GORGEOUS CHOCOLATE GANACHE
OH BABY YES. If love could be melted down into a tangible experience, it would be in the form of homemade chocolate ganache. Stupid easy, silky smooth, creamy, luscious. All you need are equal parts of GOOD quality baking chocolate (see note below) and heavy cream (or coconut cream!). Maybe a pinch of salt to round out the sweetness. It's all about the temperature and how you wanna serve up your love.
GIFT IDEAS: chill the ganache until stable, roll into balls, and then into coatings of choice (see notes below). Homemade ganache truffles in less time than it takes to go to the Godiva store and be like "WOW that's expensive???" Homemade is always best
-Pour ganache into glass jars with heating instructions and give the gift of homemade hot fudge sauce
EQUIPMENT: small sauce pot, heat proof bowl, silicone spatula (I like the small ones), small whisk, TBSP cookie scoop (to portion truffles, optional), glass jars for storing/gifting
YIELD ~ 2 cups (16oz)
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 oz GOOD quality baking chocolate (dark, milk, or white), chopped if needed (see notes below)
- 8 oz heavy cream OR coconut cream
- pinch of salt
FOR TRUFFLES coating suggestions: crushed nuts, coconut flakes, mini chocolate chips, cocoa powder, sprinkles, crushed freeze-dried fruits
PROCEDURE:
Pour cream into soup pot and place chocolate into heat proof bowl on top of soup pot (the heat from the simmered cream will temper the chocolate, resulting in a super shiny and silky ganache)
Bring cream to a rapid simmer (DO NOT BOIL).
Immediately remove from heat and pour cream over chocolate and let sit for about 5 minutes
With your silicone spatula or whisk, gently mix chocolate and cream together until it forms a cohesive, silky, gorgeous mixture.
Finish with salt if desired and let cool to room temperature before using.
If making truffles, chill ganache in fridge until stable and able to roll into balls. I like using a 1 TBSP cookie scoop to ensure each truffle is the same size. Each truffle will melt instantly upon contact with body heat so work fast! Roll them into desired toppings
NOTES:
- GOOD QUALITY BAKING CHOCOLATE= chocolate that is meant to be melted and used in procedures like this. Chocolate chips are made with oils that ensure they keep their shape when melted. I used Callebraut chocolate callets I purchased on Amazon. Callets or bars of baking chocolate chopped into finer pieces are most ideal for melting projects like this
_ Chocolate and water DO NOT MIX. Be careful to ensure no water can get into your chocolate bowl.
- STORAGE: ganache and truffles must be kept in air-tight container in fridge or freezer.
