Goat Cheese Truffles for National Goat Cheese Month

August is Goat Cheese Month. How do I know this? Because I'm a faithful reader of Months of Edible Celebrations! I live in the Foodie San Francisco Bay Area, and there's always great fresh goat cheese at the market and the Farmers Markets. I especially love goat cheese from the Cowgirl Creamery and Redwood Hill Farm, and you should be able to find fresh goat cheese at Whole Foods and other local farmers markets.  As always, use the very best freshest cheese and fresh high quality chocolate.

I've adapted a great recipe for Goat Cheese Chocolate Truffles that I found on Epicurious. This recipe originally appeared in Gourmet Magazine, October 1993.

Love the tangy, yet sweet taste of these truffles, and the little bit of lemon that give these truffles a very unique flavor.  For your first time making these, choose a mild goat cheese. A really tangy goat cheese can overpower the sweetness in the chocolate, and it won't be to everyone's taste.

GOAT CHEESE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

6 ounces dark chocolate (70-85% cacao organic fair trade chocolate), chopped
6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) room temperature fresh goat cheese
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder, sifted, for coating the truffles

In a metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth, remove the bowl from the pan, and let the chocolate cool slightly.
In a different bowl whisk together the goat cheese, the confectioners' sugar, the vanilla, and lemon juice until the mixture is light and fluffy, whisk in the chocolate until the mixture is combined well, and chill the mixture, covered, for 1 hour, or until firm.
Form heaping teaspoons of the mixture into balls and roll the balls in the cocoa powder.
Chill the truffles on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper for 30 minutes, or until they are firm.
The truffles keep in an airtight container, chilled, for 3 days.

Don't you just love a recipe like this? I do! 
Happy Goat Cheese Month. 
What are you making with Goat Cheese?