Dark chocolate orange balls

I had the opportunity to attend the baptism of two ladies at my church today. It was a really neat experience. Most of the baptisms I have attended have been for 8 year old kids, (two of my own kids so far) and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part (even if it is just sitting in the audience) of the baptisms for older (relatively speaking, of course) converts.

One thing is certain at many of the functions at our church and that is "Refreshments will be Served". I was asked to bring refreshments. It happens pretty regularly for me, but that's probably because I get excited to try out new recipes on the unsuspecting folk. This time I made my White Chocolate Cran Orange Macadamia Nut Cookies (I still haven't come up with a new name- it's quite a mouthful to say) and my chocolate balls. (Two tried and true recipes, sure to please.)

To jazz it up a bit though, I also decided to make a second batch of the chocolate balls, and play around with an orange flavoring. I was unsure how they would go out. I imagined myself talking to people with half-eaten balls sitting on their plates. I know that while I am a fan of chocolate and orange together, not everyone is. Also, instead of using a 3 to 1 ratio of milk chocolate to dark chocolate, I used straight Hershey's Special Dark chocolate. The Cool-Whip does tone down the intensity, but they are still pretty rich. I added the orange oil a half a teaspoon at a time and mixed well to get the right flavor without messing up the consistency too much. When dealing with chocolate it's important not to add any flavorings with water in it, (which is why I used orange oil) as it will cause the chocolate to seize. Just to be on the safe side I added it at the very end, when the Cool-Whip and chocolate were thoroughly mixed together. Instead of rolling them in the vanilla wafers like I usually do, I rolled them in cocoa powder to warn people the insides would be a little rich. ( I apologize for the picture, I didn't have time to snap one at home, but luckily I happened to have my camera in my purse and so I snapped a quick picture at the church.) Needless to say they were a hit. People were raving about them. I was worried I'd have leftovers (because then I'd have to eat them all) but I went home totally empty. (not to worry though, I still have bowls to lick) One gentleman told me I was "evil" and said I should have my daughter's genetics tested because she could not possibly be my daughter if she didn't like chocolate and orange. The Arizona Tempe Mission President thought they were wonderful and told me they were going to carry him through the rest of the meetings he had today.
The regular chocolate balls were devoured just as quickly and the cookies weren't long to follow (there was more of them). The two ladies that were baptized were both in love with the cookies and one of them told me I should open a bakery and sell them. I confessed it is a dream of mine. The other lady was torn between fitting in her wedding dress in August, and eating more cookies. I assured her they were completely calorie free.
Chocolate Orange Balls
16-17 ounces of dark chocolate, melted
8 oz tub of cool-whip, thawed in refrigerator
 1/2 to 1 1/2 tsps orange oil
cocoa powder for rolling
Melt chocolate in double boiler or microwave. -Hershey's is forever changing the size of their bars, I used 4 of the 4.25 ounce bars. I try to aim for 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cool-whip, but I think a little more chocolate is better than less. I learned to make this recipe by adding the cool-whip by hand, half a tub at a time and just stirring until smooth (it will be very difficult and first- you need to "work through it" until I discovered how much easier it is to just mix it all up with my kitchenaid stand mixer. But if you don't have one of those, a wooden spoon works great too.)

When thoroughly incorporated, add the orange oil 1/2 tsp at a time, until you reach desired flavor. 1 1/2 tsp was just about right for me. Place in freezer for several hours until it reaches desired "rolling consistency". Roll into balls in palm of hands and roll in cocoa powder. Place in mini-muffin paper cups and store in freezer or refrigerator until ready to serve.

additional note- 9/22/12 I made lighter chocolate balls for a church function, and only needed about 1/2 tsp of orange oil.  It seems the richer the chocolate, the more flavored oil is needed to stand up to the richness of the chocolate.   I also coated the chocolate balls in orange and black nonpareils (the little ball sprnkles) and while cute for Halloween, they where a little on the crunchy side and tended to stain my fingers.