Delicate Truffles with Butter Ganache- Simple Perfection.

For a mass produced commercial confection in a bag, those Lindt spheres from the duty free were ethereal.

Resolved to recreate them, I was prepared to experiment, batch after batch, to get them right. I got a lot less than I bargained for- a couple hours later (most of that letting them set), perfection was melting in our mouths. These should be much more difficult, more expensive, and more time consuming. They are the most democratic of luxuries.

Heavy cream ganache has been a foolproof standby for our house truffles- a rich, mouth-coating texture, easy to work with. The butter ganache, rather than coating the mouth, is ever elusive, gossamer. And as it turns out, butter ganache is even easier to work with. 

The proportions of the filling are simple: by weight, one part butter to two parts chocolate, and a little corn syrup. You could worry that so much milk chocolate would be too sweet, especially with the corn syrup (for body and stability), but there is so much butter by that it stretches the sweetness out over more silken volume-

For a very manageable quantity, we will need:

100 g/ 3 1/2 oz butter

200 g/ 7 oz milk chocolate

35 g/ 1 generous ounce (2 tablespoons) corn syrup

some flavoring

200 g/ 7 oz dark chocolate

a blend of 2 parts cocoa to one part powdered sugar, for rolling.

Let the butter come to room temperature and whip it until fluffy. Add the corn syrup and whip some more. Melt the chocolate until liquid but not at all warm. You can melt it in a small bowl over simmering water, or in a microwave- 20 seconds at a time on medium power, stirring in between. Whatever method you choose, stop when there are still some unmelted pieces, and stir gently to melt them. Blend gently and thoroughly into the butter, and add flavor as you wish- here, five drops of peppermint oil. Keep tasting as you add. At this stage, it will not hold a peak. Let it sit a moment to firm up enough to pipe. Transfer to the cone, snip a hole in the bottom if it is too tight, and pipe mounds onto parchment. 

The butter ganache is soft and easy to pipe- it is the simplest way to make the centers uniform size. First, make a parchment cone. I thought it would be obvious how to do it- not really. It is very easy though- this handy video from a woman who makes stunning cakes will show you how. I found this more elegant and easier to use than the usual pastry bag stand in of a zip-lock bag. The parchment cone takes 30 seconds, and piping them takes another minute or so. Make them any size you like- I made thirty, the size of a small walnut:

Unless it is summer, these will firm up nicely and more evenly at room temperature. Give them a few hours. 

When you are ready to dip, melt 2/3 of the dark chocolate until warm, then add the remaining 1/3 and stir until melted and the chocolate, although liquid, does not feel warm to the touch- this a makeshift tempering, worth the tiny effort, and the centers are at room temperature- warm chocolate will melt them and make a mess. Sift the cocoa and the powdered sugar together into a dish large enough to give all the ruffles room:

Dip each truffle into the chocolate and roll between your palms to give it a thin, even coating:

and drop it into the cocoa/sugar:

Roll it around to cover evenly, and let set, which takes no time at all. You could easily make a double batch, as they will be gone instantly, but a fleeting pleasure is often the sweeter for it.