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Chocolate Truffles
Feb. 14th, 2015 09:44 pmI made chocolate truffles! It might have been the first time I've ever made them. Weird that I can't quite remember. Must be getting old.
I made a batch of plain dark chocolate, and a batch of mocha hazelnut, following the Cook's Illustrated recipes which I am summarizing below, incorporating my own changes to the process:
Dark Chocolate Truffles:
Ganache Ingredients
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used six ounces Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa) and 6 ounces Trader Joe's dark Belgian chocolate, the kind that comes in the one pound plus
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened (I used salted butter and it turned out just fine)
Coating
1 cup (3 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) confectioners sugar
Instructions
1. Microwave chocolate in medium bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until mostly melted and few small chocolate pieces remain, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside. Microwave cream in measuring cup until warm to touch, about 30 seconds. Stir corn syrup, vanilla, and salt into cream and pour mixture over chocolate. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside for 3 minutes, and then stir with wooden spoon to combine. Stir in butter, one piece at a time, until fully incorporated.
2. Set bowl aside at room temperature for 2 hours. Cover bowl and transfer to refrigerator; chill for at least 2 hours. (Ganache can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.)
3. FOR THE COATING: Sift cocoa and sugar through fine-mesh strainer into large cake pan and set aside.
4. Remove bowl of ganache from refrigerator and let it sit out for 15 minutes or so. Using a small melon baller or ice cream scoop, make balls of ganache about 3/4 inch in diameter (I have a tiny ice cream scoop thingie that holds about 1 1/2 teaspoons. I scooped out level scoopfuls and rolled them between my palms.) Transfer balls to cake pan with cocoa mixture and roll to evenly coat. Lightly shake truffles in hand over pan to remove excess coating. Transfer coated truffles to small mini-muffin papers in a large, flat container. Cover container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. Let truffles sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This recipe made about 48 truffles.
Mocha Hazelnut Truffles:
Ganache Ingredients
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used six ounces Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa) and 6 ounces Trader Joe's dark Belgian chocolate, the kind that comes in the one pound plus
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso powder (I used instant coffee)
2 tablespoons Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
Pinch salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened (I used salted butter and it turned out just fine)
Coating
1 1/2 cups finely chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
1. Microwave chocolate in medium bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until mostly melted and few small chocolate pieces remain, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside. Microwave cream in measuring cup until warm to touch, about 30 seconds. Stir corn syrup, instant coffee, Frangelico, and salt into cream and pour mixture over chocolate. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside for 3 minutes, and then stir with wooden spoon to combine. Stir in butter, one piece at a time, until fully incorporated.
2. Set bowl aside at room temperature for 2 hours. Cover bowl and transfer to refrigerator; chill for at least 2 hours. (Ganache can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.)
3. FOR THE COATING: Placed chopped hazelnuts into large cake pan and set aside.
4. Remove bowl of ganache from refrigerator and let it sit out for 15 minutes or so. Using a small melon baller or ice cream scoop, make balls of ganache about 3/4 inch in diameter (I have a tiny ice cream scoop thingie that holds about 1 1/2 teaspoons. I scooped out level scoopfuls and rolled them between my palms.) Transfer balls to cake pan with chopped hazelnuts and roll to evenly coat. Lightly shake truffles in hand over pan to remove excess coating. Transfer coated truffles to small mini-muffin papers in a large, flat container. Cover container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. Let truffles sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This recipe made about 48 truffles.
KEEWERD
I made a batch of plain dark chocolate, and a batch of mocha hazelnut, following the Cook's Illustrated recipes which I am summarizing below, incorporating my own changes to the process:
Dark Chocolate Truffles:
Ganache Ingredients
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used six ounces Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa) and 6 ounces Trader Joe's dark Belgian chocolate, the kind that comes in the one pound plus
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened (I used salted butter and it turned out just fine)
Coating
1 cup (3 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa (I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa)
1/4 cup (1 ounce) confectioners sugar
Instructions
1. Microwave chocolate in medium bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until mostly melted and few small chocolate pieces remain, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside. Microwave cream in measuring cup until warm to touch, about 30 seconds. Stir corn syrup, vanilla, and salt into cream and pour mixture over chocolate. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside for 3 minutes, and then stir with wooden spoon to combine. Stir in butter, one piece at a time, until fully incorporated.
2. Set bowl aside at room temperature for 2 hours. Cover bowl and transfer to refrigerator; chill for at least 2 hours. (Ganache can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.)
3. FOR THE COATING: Sift cocoa and sugar through fine-mesh strainer into large cake pan and set aside.
4. Remove bowl of ganache from refrigerator and let it sit out for 15 minutes or so. Using a small melon baller or ice cream scoop, make balls of ganache about 3/4 inch in diameter (I have a tiny ice cream scoop thingie that holds about 1 1/2 teaspoons. I scooped out level scoopfuls and rolled them between my palms.) Transfer balls to cake pan with cocoa mixture and roll to evenly coat. Lightly shake truffles in hand over pan to remove excess coating. Transfer coated truffles to small mini-muffin papers in a large, flat container. Cover container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. Let truffles sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This recipe made about 48 truffles.
Mocha Hazelnut Truffles:
Ganache Ingredients
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used six ounces Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa) and 6 ounces Trader Joe's dark Belgian chocolate, the kind that comes in the one pound plus
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso powder (I used instant coffee)
2 tablespoons Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)
Pinch salt
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and softened (I used salted butter and it turned out just fine)
Coating
1 1/2 cups finely chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
1. Microwave chocolate in medium bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until mostly melted and few small chocolate pieces remain, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside. Microwave cream in measuring cup until warm to touch, about 30 seconds. Stir corn syrup, instant coffee, Frangelico, and salt into cream and pour mixture over chocolate. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside for 3 minutes, and then stir with wooden spoon to combine. Stir in butter, one piece at a time, until fully incorporated.
2. Set bowl aside at room temperature for 2 hours. Cover bowl and transfer to refrigerator; chill for at least 2 hours. (Ganache can be stored, refrigerated, for up to 2 days.)
3. FOR THE COATING: Placed chopped hazelnuts into large cake pan and set aside.
4. Remove bowl of ganache from refrigerator and let it sit out for 15 minutes or so. Using a small melon baller or ice cream scoop, make balls of ganache about 3/4 inch in diameter (I have a tiny ice cream scoop thingie that holds about 1 1/2 teaspoons. I scooped out level scoopfuls and rolled them between my palms.) Transfer balls to cake pan with chopped hazelnuts and roll to evenly coat. Lightly shake truffles in hand over pan to remove excess coating. Transfer coated truffles to small mini-muffin papers in a large, flat container. Cover container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 1 week. Let truffles sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This recipe made about 48 truffles.
KEEWERD
