Some weeks ago, I posted this recipe for gingerbread truffles. After a recently demonstrating how to make these delicious dark, spicy morsels at Winterthur Museum in Winterthur, Delaware, I decided to post it again in its full form. Much to my dismay, they didn’t make it into the Gingerbread cookbook, so I hope you’ll enjoy seeing them here.

Chocolate-Gingerbread Truffles

For some time, I struggled to come up with a gingerbread truffle. I didn’t know what form of ginger I wanted to use or even what flavor and texture I was hoping to achieve. Then one day the answer came as I opened the freezer: use leftover gingerbread cake. This solution was perfect. Rather than simply infusing the ganache with fresh or powdered ginger, or stirring crystallized ginger into it, using gingerbread cake imparts an entirely new dimension to the truffles. Mixed with honey and whiskey, the cake transforms into a glistening, sticky mass. It is then shaped into balls and essentially stuffed into the chocolate truffles. The textural and flavor contrast between the soft cakey center and the velvety smooth ganache that surrounds it is utterly delicious and quite worth the effort.

Makes 42 truffles

About 2 1/2 ounces day-old gingerbread cake

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon whiskey

2 cups (1 recipe) Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache (recipe follows), chilled

3/4 cup (1/2 recipe) Dark Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows)

About 1 cup natural cocoa powder

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Crumble the gingerbread cake into a small bowl. Add the honey and whiskey and stir to form a moist and sticky mass. Set the mixture in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Shape the cold mixture into balls about the size of hazelnuts and set again in the refrigerator to chill for at least 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, form the chilled ganache into rough balls (about 2 teaspoons in size) and drop them onto the prepared baking sheet. Set in the refrigerator to chill and become firm, at least 1 hour.

Using your index finger, make a rounded indentation in the center of each ganache ball. Place a chilled gingerbread ball in the indentation and pinch the ganache together to enclose the gingerbread. Roll the truffle again into a ball and return it to the baking sheet. When all of the truffles are formed, chill them again in the refrigerator for at least another 30 minutes or overnight.

To coat the truffles, melt the glaze, if necessary, in a medium, wide-mouthed bowl until it is lukewarm (not hot) and smooth (see page 00). Drop the truffles, one at a time, into the glaze, turning with a fork to coat them completely. Using the fork, lift the truffles out of the glaze, tap gently on the edge of the bowl to remove any excess glaze, and return them to the baking sheet. Set the truffles in a cool area or in the refrigerator until the glaze is firm, about 30 minutes.

Put the cocoa powder in a shallow bowl and toss in the truffles, a few a time, rolling to coat evenly. (Store the truffles in an airtight container, layered between sheets of parchment or waxed paper, in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Roll again, if necessary, in cocoa powder before serving.)

Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache

In my opinion, there should not only be “a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage,” but a pint of ganache in every refrigerator. (I wonder what Herbert Hoover would say?) The rich chocolaty stuff is nothing less than magical. When warm and flowing, it beautifully covers cakes or serves as sauce. When cold and firm, it can be formed into truffles, or dropped into unbaked cupcakes to become molten and gooey in the oven. It is easy to make and just as easy to keep on hand stored in the refrigerator. With a container of ganache at the ready, you are sure to feel prosperous and happy—even without the chicken and car.

Makes 2 cups

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream

Put the chocolate in a large bowl. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour the cream over the chocolate, set aside for about 1 minute, and then stir until smooth. If the chocolate doesn’t melt completely, heat the ganache in the microwave at about 10-second intervals until completely smooth. (Use immediately as a coating or sauce, or, for truffles and the like, chill it in the refrigerator until firm. If you are using the ganache later, pour it into an airtight container, set aside until cool, and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.)

Note

It might appear trendy to suggest using the best quality chocolate possible when making ganache. This is really true, however. Not only will great chocolate provide better flavor and mouth feel, but it will also make for a glossier, smoother ganache. If you can, try to find a couverture chocolate, such as Barry Callebaut, Valrhona, or Michel Cluizel. A favorite among pastry chefs, couverture, or coating, chocolate contains at least 32 percent cocoa butter and thus melts beautifully and evenly. Using regular store-bought chocolate for this ganache will be fine for making truffles. When making a ganache suitable for pouring and coating, however, as is necessary for the Chocolate-Apricot Gingerbread Torte (page 00), you might need to drizzle in a bit more warm cream until it is thin enough to pour and spread. If, for some reason, the ganache appears curdled after incorporating the cream, this same drizzle of warm cream will help to create a smooth consistency.

Note

To melt the ganache once it becomes firm, put it in a large heat-proof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 1 1/2 inches of simmering water (being sure not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and stir occasionally until the ganache is melted and smooth. Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. (You can also melt the ganache in the microwave, heating it at about 20-second intervals and stirring periodically until it is melted and smooth.)

Dark Chocolate Glaze

Whether you’re coating cookies or truffles, or just need a drizzle of chocolate decoration, this glaze will do the trick nicely. It is easy to prepare and dries to a hard, smooth finish. Once it becomes firm, the glaze stores well for several weeks. Simply melt it again in a bowl over simmering water or in the microwave when you need a bit of chocolate panache.

Makes 1 1/2 cups

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Put the chocolate in a medium, heat-proof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 1 1/2 inches of simmering water (being sure not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. (You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave, heating it at about 20-second intervals and stirring periodically until it is melted and smooth.) Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the vegetable oil. (Use the glaze immediately to drizzle or coat. If you are using the glaze later, pour it into an airtight container, set aside until firm, and store in a cool area or in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.)

Note

To melt the glaze once it becomes hard, repeat the procedure above for melting the chocolate.