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Monday, September 5, 2011

Coeur d'Alene Chocolates

I love truffles, and I'm always happy to try new chocolates. Recently I had the pleasure of sampling truffles from Coeur D'Alene ChocolatesCoeur d'Alene Chocolates, based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, just celebrated their second anniversary, and they're expanding. Now that I've tasted their truffles, I can see why.

Coeur d’Alene Chocolates is a family owned and operated business devoted to making handmade gourmet chocolates and confections. The company controls the entire process from start to finish.

At Coeur d'Alene everything is handmade, in small batches, with a focus on freshness and flavor and that translates into taste. They start with fresh creamy butter and heavy whipping cream. Then they add fondant and other raw ingredients to arrive at the desired taste.  Each truffle is covered in semi-dark or white chocolate. Their chocolate is my chocolate making chocolate of choice Guittard.  Each truffle is unique--in flavor, ingredients and design! What I wouldn't give for the recipes, but they, too, are a family secret. Guess for now I'll just have to 'settle' for ordering more Coeur d'Alene Chocolates!

I judge a lot of chocolates, so let me tell you what I look for in a truffle. Overall Flavor! But also, filling, chocolate and appearance. I really love that each truffle I tasted was a beautiful work of art!

I'm not usually a fan of white chocolate but the Lemon Butter Cream truffle is awesome, not to be confused with the Key Lime truffle which is like being in the Florida Keys. The Kahlua Truffle is incredibly smooth like a good cup of coffee with sweet cream and a hint of liqueur. My favorite of the ones I tasted was the Peanut Butter Truffle. It's a gold painted candy: Gorgeous design and delicious. Nutty and earthy and sweet. Just the right balance.

If you order the truffles online you'll get a mix of Chocolate Truffle, Chocolate Pudding Pie Truffle, Pecan Pie Truffle, Bailey’s Irish Cream Truffle,  Strawberry Cheesecake Truffle, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle, White Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle, Blueberry Truffle, Bordeaux Chocolate Truffle, Key Lime Truffle, Espresso truffle, Toasted Coconut Truffle , Mint Truffle, Grand Marnier Truffle, Milk Chocolate Truffle, and Kahlua Truffle. Depends on how many you order. If you're on Facebook, you'll want to "like" Coeur d'Alene.

They have seasonal chocolates that sound awesome. I'm not sure if they're all available by mail. Might just take a trip to Coeur d'Alene! 

I didn't try the sugar free truffles, but if they're anything like the 'real' chocolates, they're scrumptious.

2 comments:

Madeleine said...

Did I miss where you gave the address???

Janet Rudolph said...

Hi, Madeleine,

Click on the link to Coeur d'Alene Chocolates. You can order online and there are retail stores, too.