225g (8oz) white, milk or plain chocolate

4 tablespoons double cream

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

about 4 tablespoons of sugar strands

small paper cases

1.  Pour about 3cm (1inch) of water into a pan.  Heat the pan until the water bubbles, then remove the pan from the heat.

2. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and add the cream.  Using oven gloves, carefully put the bowl into the pan.

3.  Stir the chocolate and cream with a wooden spoon until the chocolate has melted.  Carefully lift the bowl out of the water.

4.  Leave the bowl to cool for 20 minutes, then stir in the vanilla.  Put the mixture in a fridge for 1½ hours, until it is very firm.

5. Put the sugar strands onto a plate.  Scoop up some chocolate mixture with a teaspoon and put it into the sugar strands.

6.  Using your fingers, roll the spoonful in the strands to make a ball.  When it is covered, put it in a paper case.  Make more truffles.

7.  Put the truffles onto a plate, then put them in the fridge for 30 minutes, until they are completely hard.

Keep them in the fridge, ideally in an airtight container.  Eat them within five days.

To make truffle eggs, squash the spponful of mixture slightly when you roll it in the sugar strands.