Truffles
It's Valentine's Day. Feelings about that seem to vary widely, but can we all agree that it's an excellent excuse to eat chocolate?
Truffles. They look gourmet, but are easy to make and melt in your mouth. And they are just. so. pretty. If you'd like to make them for someone you love today (and if that person is you, well, I won't judge), read on...
For the ganache centers:
Ingredients
At this point, you could finish by rolling them in crushed nuts, powdered sugar, or cocoa powder. But if you want a hard chocolate coating, place them on the tray and stick them in the freezer for a few minutes while you prepare it.
In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and 1 teaspoon shortening. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave an additional 30-60 seconds or more as needed to melt, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. This is not an exact science, and you could coat strawberries, pretzels, etc. in this chocolate/shortening mixture if truffles don't excite you.
Get those truffle centers back out. Using a spoon, dip them in the melted chocolate, turning them until they are coated, then return them to the tray. You can drizzle any excess coating over the top.
If you never miss a chance to throw some decorating sugar on something, feel free to sprinkle that on too. Return them to the freezer for 20 minutes to harden, then store in the refrigerator. Enjoy! :)
Truffles. They look gourmet, but are easy to make and melt in your mouth. And they are just. so. pretty. If you'd like to make them for someone you love today (and if that person is you, well, I won't judge), read on...
For the ganache centers:
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (or a mixture of semi-sweet and bittersweet)
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place it in a large stainless steel bowl.
- In a large, high sided saucepan, heat cream over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until it starts to boil. At this point, the cream will want to boil over, so keep an eye on it! Immediately remove from heat and pour over chopped chocolate.
- Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is smooth. Cool completely and then store in refrigerator.
At this point, you could finish by rolling them in crushed nuts, powdered sugar, or cocoa powder. But if you want a hard chocolate coating, place them on the tray and stick them in the freezer for a few minutes while you prepare it.
In a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks and 1 teaspoon shortening. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave an additional 30-60 seconds or more as needed to melt, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. This is not an exact science, and you could coat strawberries, pretzels, etc. in this chocolate/shortening mixture if truffles don't excite you.
Get those truffle centers back out. Using a spoon, dip them in the melted chocolate, turning them until they are coated, then return them to the tray. You can drizzle any excess coating over the top.
If you never miss a chance to throw some decorating sugar on something, feel free to sprinkle that on too. Return them to the freezer for 20 minutes to harden, then store in the refrigerator. Enjoy! :)
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