Yield: 30 Truffle Pops
Ingredients:
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 4 oz heavy cream
- 1 oz (2 tbsp butter)
- 8 oz chocolate candy coating
- 14 lollipop sticks
- Assorted toppings (sprinkles, chopped nuts, etc)
Preparation:
1. Place the finely chopped semi-sweet chocolate in a medium bowl.
2. Pour the heavy cream into a small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Heat the cream until it comes to a simmer and small bubbles appear on the sides of the pan.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit and soften the chocolate for a minute. Gently whisk the cream and chocolate together until your mixture is shiny and smooth. Whisk in the room temperature butter.
4. Press a layer of cling wrap on top of the chocolate and refrigerate it until it's firm enough to scoop, about 1 hour.
5. Once firm but not hard, use a small candy scoop or a teaspoon to make your balls of ganache, about 1 inch in diameter. You should get about 28-30 truffles from this batch. Roll them between your palms to make them round, and dust your palms with a bit of cocoa powder, if necessary, when the truffles start to stick.
6. Melt the chocolate candy coating in the microwave. Dip one end of a lollipop stick in the coating, then insert it into the center of a truffle. The coating will help anchor the stick in place. Repeat with the remaining sticks and truffles, until each truffle is on a lollipop stick.
7. If you have the time, leave the truffles out overnight at cool room temperature. This will cause them to develop a "skin" and make them firm enough to dip, without having to refrigerate them. If you don't have the time, refrigerate the tray until the truffles are very firm. (Refrigerating the truffles makes the candy coating more likely to crack after dipping, since the truffles expand as they warm up. This can be remedied by double-dipping the truffles, or covering the cracks with sprinkles or other decorations.)
8. Once the truffles are firm, re-melt the chocolate coating. Holding the end of a lollipop stick, quickly dip a truffle into the coating until it is completely covered. Remove it from the coating and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Hold it upside down and gently swirl it to encourage all the extra to drip off. If you want it to be completely round then poke the stick into a piece of strofoam to let it dry upright. Otherwise, place it upside-down or sideways on a foil-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle the Truffle Pop with your decorations of choice while the coating is still wet.
9. Refrigerate Truffle Pops in an airtight container for up to two weeks. For the best taste and texture, bring them to room temperature before serving.
