Faker Truffles

What's with a name like "Faker Truffles?"  Well, the original plan was to make truffles for girls' night.  Went to the store, forgot some got all the ingredients.  What's a girl to do when she forgets a key step wants to create a new treat?  She carries on and renames the dish!  Faker Truffles, indeed.

Faker Truffles

Prep time: 10 min
Cooling time: 60 min
Rolling time: 10 min
Total time: 80 min

What You Need:
1 11.5 or 12 oz bag of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 half pint heavy cream
1 tsp. rum, vanilla, bourbon, peppermint extract or whatever floats your fancy
1/3 Cup cocoa powder

What You Use:
double boiler
spatula
9 x 13 pan
space in the refrigerator for a 9x13 pan
melon baller or small scoop
parchment or wax paper
pie plate
slotted spoon
food storage container, with lid

What You Do:
1. Heat 1" of water to a simmer in the saucepan part of your double boiler.
2. Place the top of the double boiler, or a very clean bowl, on top of the saucepan.
3. Dump the cream and chocolate into the bowl.  Stir until smooth and melted.
4. Add 1 tsp. of rum, vanilla, or whatever booze or flavoring.  Stir until smooth.
5. Pour melted chocolate mixture, now called a ganache (pronounced guh-nosh) into the 9x13 pan.
6. Set pan in fridge - uncovered - for about an hour.
7. Before removing the ganache from the fridge, tear several sheets of wax paper that fit inside your food storage container.
8.  Remove the ganache from the fridge.  Working quickly so the ganache doesn't soften, use the melon baller to scoop out small balls of ganache.
9. Place them on a wax sheet, not touching, in the container.  Don't worry about making perfectly round balls, you'll have time for that later.  Layer the balls between the wax paper sheets.
10. Place back in the fridge for an hour or so.
11. Just before removing the ganache balls from the fridge, pour 1/3 C cocoa powder in the pie plate.
12. Remove ganache from the fridge.  Lift out the layers of wax paper with the ganache balls on them.  You're about to put truffles back in the container.  You can use the same wax paper.
13. Working quickly and with one at a time, roll the ganache ball in your palms to smooth it out into a better-looking ball. Then drop it in the cocoa.
13. Roll the ganache in the cocoa until it's completely covered.  Lift it out with a slotted spoon and jiggle to remove excess cocoa.  Place back in the storage container, not touching.  Place in the fridge to set.  Voila, you have truffles!

Optional step:  I didn't like the bitterness of the cocoa.  Seems the layer of chocolate I forgot omitted gives an extra boost of sweet.  Whoda thunk?  So, I dropped a few heaping cereal spoonfuls of powdered sugar on top of the truffles, lidded up (sans waxed paper), and shook vigorously.  The only drawback?  Too tasty.  Ate too many in one sitting.  Other ideas: dip in peanut butter, crushed nuts,  or whipped cream.

Seriously, how can you go wrong with rum, cream, and chocolate?

Oh, I'll just tell you.  You can't.  

Oh, and some cocoa.  

Melt and stir until smooth.  Not quite there, yet.

Ahhhh, nice and smooth - with rum mixed in for good measure.

Warm ganache poured into a 9x13.  

Do I have to make truffles?  Can't I just grab a spoon?

Must I send it to the fridge?

Self-control won out.  See the frosty glass?

Scoop!

Scoop as much as you can, then get a spoon.

...or a clean finger.

Nifty little orbs of ganache.  

Almost-truffles secure in their container, ready for the fridge.

Mmmm....

Cocoa in the pie plate, ready to cover the ganache.

Truffles!  Amazing amounts of self-control...

...mostly.

~ G