Posted By Ingrid Turner on Nov 29, 2013 in Candy Recipes, Chocolate, Desserts, Ethnic Foods, Featured, Food Holidays, French, How To Cook, Sweets, Valentine's Day, Vegetarian, Western European Food | 0 comments

Chocolates Day is November 29th, and doesn’t Dark Chocolate Truffles sound heavenly?

Who doesn’t appreciate chocolate truffles? We all know how addictive they are, and how delicious too.

These chocolates have ganache centers, which are coated with bittersweet dark chocolate.

A ganache is comprised of a mix of chocolate & cream. The chocolate used to coat the ganache centers, which can, if desired, be rolled in nuts, coconut, cocoa, to mention a few ingredients.

How to Make Dark Chocolate Truffles:

Type: Candy Recipe

Serve with: dipped in coconut, cocoa or nuts
Prep Time: 30 – 40 min
Cook Time: 10 – 15 min
Cool Time: 20 min
Refrigerator/Freezer Time: 2 hrs
Dry Time: 5 – 10 min
Yields: 40 truffles or double ganache recipe for 80 truffles

How to Make Chocolate Ganache:

This ganache recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups or about 40 truffles, and can easily be doubled for up to 80 centers for truffles.

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream
10 oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 tbsp liqueur of choice or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp butter

Instructions:

In a sauce pan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Remove from heat.
Add semisweet or bittersweet chocolate.
Stir until chocolate is almost all melted.
Stir in gently, 1 tbsp liqueur of your choice or 1 tsp of vanilla extract, and 1 tsp butter until smooth.
Cool completely to room temperature on parchment lined sheets to the point where it becomes firm enough for dipping & acting as a chocolate center.
Mark of 1/2 x 1/2 inch or 3/4 x 3/4 inch chunks in the chocolate now, so that the chocolates are uniform in size when you form them.
Roll into 1/2 – 3/4 inch balls. Return them to the sheets & freeze them until they are ready to dip – at least 2 hrs.

How to Make Dark Chocolate Dip:

This recipe yields the dip for about 80 pieces, and be kept for about a month refrigerated.

Tempering chocolate is important in this part of the recipe. This method of heating & cooling chocolate creates a glossy finish.

Tip: Be sure to buy the best bittersweet chocolate affordable.

Ingredients:

1 lb bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

Instructions:

Chop chocolate into small chunks, and place in a bowl.
Melt half the chocolate in the bowl over a double boiler on the stove top, stirring until it reaches 115 degrees F. * Tip: Stir constantly or it will separate.
Transfer to a bowl & allow it to cool to 100 degrees F.
Add the reserved chocolate, and stir until it cools to 90 degrees F. * Tip: Remove unmelted chunks, place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment, and refrigerate until dry & reusable.
The chocolate has now been tempered and should be ready to dip the ganache balls into it. To be sure of the temper, place a dab of the chocolate on a piece of wax paper & chill for 3 min. If it is dry & glossy, it’s ready for dipping. * Tip: If it takes a fair amount of time before you dip the ganache centers, place the bowl with chocolate over a pan of water up to 92 degrees F, if using bittersweet or semisweet chocolate.

Dark Chocolate Truffle Assembly:

Before dipping the ganache centers, they should be 70 degrees F. Dip ganache centers one-by-one in batches. * Tip: Keep remaining enters in the freezer until you’re ready to continue.
Lift ganache centers out with a fork on to a wire mesh rack to dry & solidify. * Tip: Drippings may be reheated.
At this point, chocolate truffles can be rolled in coconut, cocoa, nuts, etc, prior to drying, but after becoming partly firm.

A wonderful way to celebrate Chocolates Day is with these dark chocolate truffles. Oh yeah!