If you are a Quidditch fan and just played an amazing match, or just watched your friend win, of course, that calls for a celebration. If it's the opposite and the team you support lost, do not lose heart and simply make attempts at encouragement for the future.

In this chapter, I bring you my recipe for edible golden snitches (essentially chestnut truffles covered in edible gold leaf, with chocolate wings painted and dusted in gold) from your Quidditch match, so that you can not only catch the golden snitch in your mouth like one of the best Seekers in history, Harry Potter, but also gobble it up for a delectable burst of flavors in your mouth - the ultimate taste of victory. These simple, no-bake delicacies will have you running to grab them in a matter of seconds. As you churn these delicious truffles in your stomach for 150 points, the edible golden wings made of chocolate will be just the solid encouragement you need for your next Quidditch match.

Let's start with crafting our golden snitches.

To begin, of course,

gather your ingredients (serves 40 golden snitches): -

Chestnuts (It is very important to note the kind of chestnuts you need for the best purée, and hence the best truffles. The chestnuts you choose for this recipe must be fresh and healthy. They should have a slightly shiny appearance and be firm to the touch. Do not use any chestnuts that are soft, with their skins peeling off easily even without roasting. Also, do not use chestnuts that have holes or cracks in them because this indicates that worms or insects have used those openings to get into the chestnuts.) - 2 and 1/2 cups (1 pound or a little more)

Filtered water or edible wine - 2 cups (16 ounces)

Milk (you can use water instead, but you won't get the milky flavor, which makes the chestnut purée and hence the truffles delicious) - 3 cups (24 ounces)

Sugar - 1 cup (7 ounces)

Vanilla extract (you can also use 1 and 1/2 scraped vanilla pods or vanilla beans instead) - 3 teaspoons (1/2 ounce)

Salt - a pinch or to taste (optional)

Lemon zest - to taste (optional)

Dark rum - 2 tablespoons (1 ounce)

Icing sugar - 2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce)

Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 2 cups (12 ounces)

Water - 4 tablespoons (2 ounces)

Edible gold paint or edible gold leaf

Equipment: - Parchment paper

Golden snitch manufacturing process: -

Take your chestnuts, and using a paring knife, score them along their middles. You can also use one of the blades of a pair of simple, sturdy kitchen scissors instead. To score them means to make a horizontal cut from end to end along their middles, only cutting through the skin. If you don't score them properly, they will explode from the internal pressure when you try to roast them. Take the filtered water or edible wine in a bowl and soak the scored chestnuts in it for about 30 minutes. This ensures that the humidity gets into the chestnuts, so that the chestnuts don't dry or shrivel up during roasting. This also ensures that the chestnuts are humid enough to peel easily after roasting. Place the chestnuts on a cookie tray or a baking tray, such that none of them are on top of each other. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roast the chestnuts in the oven at 375°F for 30 minutes. Then, remove from the oven. Taking care to note that the chestnuts are very hot, gently prod them to check if the skins are coming off. If the skins aren't coming off, bake further for 10 minutes at 425°F. You will know that your chestnuts are done roasting if the skins crack open and start to look golden brown, and the flesh inside starts to pop out and become more visible. Continue to roast while checking every 2 minutes until that happens. Then, take the chestnuts out, being careful that they are really hot, and transfer them neatly to a towel. Cover with another towel or wrap in the same towel and gently but firmly press down on the chestnuts and rub them against each other through the towels. This will help the skins come off a bit. Then, leave them aside for 15 minutes. Finally, peel the chestnuts with your fingers. The shells should separate easily, in one piece,  from each half of the chestnut without much effort at this stage, if you have followed the procedure correctly until now.

Transfer the peeled chestnuts to a bowl and let them cool completely. Pour the 3 cups of milk or water over the chestnuts, making sure that all the chestnuts are immersed in the liquid completely. Heat this in the oven and allow it to bubble. Add 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract. If you are using the vanilla pods or vanilla beans, make sure you scrape them nicely to get the flavor out, and remember to remove and discard the vanilla pods or vanilla beans after 10 minutes of simmering in the bubbling liquid. Let the bubbling continue until the liquid has reduced to half or at least 2/3rds of the initial volume. This should take about 20-30 minutes. Then, transfer to a mixer grinder (without the vanilla pods or vanilla beans, if you used them). Add salt and/or lemon zest to taste, if you like. Grind until you get a smooth and creamy, but rich and nutty paste. Your chestnut purée is ready. Taste to confirm that it is sufficiently sweetened. If not, add powdered sugar to taste and blend again for a few minutes. The correct texture of puréed chestnuts is much thicker than regular nut butter, somewhat like peanut butter or reminiscent of almond purée. Some people prefer to only boil the chestnuts instead of roasting them, but roasting gives the purée a deeper and more intense flavor.

Transfer the chestnut purée to a separate bowl. Pour the dark rum into it, then add the icing sugar. Combine to form a mixture. Grab 2 teaspoons of the mixture each time, and shape into snitch-shaped and snitch-sized balls between your palms. Put these balls on a shallow plate and leave to rest in the freezer for 2 hours or overnight. Then, take them out.

In a double-boiler, melt the chocolate chips with 4 tablespoons of water, stirring continuously. Let cool slightly. Dip the chestnut purée balls into the melted chocolate for an even coating. You may stick a toothpick in each ball and use the toothpick to dip the balls in the melted chocolate, so that you don't have to do it with your fingers. Transfer each chocolate coated chestnut purée ball onto a parchment paper lined shallow plate, and leave in the freezer until the chocolate coating hardens.

Using a paintbrush, paint each ball with edible gold paint or sprinkle with edible gold glitter. Alternatively, take a bowl of water, place an edible gold leaf on the surface of the water, stick a toothpick in one of the balls, and using the toothpick, dunk the ball right into the center of the gold leaf and dip in until the gold leaf covers the entire ball. Then, carefully take the ball out and place it on a separate tray. Carefully pull out the toothpick later. Repeat the process with each ball. When all the balls are covered in edible gold leaf, and placed on the tray, you may start making the wings.

To make the wings, you need the remaining melted chocolate. Melt the chocolate again, if it has hardened up. Use a spatula or a paintbrush to spread some melted chocolate on a parchment paper. Using a knife or the edge of a spoon, cut leaf-like shapes into the layer of melted chocolate. Try to make the shapes resemble the wings of a golden snitch, as artistically as possible. Leave in the freezer to harden for about 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on your chocolate during the hardening process. Once the chocolate wings are hard enough, carefully peel off the parchment paper. Remember the wings are thin and delicate, so be careful not to break them. Paint with edible gold paint or attempt to wrap in edible gold foil. I used edible gold paint and sprayed on some edible gold glitter for more effect. Using some more melted chocolate, which is sticky by nature, glue the wings to the balls. There, you have perfectly crafted the golden snitches. Leave them in the freezer until serving. They taste great when served chilled, but you can also bring them to room temperature when serving.

So, are your friends ready for the Quidditch party? Because your edible golden snitches are certainly ready for a pre-match workout to get your friend's team in the mood for playing.

Source : - http://www.2pots2cook.com/2021/11/11/chestnut-truffles/