Chocolate Truffles
Chocolate Truffles with Easy Valentine’s Packages
Makes about 24 truffles.
There’s nothing better than receiving a box of homemade chocolate truffles. They sit like jewels in a jewelry box — each one is unique and delicious and oh so special. The only thing better than receiving truffles is making them yourself and then giving them away. And that’s exactly what we did in our Valentine Make & Gift workshop last night. We made truffles, rolled them in melted chocolate and decorated them. Then we created festive Valentine’s candy holders for our truffles, so you can gift friends and family an edible homemade Valentine! For a tutorial on these adorable packages, go to Amanda Kingloff’s Projectkid!
Ingredients:
6 ounces (1 cup) dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and softened at room temperature
1 cup toasted and finely chopped nuts, cocoa powder, sprinkles, toasted coconut flakes, flaky sea salt and/or
minced cacao nibs (optional)
Melted chocolate (recipe below, optional)
Steps:
1. Line a large baking sheets with wax or parchment paper; set aside.
2. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour it over the chocolate. Let the chocolate melt for 1 minute, then stir with a spatula in tight circles from the center outward until combined. (This mixture is called a ganache in French.) Stir in the softened butter until melted and the ganache is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (Note: to speed up the chilling, transfer the ganache to a small baking sheet or baking pan and cool in the refrigerator or freezer.)
3. Portion the chocolate into large grape-size (1-inch) spheres by scooping the hardened chocolate with a melon baller, mini pastry scoop or a 1-teaspoon measuring spoon; place on the baking sheet. Roll each portion by hand (rubber gloves or paper towels are useful to keep the mess under control.) Chill the truffles again in the refrigerator.
4. Roll the chilled truffles in the melted chocolate, or roll directly into the finely chopped nuts, coconut, cocoa powder, you name it. Or top chocolate-covered truffles with sprinkles, nonpareils, and/or sea salt. Place the truffles back on the baking sheet and refrigerate to set. Serve at room temperature. Truffles will keep for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Recipe by Jill Santopietro, Children’s Food Lab.
NOTE: If for some reason the ganache breaks (meaning it turns into a solid, lumpy mass,) rewarm it in a microwave or over a double boiler (a bowl set over a pot with 1 inch of simmering water) and blend it together using a blender or food processor.
Melted Chocolate
Makes about 3/4 cup melted chocolate, for coating truffles.
To make perfectly snappy, shiny chocolate, you need to temper chocolate (melting the chocolate to 115°F, lowering it to 81°F and then rewarming it to 88°F. It’s a bit complicated and requires a thermometer. For those who want to try it, go here. This recipe is easier for kids, and involved slowly and simply melting chocolate. The key is to do so gradually, so as not to burn it (using a microwave for this is easiest.) Also, remember that a drop of water can seize chocolate, so keep all liquids away (another reason the microwave is useful here — no water is involved.
Ingredients:
6 ounces (1 cup) dark chocolate, finely chopped or morsels
Flaky sea salt, sprinkles, or colored nonpareils (optional, but nice!)
Steps:
1. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper; set aside.
2. If using a microwave, set all but a few pieces of chocolate in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 20 seconds, stir, and repeat microwaving and stirring just until the chocolate has melted. Stir in the remaining few pieces of chocolate.
3. If you do not have a microwave, fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over high heat; once simmering, turn off the heat. Set a small bowl with all but a few pieces of the chocolate over the saucepan (it should sit on the saucepan but not touch the water) and stir constantly until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and stir in the remaining few pieces of chocolate.
4. Now, start dipping! Using a dinner fork, dip the truffles one at a time into the chocolate until covered. Lift each truffle out of the chocolate and tap the fork several times on the edge of the bowl. Scrape the bottom of the fork against the edge of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate. Transfer to a baking sheet. (If decorating with toppings. Let sit for a few seconds to dry a bit but not fully, then roll or sprinkle with toppings. Work quickly as chocolate dried fast.) Let sit at room temperature until completely dry, about 20 minutes. Chocolate truffles will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving. Recipe by Jill Santopietro, Children’s Food Lab.
INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Dark chocolate (60 to 70% cacao) Dark chocolate is considered chocolate between 60 to 75% cacao. But both semi and bitter-sweet chocolates can range between 44% to 77% cacao and the amount of sugar can vary quite a bit. 44% cacao has a lot more sugar than 77% cacao. Check the labels, as you want to avoid super-sweet chocolate here. Try to stick to chocolate in the 60 to 75% cacao range. (See examples, at right.) You can use slabs of chocolate that you’ll chop into small pieces or chocolate chips, like these 66% cacao Guittard chips.
