Truffles

Truffles - lighter color are mint chocolate and darker are plain

Last year I started experimenting in earnest with making truffles.  While there are lots of different methods and ingredient lists to match, I was looking for the smoothest and creamiest ganache along with the easiest and least messy procedure.

The simplest ganache is a mixture of just chocolate and cream, but I found that I liked the slightly more complicated mixture that Cook's Illustrated came up with.  But I wasn't sold completely on their method.  By the time the ganache had chilled completely, it was too hard to form into balls without making an unbelievable mess.  I did it this way several times anyway, but then I stumbled upon a suggestion to shorten up the chilling time and to scrape up balls of ganache with a spoon instead of cutting the chilled ganache into squares.  Well, duh!  Less manipulation means less melted chocolate on your hands.  So here's where we are now, with the ingredient list from CI and a hybrid method that I much prefer:

Chocolate Truffles

Ganache
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1/2 c heavy cream
2 T light corn syrup
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t salt
2 T butter, cut into small pieces, softened

Coating
2 parts cocoa powder
1 part powdered sugar

Make a parchment sling to line an 8 inch square glass baking pan.

In a medium bowl, microwave the chocolate at 50% power, stirring occasionally, until almost completely melted, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Set aside.  Microwave the heavy cream in a glass measuring cup until just warm to the touch, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the corn syrup, vanilla, and salt, and pour the mixture over the chocolate.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 3 minutes.  Stir gently with spatula to combine.  Stir in the butter, one piece at a time.

Pour and scrape all of the ganache into the prepared pan and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.  Prepare the coating and place it in a non-stick round cake pan.  Use a small spoon to scrape up the ganache into rough balls, placing them on plastic wrap.  Dip your fingers into the coating and form the balls up a bit.  Place 6 to 8 of them in the cake pan and shake to cover them  Roll them briefly in your hands to finish shaping and repowder them as needed.  Store in the refrigerator, but let them sit out briefly before eating.