BEAN TRUFFLES
These are lovingly called “yalancı kestane şekeri” or fake candied chestnuts. The original candy is basically chestnuts cooked in a sugary syrup that turns them soft, which is why this dish reminds many of truffles. This dish is not only a delicious way to use beans but also a much cheaper way to make “truffles.” When my husband ate one of these, I wanted him to guess what it was made of, and he said it reminded him of halva. Another plus of this dish is that it is gluten-free.
INGREDIENTS
200 grams cooked beans 220 grams sugar
100 grams crushed nuts (of your choice)
3 eggs
125 grams butter (room temperature)
10 grams baking powder pinch of salt bitter chocolate (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Mix the eggs and the sugar until you get a light and fluffy mixture. Run the beans through a blender or food processor to
get a smooth paste and add to the eggs. Then add in the butter, nuts and baking powder. Stir until the mixture is completely incorporated. The dough might look curdled, but don’t worry about that.
Bake this at 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit) for an hour. When it has mostly cooled off, knead it through and let it cool off completely in the fridge. Once cooled off, grab small portions and form them into the shapes you desire. Small balls the size of walnuts are a fun shape and size. Dip the truffles in chocolate or just drizzle some on top, or skip the chocolate altogether if that tickles your fancy.
TIPS
You can enjoy this recipe in the form of a cake as well. Just let it cool off completely in the dish you baked it in and cover with a chocolate glaze.
When I crush the nuts for this recipe, I like the different sizes of the pieces of nuts, hence I keep some of them chunkier for a variation in textures. Also, make sure you do not use preroasted nuts as this recipe needs to be baked for a long time.