Chocolate Truffles

Adapted from Epicurious

 

Ganache:
9 oz. heavy cream
10.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Coating:
9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, tempered

Garnish:
1 ½ c shredded sweetened coconut, toasted
1 ½ c toasted hazelnuts

Heat the heavy cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl. Make a ganache by pouring about half of the hot cream over the chocolate and letting it sit for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Then slowly whisk until smooth and homogenous. Add the remaining cream gradually and mix until all of the hot cream is incorporated and the ganache is smooth and homogenous. 

Pour the ganache onto a plastic wrap-covered baking sheet and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and allow it to cool for at least 4 hours at room temperature. I usually make the ganache at the end of the day and let it cool overnight. As it cools, it will thicken and set.

Spoon and drop small mounds of ganache onto the baking sheet using a teaspoon. Let the truffles harden in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, until they are hard enough to roll with your hands.

Using surgical gloves, roll the mounds into balls.  Next dip into tempered chocolate using two forks.  Hold the forks over the bowl for several seconds to allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl, then drop into coconut or hazelnut coating and place on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet to dry.

*I added coconut butter and a bit of unsweetened, dried coconut to the ganache that was eventually coated in toasted coconut.  Major yum!