Grab a few supermarket staples and make an entire tray of easy, luscious truffles to impress your loved ones and treat yourself.
Shopping for Valentine’s Day chocolates goes either of two routes: Pick up a box of not-so-great drugstore chocolate or spend a small fortune at a high-end chocolatier. Let us introduce a third option: Grab a few supermarket staples and make an entire tray of easy, luscious truffles that are perfect for gifting or saving all for yourself. Note: The best truffles come from the best-quality chocolate. Take the time to finely chop it or it won’t melt fully.
Makes 48 truffles
Ingredients
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into cubes
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
cocoa powder, chopped nuts, and other toppings
Preparation
Combine chocolate, corn syrup, and unsalted butter in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a gentle simmer. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes.
With a spatula or spoon, stir until smooth. (If your chocolate doesn’t melt fully, you can finish melting it over a double boiler.) Add vanilla and stir to combine. Transfer ganache to a parchment-lined 8” x 8” baking dish and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours.
Use the parchment to lift truffles out of the pan. Cut the ganache into 48 even squares. Pinch and roll each square into a rough circle, then coat it thoroughly in the topping of your choice. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Play With Your Food
The fun of making truffles is getting creative with the toppings. Try sifted, unsweetened cocoa powder for a classic presentation; chopped pecans, pistachios, or hazelnuts for crunch; confectioner’s sugar; toasted coconut; or even freeze-dried raspberries, pulverized in a food processor and sifted through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds, for a bright pop of color.
