Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes + overnight to set
Yields: Enough for 60-80 truffles, about 3 cups.
Ingredients
16 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
8 oz heavy cream
3 oz almond extract
4 oz amaretto liqueur
Directions
1. Begin by pre-warming your chocolate. Place in a microwave safe bowl and heat for intervals of 10 seconds, until the chips just begin to melt at the edges. You should be able to feel warmth when touching your hand to the bottom of the bowl, but it should not be too warm or hot.
2. In a small saucepan, heat your cream until bubbles just begin to form at the edges.
3. Add your almond extract and liqueur to the saucepan and let it simmer at the edges a minute longer. Don’t let the cream reach a full boil.
4. Pour the cream mixture over your chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.
5. With a whisk, slowly incorporate the cream and chocolate. Begin with slow movements at the center of your bowl, moving outward in a gentle motion. When the milk starts to look like chocolate milk, it’s okay to whisk a little faster.
6. Once fully incorporated, continue to stir until no lumps remain.
7. Allow to set overnight in a porcelain or glass container and leave unrefrigerated in a cool place. Cover loosely with parchment paper or a paper towel, but do not use plastic wrap as you do not want to encourage condensation.
Variations and Tips
For a softer ganache, use a 2 to 1 ratio of chocolate to liquid.
For an extra soft, pourable ganache use the same 2 to 1 ratio, but add an ounce or two of extra liquid depending on how pourable you want it to be. Use immediately as your ganache will get firmer as it sits.
The liquid can be a mixture of cream or liqueurs as long as they add up to the correct ratio. For example, a half sized batch would be 8 oz chocolate to 4 oz liquid, either 4 oz of cream or 2 oz cream plus 2 oz liqueur.
Experiment with other flavors by using different liqueurs and extracts. Try Frangelico, spiced rum, vanilla extract, hazelnut extract, coconut extract, grand marnier, espresso. The possibilities are limitless!
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