easy 4 ingredient ginger chocolate truffles

file these easy 4 ingredient ginger chocolate truffles under “super delicious happy accident”.  that said, the “origin story” is going to be pretty short because, uh, i don’t remember it.  i really wish i could remember what i was trying to do over the summer that led to these truffles but… i don’t remember for sure.  i’m just happy it didn’t work, whatever it was.

i *think* i was trying to make ganache for something (maaaaybe it was this cardamom cake??) and a) the ganache recipe that i started from turned my pile of chocolate and cream into this poorly behaved, gloopy mess and b) i changed my mind and decided i didn’t want a chocolate ganache after all (i know.  that’s why i think it was the cardamom cake; because never ever have i ever thought, “no, this is better without chocolate”.  except with that cake.  which would be an amazing christmas morning/new year’s day(/tomorrow) brunch cake, by the way…  just saying.)

anyway, never one to waste food, especially when said food is basically straight up chocolate, i threw the messy ganache in the fridge in hopes that something magical would happen to it and it would behave/the cream in it wouldn’t spoil before i figured out what to do with it.

i’m happy to report that for the first (and only!) time ever, “ignore it and hope for the best” actually worked!  when i next peered at the failed ganache, i saw that it had smoothed out and become much more solid.  intrigued, i dug a spoon into it and realized i might have the makings of chocolate truffles on my hands (literally, when i later rolled them out).

after i quick dip in a mixture of 50/50 cocoa powder and ground ginger, i was able to confirm (for research purposes, of course) that yes, these were truffles.  and they were good.  and i would be making them again.  on purpose.

the only snag was that the weather was just heating up as all of this was going on and i knew what would happen if we all tried to roll chocolate truffles in the heat of summer.  so i shelved the recipe for a few months while i eagerly awaited cooler weather (and the accompanying cold hands).

ok, well, that didn’t turn out to be so short after all, but maybe we knew that was going to happen?  before i turn you loose to go make your own truffles to “give to friends and family as gifts” (/eat yourself ::cough::), let’s discuss these little guys for a second.

first and foremost, if you don’t like ginger, you can replace it with ground cinnamon to coat the truffles.  or just use plain cocoa powder.

second, serious truffle recipes instruct you to plunge your hands into a bowl of ice water to chill them periodically so you don’t melt the chocolate as you’re rolling the truffles.  as someone who spends a decent bit of time and energy trying to prevent her hands from being painfully numb, i chose to pass on this tip.  also, i own soap and just accepted that by the time i was done, the minimal amount of heat that my hands produce would be sufficient to cover my palms in chocolate.  i’m ok with that.  so were the truffles.

that said, i’m pretty sure this is unrelated but, if you haven’t been playing with play-doh in a couple of decades, it can be surprisingly hard to roll out perfect spheres.  it’s ok.  you can just eat the first few or reroll them (if you haven’t coated them yet) once you get the hang of it.  and you will get the hang of it.

lastly, if you’re going to give these as gifts, please keep in mind that they will not last forever, especially out of refrigeration (see:  heavy cream).  i put some storage tips at the end of the recipe.

alright, noooow you can run to the kitchen to make these.  you know, to “give as gifts”.

easy 4 ingredient ginger chocolate truffles

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Ingredients

• 170 g. (6 oz.) good quality 60 – 72% cacao (bittersweet) chocolate, finely chopped, see notes
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger (or ground cinnamon, if you prefer)

Instructions

1. in a double boiler or heat safe bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water that does not touch the bottom of the bowl, melt the chocolate and heavy cream. whisk or stir constantly to ensure the bottom doesn’t burn. once the mixture is melted, combined, and smooth, pour the chocolate/cream mixture into a bowl (ideally one with an airtight lid). let the mixture cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes) before you cover it (so that condensation doesn’t form on the lid and later fall onto your chocolate when you remove the lid).
2. cover the bowl and refrigerate until the mixture is firm enough that it’s a struggle (but not impossible) to scoop out with a sturdy metal spoon. working out the exact timing and temperature is a little bit trial and error. in my relatively shallow glass bowl, after 4 hours in the refrigerator, the mixture was too firm to scoop and i had to let it warm up (uncovered) at room temperature for a while (about 4 hours in my 65° F kitchen) before it was ready to be scooped.
3. once the mixture is the right temperature, use a sturdy spoon or melon baller, if you’re fancy, to scoop out little chunks of chocolate. my truffles ranged in size from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon and i found that i preferred the little ones because a) they had a stronger ginger flavor (surface area relative to volume, geometry, etc.) and b) i felt like i could eat more of them. you do you. to make the lumps of chocolate into relatively uniform spheres, use your fingertips to press the chocolate into a roughly spherical shape then roll the ball between your palms to even it out. spread the truffles out in a single layer on a large plate or small rimmed baking sheet as you go. it’s easiest to roll them all first, then coat them in cocoa powder afterwards.
4. once you have all of your truffles rolled into spheres, mix the cocoa powder and ginger in a small bowl. roll one of the truffles around in the powder and taste it. i’m serious – depending on how strong your ginger powder is, these truffles are not subtle so it makes sense to check the strength of the ginger flavor before you roll all of your truffles in powder that you find too strong. once you’ve tweaked the ratio, if necessary, roll the rest of the truffles through the powder one at a time, placing back on your plate or baking sheet.
5. if your hands/kitchen are warm and the truffles softened from all of the handling, put the plate of truffles in the refrigerator to cool off and harden before you pack them all together in an airtight container.
6. kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the truffles will last up to three weeks (assuming you don’t invite me over). before you want to eat the truffles, let them come to room temperature in their sealed storage container for about 30 minutes. if you want to keep them longer than three weeks, they can be frozen in an airtight container. thaw them for 24 hours in the refrigerator then 30 minutes at room temperature before you open the container and enjoy them.

Notes

in terms of chocolate, the most important thing is to use chocolate that you like. sticking to something in the 60 – 72% range helps ensure the chocolate will melt and resolidify the way you want it to, as will using a bar or block, rather than chips. chips have additives to prevent them from melting in cookies, which doesn’t help here where we want the chocolate to melt. using a wooden cutting board will generate less static electricity that makes the little chocolate shards fly everywhere than using a plastic board.

Category desserts fall gluten free vegetarian winter

Tags

chocolate,

christmas,

cinnamon,

easy,

fall,

feeds a crowd,

ginger,

gluten free,

heavy cream,

make ahead,

new years,

vegetarian,

winter

November 29, 2016

by tasty seasons

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