I am finally catching up on the world’s Matcha madness! For those who don’t know, Matcha is a finely ground and processed form of green tea produced in Japan.  I love Matcha latte, especially with a lot of milk. Now with festivities and holidays right around the corner, I thought I should begin with sharing my White Chocolate Truffle recipe and since white chocolate is deprived of any caffeine, Matcha definitely makes up for it. If you feel cooking with chocolate is very complicated and intimidating, I agree with you. Although, you might be surprised how easy these Truffles are to put together and when you serve these, you may as well be prepared to be called the best Chocolatier in town.

INGREDIENTS

• White chocolate chips — 3 cups
• Heavy whipping cream (double cream) — 1/2 cup
• Unsalted butter — 3 tablespoons
• Macadamia nuts — 1/4 cup
• Salt — 1/4 teaspoon
• Matcha powder — 1 to 2 teaspoons (depending on how strong you would prefer the green tea flavor)
• Raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder — 1/2 cup

DIRECTIONS

1. In a sauce pan add the butter and heavy cream. Bring it to a simmer on medium heat. This should take about 3 to 4 minutes. 
   The idea is to heat up the cream and butter to a point that it’s hot, not boiling.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
3. Pour the hot butter and cream mixture into the same bowl of white chocolate and mix it until the chocolate melts completely.
4. With the help of a strainer sift in the Matcha powder. Mix thoroughly until the Matcha completely mixes in. You should be left with a pale green smooth paste.
   The process of sifting is very important. Matcha can be clumpy and sifting helps the Matcha to mix into the chocolate mixture without leaving lumps in your truffle.
5. Store it in a refrigerator for at least 4 to 5 hours, preferably overnight.
6. When ready to roll the truffle, in a plate add the cocoa powder and set it aside.
7. With a help of a spoon or a small cookie scoop, scoop a small amount of the chocolate mixture, place it in the center of your palm and turn into a ball. Then roll it in the plate with cocoa powder, dust it and lay it on a platter. Repeat this process. 
   The key is to work quickly. If you find the chocolate has started to melt, leave it in the freezer for 10 minutes and start again.
8. These truffles can stay in the refrigerator or in the freezer for as long as you want.