Truffles
One can never have too many chocolate recipes. I tend to use the recipe from the baking bars (rather than the bags listed below) - but it's pretty much the same. The recipe is definitely tweakable flavor wise. Go crazy!
Yield: 30 Truffles
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chips
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Coating:
1/3 cup Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa or 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds or pecans.
How-To:
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from heat, and stir in the chocolate and butter. In a medium-sized skillet, bring 1/2″ water to a slow simmer. Set the saucepan in the skillet over low heat. Stir mixture just until the chocolate has completely melted. Remove from heat. Pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool, cover and refrigerate until firm, at least two hours. Pour the coating into a pie plate. Line an airtight container with waxed paper. Dip melon baller or small spoon into a glass of warm water and quickly scrape across the surface of the chilled mixture to form a rough 1″ ball. Drop the ball into the coating. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture. Gently shake the pie plate to coat the truffles evenly. Transfer truffles to the prepared container, separating layers with additional waxed paper. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.
NOTES:
1. You can use whatever chocolate you like. Personally, I use Ghiradelli or
Scharffenberger- but I love very bitter chocolate. (And thus, would have to
add some sugar. However, with this recipe, there’s no need.)
2. Coating. Again, Hershey’s Baking Cocoa Powder, or Dutch Processed is
perfectly fine. For the Coffee Buzz Buzz, simply take espresso powder (or
finely crushed instant) and mix it with either powdered or granulated sugar
to taste and roll the truffles as per the recipe.
3. Ganache - Flavors! I use cayenne pepper. Again, heat is completely up to
you, so shake as much or as little as you like. You could also go for a
further BUZZ BUZZ and add espresso powder directly into the cream while
you’re simmering. You could really play with all sorts of flavors for the
ganache. Some I’ve tried are: Orange w/ Cayenne. Coffee w/ Cinnamon for
dusting. You could put chocolate covered espresso beans inside the ganache
for an additional surprise. Really, you could play with this all day long.
:D
I’ve actually thought about a ginger infused cream (with a white pepper kick) for the ganache and a
light dusting of wasabi powder - but Mark thinks that’s crazy talk. I think
it could work!
Oh! Also add a pinch of salt to your cream. Salt really makes chocolate
sing, so a pinch or two of kosher salt will do wonders.
Yield: 30 Truffles
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Chips
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Coating:
1/3 cup Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa or 3/4 cup finely chopped almonds or pecans.
How-To:
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from heat, and stir in the chocolate and butter. In a medium-sized skillet, bring 1/2″ water to a slow simmer. Set the saucepan in the skillet over low heat. Stir mixture just until the chocolate has completely melted. Remove from heat. Pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow bowl. Cool, cover and refrigerate until firm, at least two hours. Pour the coating into a pie plate. Line an airtight container with waxed paper. Dip melon baller or small spoon into a glass of warm water and quickly scrape across the surface of the chilled mixture to form a rough 1″ ball. Drop the ball into the coating. Repeat with the remaining truffle mixture. Gently shake the pie plate to coat the truffles evenly. Transfer truffles to the prepared container, separating layers with additional waxed paper. Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months.
NOTES:
1. You can use whatever chocolate you like. Personally, I use Ghiradelli or
Scharffenberger- but I love very bitter chocolate. (And thus, would have to
add some sugar. However, with this recipe, there’s no need.)
2. Coating. Again, Hershey’s Baking Cocoa Powder, or Dutch Processed is
perfectly fine. For the Coffee Buzz Buzz, simply take espresso powder (or
finely crushed instant) and mix it with either powdered or granulated sugar
to taste and roll the truffles as per the recipe.
3. Ganache - Flavors! I use cayenne pepper. Again, heat is completely up to
you, so shake as much or as little as you like. You could also go for a
further BUZZ BUZZ and add espresso powder directly into the cream while
you’re simmering. You could really play with all sorts of flavors for the
ganache. Some I’ve tried are: Orange w/ Cayenne. Coffee w/ Cinnamon for
dusting. You could put chocolate covered espresso beans inside the ganache
for an additional surprise. Really, you could play with this all day long.
:D
I’ve actually thought about a ginger infused cream (with a white pepper kick) for the ganache and a
light dusting of wasabi powder - but Mark thinks that’s crazy talk. I think
it could work!
Oh! Also add a pinch of salt to your cream. Salt really makes chocolate
sing, so a pinch or two of kosher salt will do wonders.