The Sweetest Gift

On Friday night the sweetest, most unexpected gift arrived on my doorstep:

Dairy free gourmet truffles and a dairy free gourmet chocolate bar!  



 Coconut vegan truffles and acai vegan truffles



I had already eaten 2 before I thought to take a picture. They are so so good!

My best friend Aimee sent this to me totally out of the blue just because she wanted to put a smile on my face.  I am one lucky girl to have her as my best friend. We have been friends for close to 20 years- since our Freshman year in high school.  Over the years she has been the one person I can call at 2am for any reason (and I have).  She is the one I can go to for ANYTHING and she doesn't laugh at me or judge me.   We don't always agree -there a lot of things we do disagree about, but we have never had a fight.  We don't hold grudges against one another for any reason (such as having to cancel plans, or not being the first to call the other that week), and I don't have to worry that I have upset or offended her. She knows me better than I know myself some days, and she gives me far more credit than I deserve. 

 She has also been the most supportive person when it comes to my dairy issue (other than my husband and parents).  She will go out of her way to make sure that I can eat at gatherings- even adapting recipes so I can enjoy them.  And now she has gone and found these amazing dairy free ( and vegan) dark chocolate truffles that I swear are heaven sent!  They are so delicious and you cannot tell there is no dairy in them- they taste just like the real thing!  (And I promise you, I won't be sharing these:-) )

Me, Aimee, and her husband at his birthday bash

So to my best friend I say thank you so much for thinking of me, and for putting another smile on my face:-)  You're the BEST!! 

If you are looking for some amazing dairy free or vegan chocolate check out this website: http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/category/Vegan-Chocolates-Animal-and-Dairy-Free-Chocolate-Gifts

Chocolate Fudge Ball Cookies~*Gluten Free* Version

**These are originally not gluten or dairy free. I adapted the recipe for my gluten free readers this year. They can be made with butter and all purpose flour for those of you not looking for GF or DF cookies. Just use the same measurements for the flour and margarine.**


My very favorite Christmas cookie recipe is one for Chocolate Fudge Balls. My mom has been making these every single Christmas for as long as I can recall. It truly is not Christmas until we have Fudge Balls and Party Mix (that recipe is coming soon!). This year I decided to make these cookies gluten free as well as dairy free. I have never used gluten free flour before- I don't have a need to be gluten free, but since I have had requests for more gluten free recipes I thought I would give it a try. And it worked! These cookies are amazing- just as they are every year! I had my husband try them and he agrees- they taste just like the ones my Mom makes.
If you are gluten and dairy free I really hope you give these a try. I realize it's very close to Christmas, but they take less time than most cookies, and only a few ingredients. I promise you- they are totally worth it!


Gluten Free & Dairy Free Chocolate Fudge Balls:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1 and 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted Gluten Free Flour
confectioner's sugar

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper (makes for easy cleanup)

1. Melt margarine with chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat.


Stir constantly-Be extremely careful not to burn the chocolate. Remove from heat and let cool for a couple minutes.



2.Add sugar, egg, salt, and vanilla extract; mix well.
Add in your flour using a sifter.

Those little hands on the sifter are my oldest daughter's. My girls were helping me make these.

Combine well. The batter will be thick.

3. Shape the dough into balls. You can use a teaspoon to measure the dough, but I usually eyeball it. The ball should be the size of a large gumball. Place on your lined cookie sheets.


4. Bake at 375F for 7-9 minutes. You will know they are done because they will get small cracks in them.


5. Allow them to cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes. Roll them in confectioners sugar while they are still warm.



Store them in a airtight container or freeze. They freeze really well!



If you do try them (and I really hope you do!)please let me know either by leaving a comment here on the blog or on my Facebook page or by sending me a tweet on Twitter.

Special thanks to my Mom for sharing this recipe with me and allowing me to share it with you all.

**This recipe is adapted from the "Pillsbury Family Cookbook" and I believe the copyright is in the late 1950's or early 1960's.**