Truffles

I took a truffles class a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to try out what I learned. In the class, we learned 2 different ways to make the ganache for the truffles. One is quick and easy and creates truffles with a short shelf life, so you have to be prepared to eat them within several days. The other version is still easy, but calls for a few more ingredients, the most important being invert sugar. I am still not sure what invert sugar is, but it looks like granulated sugar mixed into corn syrup and it gives the truffles shelf life.


Quick and Easy Truffles

There are only two ingredients for these truffles: heavy whipping cream and chocolate (chocolate wafers, I don't know if chocolate chips will work). As our instructor said, these aren't healthy by any means, so go for the 40% heavy whipping cream.

For the truffles, you use 1 cup of cream for every pound of chocolate. All you have to do is bring the cream to a slight boil and then pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for a couple minutes while the chocolate begins to melt then stir to combine. Put the chocolate in the refrigerator until it is easy to handle. Form the chocolate into small balls and roll in your desired topping (nuts, sprinkles, cocoa powder, etc.) Store in the refrigerator. The date on your cream carton is a good reference for how long the truffles will stay good for.

Now, lets say you are tired of rolling all the truffles and you think you have made plenty, but you still have extra chocolate. That is where the next idea comes in.....


Chocolate Stuffed Strawberries


Use the same recipe as above, but this time whip the chocolate with a mixer until it is light and fluffy and then put it in a piping bag (or ziploc bag with corner cut off). Haul out the inside of the strawberries and let them sit out until they are dry. The instructor said you can use a hair dryer to dry the strawberries quicker, but that seems a little odd to me. Also cut the bottoms off the strawberries so they will stand up on their own. Then pipe the chocolate mixture into the strawberries. These will only stay good for a couple of days before the strawberries go bad, so plan accordingly.

I used 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 pound chocolate and I was able to make 22 strawberries.


Chocolate Truffles with Ganache Center

These were pretty easy to make and they turn out very nice. At first glance everyone thought they were store bought. The heart design comes from a chocolate transfer sheet. It is a sheet of plastic with the design painted in cocoa butter. You cut out the size you need and then dip the truffle in chocolate and then place on wax paper. Wait about 30 seconds or so for the chocolate to settle (but not harden) and then place the chocolate transfer on top and press down lightly. The heat from the chocolate pulls the design off the plastic and onto the chocolate. Let it sit for a 5-10 minutes (or until set) then carefully peel away the plastic.

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp corn syrup

1 pound chocolate, melted

1 tbsp invert sugar

1tbsp butter, softened

Additional chocolate to dip the truffles

In a heavy saucepan, bring cream and corn syrup to a boil. Add butter and invert sugar. Cool to at least 98 degrees. Melt chocolate in the microwave. Blend with a wire whisk until a smooth consistency is reached. Pour in a 9x9 pan lined with parchment paper, keeping the top as smooth as possible. Chill for several hours in the refrigerator. Remove from pan and use a pizza cutter to cut 1x1 squares. Dip in melted chocolate. Place on wax or parchment paper until set.

You can also use a cookie scoop to shape the truffles and then dip them, or you can mold them in a chocolate mold.

Enjoy!