Creme De Menthe Truffle Cups
Submitted by vivian
Creme de menthe truffle cups: bite-size chocolate candy shells piped full of minty chocolate ganache with ground almonds. A boozy, bakery-style Christmas confection made in a double boiler.
YIELD
1 batchPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
1 hrsThese 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.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat candy coating in double boiler over hot water until melted.
Spread 1 teaspoon coating evenly on bottoms and up sides of paper candy cups.
Let stand until hard.
Heat chocolate in heavy 2 quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted; remove from heat.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Refrigerate about 25 minutes, stirring frequently, or until mixture is thick and mounds when dropped from a spoon.
Spoon mixture into decorating bag with star tip.
Pipe mixture into candy-coated cups.
Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until chocolate mixture is firm.
Peel paper from cups before serving if desired.
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