Whether you're baking treats for cozy Saturday afternoons, family get togethers, or that next holiday party, we partnered with Ghirardelli to share a few of our favorite back-pocket sweets you can turn to again and again.
Candy making seems like the stuff of science—there must be laboratories and lab coats and fancy thermometers involved, right? In some instances, yes—perhaps something a little more pared back, but nonetheless, factory-like.
To make candy at home, however, can be incredibly simple, especially when it comes to chocolate truffles.
These rich numbers are as easy as they come. High-quality dark chocolate, heavy cream, a sweetener like honey or corn syrup, and butter come together—in a food processor, no less—to make a creamy ganache. The butter pumps up the final smoothness and flavor, and a little bit of liquid sweetener (which is certainly optional, if you don't want the added sugar) lends that silkiness well-made truffles are known for.
All you have to do after that is pour the ganache into a pan with high edges, lined with parchment paper, and let it relax (or rather, set up) for 24 hours. This part can get messy, but it's fun!
Chill the ganache for about 20 minutes before you are ready to cut it up. Once it's ready to go, slice it into 1-inch cubes, assemble plates or sheet pans with all sorts of toppings, and set your crew to work rolling them around in coverings like:
- Flaky or shredded coconut
- Crushed nuts, like pistachios, walnuts, or peanuts
- Seeds, like pumpkin or sesame
- Crushed candy canes
- Homemade sprinkles
- Your favorite cereal, crunched up
- Crushed pretzels
- Cayenne pepper-spiked cocoa powder
- Culinary-grade matcha
- Crushed graham crackers
- Cinnamon sugar
- Crushed homemade honeycomb
| 510 | grams high quality semi-sweet or dark chocolate, up to 65%, roughly chopped |
| 412 | grams heavy cream |
| 50 | grams glucose, light corn syrup, or honey (optional) |
| 110 | grams unsalted butter, cut into small cubes |
| 100 | grams high-quality cocoa powder, for coating |
| 510 | grams high quality semi-sweet or dark chocolate, up to 65%, roughly chopped |
| 412 | grams heavy cream |
| 50 | grams glucose, light corn syrup, or honey (optional) |
| 110 | grams unsalted butter, cut into small cubes |
| 100 | grams high-quality cocoa powder, for coating |
What's your favorite truffle topping? Share it for others in the comments below!
A just-right baked good depends on high-quality ingredients—and good chocolate's a must. This holiday season, our sweetest secret is Ghirardelli's 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips—what's yours? See all of Ghirardelli's baking chocolate here.
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