I was sending these to Virginia and thought maybe someone else on the list might enjoy seeing them, too. These truffles all come from the wonderful little book by Pam Williams and Rita Morin, "Oh Truffles by Au Chocolat." There is every imaginable type of delicious truffle - I really can't do it justice in the few recipes I've chosen to enter below.

I have made all of the following and they are simple to make, look like you paid a fortune for them and are usually inhaled by the lucky recipient (that is if the candy maker doesn't make fast work of them first!).

Carefully melt chocolate in a double boiler over hot water. When melted, remove from heat.

Beat in the Caramel Sauce until well mixed.

Beat butter into warm chocolate with a whisk or at high speed with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. (3-5 minutes).

Chill until firm, approximately 1-3 hours.

Scrape spoon or melon-ball cutter across surface of mixture; quickly press with fingertips into 1-inch balls. Freeze well wrapped in plastic.

Suggested Decoration: Roll in caramel sprinkles; these impart a glistening sparkle to the truffle.

Yield 40 - 45 Truffles

Caramel Sprinkles: Bring sugar and water to a boil stirring constantly until all sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring and continue cooking until syrup reaches light caramel stage (320F - 330F). Immediately pour onto parchment paper in thin layer. Let caramel cool. Break and chop into small sprinkles Store in airtight container. The sprinkles tend to get sticky at room temperature when out of storage. Do not attempt on a hot, humid day.

(plm comment: These Caramel Truffles with the Caramel Sprinkles are delicious, but they are labor intensive and the caramel sprinkles when cooking have to be watched constantly. The propensity towards self-destruction is very high, sadly.....(It wants to burn!). For the experienced, and the brave!, this is a wonderful candy and the effort will be well worth it when the ovation rolls over you.)