A recipe for a Spicy Potluck!

We were invited this weekend to a neighborhood get-together/potluck but there was one hitch...you had to bring something to eat and it had to be HOT as in Spicy HOT, as in HOT HOT HOT--what a great idea!! I totally loved it and I spent a lot of time thinking of something to make, but time was running out, so it had to be quick. For some reason, I was fixating on desert--especially chocolate.   I remember checking out those gorgeous Vosges chocolate bars at the Whole Foods check out, one in particular...the Red Fire Bar...made with ancho & chipotle chiles with cinnamon in dark chocolate.  But at $7.50 a bar, I never actually indulged...(but always really wanted to!)

And then in the back of my mind, I vaguely remembered seeing a recipe on Huffington Post (of all places) for a chipotle truffle, hmmm, that seemed interesting..so that was it.   I was making: Chipotle-Cinnamon Truffles  I found this recipe on-line; and I actually TRIPLED the amount of chipotle powder I put in (and doubled the cinnamon) and what you get is this:  the full-flavor of the chocolate in all its decadent ganache awesomeness with the wonderful warmth of the cinnamon but then..it's at the end; the finish, you get this smokey note of spice that warms your throat and just makes things more interesting.  These will not set your tongue on fire, I promise, but they are perfect to take to your next Hot and Spicy Potluck!!

Chipotle-Cinnamon Truffles

For the Ganache Filling:
12 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz. (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (as a starting point; be prepared to add more)
4-5 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder for dusting.

Melt chocolate, butter, and cream in double-boiler on medium heat on stove. Stir till smooth. Add cinnamon and chipotle powder (by all means taste! adding a little bit a time). Pour into glass bowl and cover.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours- probably longer, until ganache is firm enough to roll into balls. Using your hands--this part will be messy--quickly roll a tablespoon-full-ish amount of the ganache between the palms of your hands and roughly roll into a ball shape.  Set aside until all balls are formed.
Then roll formed balls on a plate sprinkled with the dark cocoa powder powder (preferably spiked with more chipotle and cinnamon!) You can also add a little powder sugar to the cocoa powder to sweeten it up a bit.

From Megan's Cookin--find it here