Penny Sous
Submitted by coolchic
Penny sous are handmade peanut butter ganache truffles dipped in tempered chocolate and topped with a single toasted peanut. Four-ingredient chocolatier-level dessert.
YIELD
24 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
1 hrsPenny sous are copper-penny-sized chocolate truffles, each topped with a single roasted peanut (the “penny"). Inside is a silky peanut butter ganache made from hot cream poured over chocolate, cooled and scooped into small balls. A hand-tempered semi-sweet chocolate shell goes around the outside.
Tempering is what separates good truffles from sticky, bloomed-looking failures. The recipe calls for cooling melted chocolate down to 90°F (32°C) before use. At that temperature, the chocolate’s cocoa butter crystals align properly, giving you a glossy, snappy shell that stays firm at room temperature and releases cleanly from a mold.
Toasting the peanuts at the start isn’t decorative. Raw peanut taste dulls under the chocolate dip. Lightly roasted peanuts hold their flavor through the finished candy.
Pro Tips
- Use a decent semi-sweet couverture chocolate, not chocolate chips. Chips contain stabilizers that interfere with proper tempering.
- Check the ganache’s set after 30 minutes. If it’s still too soft to scoop into balls, chill another 15 minutes. Too firm and you can’t work with it.
- Use a candy thermometer or an instant-read digital for the 90°F (32°C) tempering step. Guessing means bloomed, dull-looking candies.
- Work in a cool kitchen. Warm air keeps chocolate from setting properly on the truffles. Around 68°F (20°C) is the ideal ambient for chocolate work.
Variations
- Swap peanuts for toasted hazelnuts and use Nutella in place of peanut butter for a Ferrero-style twist.
- Add a pinch of flaky sea salt to the ganache for a salted peanut butter cup profile.
- Drizzle finished truffles with white chocolate for contrast and visual appeal.
Ingredients
Directions
Toast the peanuts on a baking sheet in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes.
Remove the peanuts from the oven and set aside until needed.
Heat the heavy cream and the peanut butter in a 1½-qt saucepan over medium-high heat.
Stir with a whisk to combine thoroughly.
Bring the mixture to a boil.
Place 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate in a stainless steel bowl.
Pour the boiling cream and peanut butter mixture over the chocolate, and allow to stand at room temperature for 5 minutes.
Stir until smooth.
Refrigerate the peanut butter ganache for 30 minutes.
Cover the bottom of a baking sheet with film wrap.
Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat.
Place the remaining 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate in the top half.
Heat the chocolate uncovered, while stirring constantly, until it has melted, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Transfer the melted chocolate to a stainless steel bowl, and continue to stir until the temperature of the chocolate is reduced to 90 degrees, about 5 minutes.
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