Christmas Kitchen: Make-Ahead Baileys Chocolate Truffle Bombes

Make-Ahead Christmas Baileys Chocolate Truffle Bombes

This post was created in partnership with Baileys Chocolate. When I asked on Instagram a few months ago what people wanted from my Christmas Kitchen recipes this year as well as the usual festive bakes and cocktails, you told me you wanted to see more make-ahead recipes for entertaining, and more festive puddings. So, when Baileys Chocolate got in touch to see if I wanted to create a Christmas recipe with their Baileys-spiked chocolate truffles, I decided to create these Baileys-enriched chocolate truffle bombes with a hidden truffle middle, perfect to make-ahead and store in the fridge or the freezer as an elegant holiday dessert for the end of a festive meal.

Make-Ahead Baileys Chocolate Truffle Bombes
Baileys Chocolates

I know that fancy kitchen equipment is not really something I usually include in my recipes, but if you like making elegant desserts, it might be worth investing in a set of panna cotta sized dessert moulds (ad), which is what I’ve used to shape these bombes. However, if you’re looking for something you’ve already got at home for a one off holiday pud, you could also use the holes of a muffin tin or silicone muffin or cupcake mould, just keep in mind that by using different containers, you might be changing up the amount of bombes this recipe will make!

Christmas Baileys Chocolate Truffle Bombes

So what else do I need to tell you? You’ve got some decisions to make with the chestnuts in this dessert. Ideally, you’ll be able to use chestnut puree. Merchant Gourment make it, and you can also get it in those cute little white, blue and brown cans from France. It will make you a nice smooth pudding. However, I could not find it in a massive Sainsbury’s, which means you might not be able to find it either. So, you can use vacuum packed cooked chestnuts instead; just blitz them down in a mini chopper or food processor as fine as you can get them. No, you won’t get as smooth a pudding, but it’s still rather lovely; my mother actually prefers the texture!

Otherwise, you’re all set! Even if you don’t think you’ll need all 6 bombes to serve everyone, I encourage you to make the full amount. Not only have I designed the recipe to use up a full bar plain chocolate and pot of double cream, but spare desserts are also helpful over Christmas. We’ve been making little desserts you can stash in the freezer and defrost for later like this (see recipe note) for years, and we’ve always finished them by January!

Baileys Chocolate Truffle Bombes
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Make-Ahead Baileys Chocolate Truffle Bombes

  • Author: Rachel Phipps
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes (plus chilling time)
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: Christmas

Description

These easy chocolate bombes, spiked with Baileys Irish Cream are the perfect make-ahead festive dessert with a hidden Baileys truffle centre.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 180g Plain Chocolate
  • 180g Chestnut Puree or Vacuum Packed Chestnuts, blitzed until very fine
  • 200g Creme Fraiche
  • 300ml Double Cream
  • 1 tbsp Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
  • 3 tbsp Baileys
  • 2 x Packs Baileys Chocolate Truffles or Baileys Salted Caramel Chocolate Truffles
  • Cocoa Powder
  • Edible Gold Lustre (optional, to decorate)
  • Edible Silve Lustre (optional, to decorate)

Instructions

  1. Melt the chocolate. While some people are quite good at doing this in the microwave, I prefer to do this in a heatproof glass bowl set over a pan of just simmering water – make sure the glass is not touching the water – you want the steam to melt the chocolate, not the water! Set the chocolate aside to cool a little.
  2. Double line 6 small metal panna cotta moulds with cling film / kitchen wrap and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, beat together the creme fraiche and chestnut puree or ground chestnuts until smooth.
  4. In another large bowl using an electric hand whisk, beat together the double cream, icing sugar and Baileys into soft peaks.
  5. Using a metal spoon, gradually fold half the cream into the chestnut mixture. Then, fold in the chocolate, followed by the rest of the cream.
  6. Half fill the molds with the mixture, making sure to press it down well into the corners. Hide a truffle in the middle of each bombe before topping up with the rest of the mixture. Smooth the tops and transfer to the fridge to set overnight.
  7. To serve, carefully turn the bombes out onto 6 plates and dust the tops of each with cocoa powder pushed through a fine sieve to create a velvety effect.
  8. Arrange the remaining truffles on a cutting board and blitz them with the lustre, turning half the truffles gold, and the other half silver. Using a palette knife to carefully move the truffles and doing your best not to touch them and get fingerprints in the lustre, transfer a gold and silver decorated truffle to the top of each bombe, and serve.

Notes

If you use blitzed chestnuts instead of chestnut puree you won’t get as smooth result, but they’re much easier to find in most supermarkets, especially over Christmas!

You can freeze these puddings for up to a week and defrost them before serving.

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