Creme De Menthe Truffle Cups

These little chocolate cups are the kind of homemade candy that looks like it came from a fancy chocolate shop. Paper candy liners get painted with melted coating chocolate to form a crisp shell, then filled with a minty ganache piped through a star tip.

The ganache itself is straightforward: melted chocolate stirred with butter, whipped cream, creme de menthe, and ground almonds. A stint in the fridge firms it enough to hold a pretty pipe, not so firm that it cracks the shell.

The liqueur is doing more than flavoring. Alcohol keeps the ganache softer when chilled, which is why a straight mint-extract version can turn hard and waxy in the fridge. Peel the paper cups off just before serving for a clean, bakery-case look.

Chef Tips

• Use high-quality chocolate, at least 50% cacao. Candy-bar chocolate has stabilizers that fight a silky ganache.
• When painting the shells, bring the coating up the sides a full ⅛ inch, not just the bottom. Thin walls crack when you peel the paper.
• Stir the ganache every few minutes while it chills. Left alone, it sets unevenly and pipes in streaks.
• Pipe at room temperature, then chill. A cold ganache drags and tears in the decorating bag.
• Let cups come to room temperature 10 minutes before serving. Ice-cold chocolate tastes muted.

Variations

• Swap the creme de menthe for Bailey’s Irish Cream or Grand Marnier for a different boozy flavor.
• Top each cup with a single candied mint leaf or a shaving of white chocolate before the ganache sets.
• Use dark chocolate coating for the shell and milk chocolate ganache for a two-tone bite.