, so like all the liquor that ends up in my house, it was given a new purpose – S’mores Truffles.

Decadent chocolate is combined with Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka, and rolled into graham cracker crumbs for a fun spin on a classic flavor combination. And if you have a little extra time and patience on your agenda, you can even nestle a miniature marshmallow inside of each truffle.

So if you plan on making a little something special for your Valentine – or if not, these S’mores Truffles are a delicious adult treat for any occasion. If marshmallow vodka isn’t your thing, or you want to feed these to the kiddos, see the notes below for details on how to adapt the recipe.

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more homemade treat ideas for your Valentine – heck I may even throw in something pink and heart shaped!

S'mores Truffles

Yield: about 20 truffles

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces high quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka (see step #2)
• 20 miniature marshmallows (optional)
• 4 sheets of graham crackers, crushed into crumbs

Instructions

1. In a double boiler over barely simmering water, combine chocolate, butter and heavy cream. Heat until chocolate is melted. Stir until you have a smooth mixture.

2. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Pour mixture into a shallow casserole dish and cool at room temperature for about 25 minutes. A good measure of readiness is to place a small dab of chocolate on your lips, if it’s not warm, the truffle mixture is ready to be infused.

3. Stir in the Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours. If you refrigerate longer than two hours, the mixture will be too hard to work with. If this occurs, allow the mixture to sit at room temperature until it is pliable enough to work with.

4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small scoop (2 teaspoons) or a melon baller, scoop out chocolate mixture (if stuffing with miniature marshmallows see the note section below), roll into one inch balls, and place on prepared baking sheet. Continue with remaining chocolate mixture. Roll balls into graham cracker crumbs. Refrigerate truffles until ready to serve.

Notes

- I wouldn't say the Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka is incredibly necessary. It did add a bit of sweetness and a creamy flavor. If you don't want to buy it - I don't blame you, so just omit it.
- I found the best way to "stuff" the marshmallow into the truffle was to use a small (2 teaspoons) scoop. Scoop (scrape) the truffle mixture into the small scoop, filling it about halfway full. Stuff the marshmallow into the chocolate and continue to scoop (scrape) the mixture to form a ball.
- I recommend making these the day that you serve them, you'll just want to factor in the chill time. If you do need to store them, keep them in the refrigerator and remove to room temperature about 30 minutes before you serve them.