Before we get started, I know that you're looking at the yield of "200 truffles" and wanting to cut this recipe down to size. But this truffle base is so versatile, I guarantee that you'll be kicking yourself for not making the whole recipe. Not only is this stuff great as a truffle base, but you can spread it on toast at room temperature, add it to your waffles or pancakes, or even stir it into your morning coffee to make a great mocha on the fly. You might even catch yourself eating spoonfuls, as is, as a midnight snack; but don't worry, it'll be our secret.

To make the chocolate truffle base, combine butter, cream, and glucose in an appropriately-sized sauce pan. Use a rubber spatula to scrape all the glucose from the measuring container, and then use a metal whisk to scrape the rubber spatula. You'll later use this whisk to stir your mixture, insuring the glucose is accurately incorporated into the chocolate truffle recipe.

Glucose is a common ingredient in the pastry kitchen, used to increase sweetness and also added to sorbets, ice creams, and syrups because it inhibits crystallization in contrast to raw sugar. It also adds elasticity, which is a key component to a chocolate truffle's texture and mouth feel.

Place your pot over a high flame, using the whisk from above to occasionally stir contents. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and whisk in unsweetened chocolate until thoroughly incorporated.

Once the chocolate is completely incorporated, pour into a storage container, like the metal service pan shown below. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the truffle base and then cover the entire container with plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator overnight, or until the truffle base has solidified (this will depend on the dimensions of your storage container and batch size). In a pinch, you can place the truffle base in the freezer for an hour or two and then transfer to your fridge.

In the meantime, combine tapioca maltodextrin and peanut butter in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly incorporated.

Tapioca maltodextrin is a light weight bulking agent that has the ability to absorb fat, but will also quickly dissolve in the presence of moisture, like the saliva present in your mouth. This gives your palate the unique sensation of having a "de-hydrated" fat "re-hydrating" back into its original form. Generally speaking, you'll need a 2:1 ratio (by weight) of maltodextrin to fat. To be completely honest though, we never measure. As you can see below, we start by adding the maltodextrin into the food processor and then the peanut butter right on top.

After a few pulses the mixture still looks a little dry, so we'll add in more peanut butter until we get the proper consistency.

After the truffle base has set, remove plastic wrap and scrape off any fat that has risen to the top using a metal spoon.

Dip a parisian baller into hot water and then scoop a round ball out of your truffle base as shown below. Drop chocolate truffle into dehydrated peanut butter and shake gently to coat. Repeat until desired amount of truffles are created.

If you want to get fancy about it, you can buy some paper truffle sleeves as shown below, which will come stacked together, so you'll need to take the time to separate them. Remove the chocolate truffle from the dehydrated peanut butter and gently roll between the palms of your hands to create an even sphere. Place in a paper sleeve (optional) and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Now, I must warn you that these truffles are extremely addicting. If, for whatever reason, you feel the need to steal a chocolate truffle out of the garde manger reach-in, (that undoubtedly has been precisely counted for a busy Saturday night), at least have the common courtesy to leave a note.

Yes, I am aware that "ripped off" is spelled with two p's. I usually don't hire cooks based upon their success in national spelling bees.