Yield: about 24 1-inch candies
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 8 ounces white fondant
- 2 tbsp chocolate chips
Preparation:
1. Place the cream cheese,vanilla, and coconut extract in the bowl of a large electric mixer. Mix them on medium speed until the cream cheese is smooth and entirely soft.
2. Stop the mixer, add 2 cups of powdered sugar, and mix on low speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Stop the mixer and add the remaining powdered sugar and mix just until combined.
3. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the coconut and salt. Turn the mixer to low and mix until the candy is homogenous and well-mixed. Check the texture of the candy: you want it to be firm enough to easily be shaped into a ball, but not too dry and stiff. If necessary, add more powdered sugar to get the right texture.
4. Using a spoon, scoop up a small amount of candy and roll it between your hands until it is round. Place the ball on a foil-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining candy. Chill until the balls are firm, about 2 hours.
5. Once the balls are firm, roll the fondant out on a powdered sugar-dusted workstation until it is a thin rectangle about a foot long. Roll the fondant as thin as possible, because you don’t want the fondant layer to overwhelm the candy. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut very thin strips of fondant, about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. At this point, you can use a rolling pin to roll the individual strip of fondant even thinner to get a paper-thin strip.
6. Take one thin strip and wrap it around one of the coconut balls, criss-crossing it in the front to make the mummy’s bandages. If it breaks, just start wrapping again--it doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use a little water or corn syrup to get it to stick to the coconut ball if it has trouble sticking. Wrap it around 3-4 times total--it is okay if some of the coconut is showing through. Repeat with remaining fondant and coconut balls, re-rolling the fondant scraps as necessary until all of the balls are covered with mummy bandages.
7. Melt the chocolate chips and use a toothpick to dot the chocolate onto the mummies to form eyes. Alternately, you can stick on mini chocolate chips or M&Ms for the eyes.
8. Store Mummy Truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
