Rich and indulgent, these surprisingly easy to make confectionery are a fantastic Christmas or Valentine’s day gift. They’re also just the thing to make a melting centre in melting centre fondant desserts. If you want an even more decadent centre take candies fruit and put the chocolate around that to make truffles. I would suggest (as in this recipe) using a 50:50 mix of good quality cooking chocolate and high-quality eating chocolate. The texture will be better if you use cooking chocolate as this has been developed to be melted and re-solidified. Other chocolates will become grainy.
Prep time 15 minutes/Cook time 0 minutes/makes 24 (plus 6 hours chill time)
Ingredients:
150g (5 oz) dark cooking chocolate (60% cocoa solids or better if you can find it)
150g (5 oz) good quality dark chocolate (at least 75% cocoa solids, coarsely chopped)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
125ml (1/2 cup) single (light) cream
Coating ideas (each enough to coat 24 truffles)
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch Processed is darker, looks ‘posh’)
1/2 cup crushed peanuts (must be small pieces, so they can stick)
½ cup crushed pistachios
1/4 cup icing sugar/powdered sugar
½ cup sprinkles
Method:
For the truffles, combine the chocolate, cream and butter in a microwave proof bowl. Microwave on high for 4 x 30 second bursts, stirring in between until the chocolate has melted and blended with the cream.
Cover bowl with a plate and set aside for 5 minutes (the chocolate will continue to melt), then stir until all the chocolate has melted and is smooth (this is a ganache!).
Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 6 hours. Do not be tempted to shortcut it by freezing it! (It needs to be firm enough to roll into balls, but soft enough to scoop.)
Put a dinner plate or tray that you will use to hold the rolled truffles on in the fridge as well.
To roll the Truffle Balls: Place the cocoa and/or coatings of choice on a small bowl or plate. Remove the ganache from the fridge. The chocolate mixture should be firm — softer than cold butter but harder than peanut butter. Get an ice pack or bag of frozen peas from the freezer and place on your worktop. Cover with a couple of paper towels and use this frequently to chill your hands (or the ganache will create a mess when you try to roll).
Scoop up a tablespoon of the ganache, then use a teaspoon to transfer the mixture into your hands. Roll into a ball then transfer to the chilled plate. Repeat with the remaining chocolate mixture, chilling your hands on the ice pack as needed.
Once all the ganache mixture has been rolled into balls, take these one at a time and roll in the cocoa or in your choice of coatings until covered all over. Continue until all the ganache balls are coated. Serve at room temperature so the chocolate is beautifully creamy inside!
