homemade gift idea: dark chocolate truffles

I cannot believe I have shelled out several dollars for specialty truffles after seeing how simple they are to make. Those of you who were following our homemade gift extravaganza this past weekend saw that we whipped up a spice rub, a curried lentil soup mix and a lemon-sugar scrub in between birthday parties, chess, paddle tennis and normal weekend revelry. What I didn't mention, was that at the 11th hour (or 4:00pm, if you go to bed at 7:00pm...) my older son and I also made a batch of homemade truffles. My husband rolled his eyes, since the kitchen had just been put back in order, and really did we need to make another homemade gift?! Yes, we did. Because my younger son wanted to give one of his teachers something chocolate, and the kids are giving each adult something homemade this year, and (trust me) I knew my husband and father-in-law would love these, assuming they turned out.

The recipe looked too simple. Really, just 4 ingredients? Yup. And whatever you plan to roll them in.

Homemade Dark Chocolate Truffles

(makes about 60 truffles, depending upon what size you roll them)

1 stick of butter (8T)
2 cups of heavy cream
2 lbs chocolate* (in chunks, chips or chopped)
1 Tablespoon vanilla*
topping of your choice (crushed nuts, cocoa powder, candy cane dust, etc...)

In a double boiler, bring the butter and cream to a fast simmer. Add chocolate and vanilla and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Chill until firm. Once chilled, scoop and roll into balls, then roll into coating of your choice. (Our truffles were about 3/4 inch in diameter. We rolled half of them in cocoa powder and half of them in candy canes we had pulverized in the Cuisinart, until they were simply pink powder.) Store truffles in fridge until ready to enjoy.

* If you can, splurge on high quality chocolate and vanilla for this project. It really will make a difference in the end product. My favorite brands are Dagoba and Guittard (which can sometimes be a little bit harder to find) or Ghiradelli 60% which is readily available in most supermarkets.

Note: this is not for the faint, or those who like things neat and tidy. Handling the chilled chocolate in this project is really messy! I did not argue when my younger son opted out after rolling one truffle, his hands then covered in chocolate... full disclosure: I was sort of thankful because I wasn't that excited to see chocolate hand prints in any other part of the house... 

We packaged this little balls of homemade decadence in mini muffin cups inside these small window boxes, lined with parchment paper.

Baking on a Budget: The holiday project I filmed for Walmart

I get these Happiness Project quotes emailed to me each morning, which when combined with the Zen-y thought printed on my morning Yogi tea bag, usually get my day off to a good start. (Liz, maybe these nuggets are why I am able to stay sane this week, ha!) Anyway, today's quote was:

"The man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest."— Henry David Thoreau

which fits nicely with this morning's post. We all know tis better to give than to receive, but what do you do when your list is long and your wallet is thin? Instead of giving less, why not figure out a recipe that will thrill the recipients but is also reasonable. You may remember that last month, I was hired by Walmart* to come up with a homemade holiday gift idea that was under $5. I normally shop for ingredients at my local market, or Trader Joe's and Whole Foods so this was a fun challenge: to peruse their holiday offerings, think about some of my go-to recipes, and meld the two together. I ended up making my wildly popular cinnamon-chocolate brownies with chocolate ganache, which a month later is not what I ended up making for our teachers (since they had already gotten to enjoy a test run on these treats back in November!). But this is a fabulous recipe (no matter what time of year) to whip up if you have a cookie exchange, holiday party, or need for a reasonably priced hostess or holiday gift!! Here's that video, which is currently showing on Yahoo Shine:

*as in paid, which was nice! (But rest assured, I'll only take on paid gigs if they truly fit with what I am sharing with you all, and I'll always tell you.)

Making Something Special: Chocolate Pots de Creme

I’m not sure about you, but I am not really one for a bouquet of red roses and a prix fixe dinner with a glass of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. I’d much rather go out to dinner with my husband any night but Valentine’s Day. So, I try to come up with a meal that’s simple to prepare-- but also special-- for that night we always stay in. Here’s a fabulous dessert for Valentine's Day, or any time you want to woo and impress your guests.

Chocolate Pots de Crème
This recipe, modified slightly from In Style magazine's February 2007 issue, will make 4 generous ramekins. Double the recipe if you’re having a dinner party. Even if there are only two of you, make it as is…because this Monday’s a holiday and it’s just as good on day 2.

1 ¼ cups heavy cream
2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup coffee liqueur (or Cointreau or your favorite liquer)
3 egg yolks
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
Whipped cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 325. If you don’t have a double boiler, simply rig one by filling a saucepan with some water and then putting a metal bowl, that fits snugly at the rim, inside of the saucepan. (That’s what you’ll melt the chocolate in, so it melts but does not burn.) In the “double boiler”, over medium heat, whisk the heavy cream, chocolate and liqueur until the chocolate has melted. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Slowly whisk the chocolate into the eggs. Then divide the mixture evenly among 4 ramekins, and place the ramekins in a roasting pan. Now you’ll be making a water bath. Carefully pour hot water into the roasting pan (around the ramekins—not onto them!!). Water should reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake custards until just set around the edges, about 25 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the water and put them in the fridge for about 3 hours or until completely chilled. Serve with whip cream…and a glass of champagne.

Banana Boats

Today was my big one’s last full day of K…Monday will be filled with celebration and good-byes. It’s a soggy, gray day here and he keeps announcing that he'd like to stay in K forever, so I brightened the afternoon with a quick homemade treat.

Banana Boats

Banana
Chocolate Chips
Optional: ice cream + sprinkles

Place peeled bananas on a cookie sheet, and cut a thin divvet down the length of the banana (“it looks like a canoe!”). Fill the gap with chocolate chips, replace the banana top as best you can (to prevent the chocolate chipes from burning under the broiler...it doesn't need to look pretty) and broil on low heat until the chocolate chips are melted and the banana is slightly warmed. Serve with ice cream if you’d like!

Cinnamon Chocolate Brownies

With today’s drizzle came a massive amount of baking and a tent/fort that took over our living room. I now have (totally decadent) Cinnamon Chocolate Brownies cooling on one counter…Sweet Corn Muffins with Cranberries and Honey cooling on another…and crammed onto a third are Lemon Cupcakes and a big Lemon sheet cake that my son will decorate tomorrow after school in anticipation of a Bake Sale to benefit Horizons….oh, and my living room looks like a tornado went through it.

I risk sharing the Cinnamon Chocolate Brownie recipe; for fear that no one will buy these brownies if they know how much butter went into them. But, I am going to take that risk because they’re just too amazing not to whip up, and to share. This recipe is slightly modified from one I found on Epicurious.com a couple years back and has become my go to brownie recipe.

Cinnamon Chocolate Brownies
(Makes one jelly roll/rimmed baking sheets worth…enough to share with several friends)

1 cup all-purpose flour
At least 4 Tablespoons cinnamon
Dash of salt

1 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 sticks of butter (ideally at room temp)

7 eggs
2 cups of sugar
4 Tablespoons vanilla extract

1 12 oz. bag a semi-sweet chocolate chips (yes, this is a second bag)
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (ideally at room temp)
5 Tablespoons whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter & flour a jelly roll pan (large, rimmed baking sheet).

Mix flour, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.

In a double boiler** stir the chocolate and butter until melted and smooth.

Turn the heat off and let the chocolate stand for a couple minutes while you beat the eggs/sugar/vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add the flour mixture to the egg/sugar/vanilla one, blending well. Gradually add the chocolate mixture, whipping until combined. (You’ll be able to tell because it will go from a pretty marbled appearance to a dark, rich chocolately one.)

Pour the batter into your buttered/floured jelly roll pan. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until tester toothpick comes out almost completely clean. Cool the brownies on your countertop.

In the meantime, make the ganache. Back to the double boiler, you’ll combine the second bag of chocolate chips, the second batch of butter, and the whipping cream, stirring with a whisk until melted and smooth. Pour over brownies. Then pop the whole big baking sheet into your fridge until the ganache is set.

These brownies can be prepared 2 days ahead. In fact, I think they are better if you prepare them ahead of the day you plan to serve them. Simply cut them and layer them in a Tupperware between wax paper and store them the fridge.

** If you do not have a double boiler you can simply improvise by nesting a metal mixing bowl inside a saucepan filled with a couple inches of water. A double boiler prevents the chocolate from burning since the top pot is kept above the boiling water and heated only by steam.

Classy Kid and Cookies

I had pipedreams of going to a Parent’s Association meeting at my son’s school all by myself today…enjoying a (hot) cup of coffee with fellow moms….actually hearing what the speaker had to say…and capping my morning off with an organic latte and a treat at Le Pain Quotodien. Instead, I had our little one in tow. The novelty of my purse full of pens, play-doh and little cars and trucks quickly wore off, as did drinking half & half through a skinny straw. At the ripe age of two, my son decided it was time to go…and right then. So he did his attention grabbing “Dammit!” yell a couple times over and we quickly exited the meeting.

Score? Toddler: 1, Mommy: 0.

With our playgroup cancelled and the weather totally foul, I was in no mood to play trains or Candyland…again. So, I suggested we make some cookies. After all, what is a pity party without cake or cookies? If you’re looking for a rainy weekend activity, I can confirm (10 cookies later) that these are worth whipping up.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the inside of the Quaker Oats lid)

(makes about 4 dozen cookies)

1 1/2 sticks organic butter, softened (or done so in the microwave for 20 seconds)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup Turbinado sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1 ½ cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
hearty dash of cinnamon (2 Tablespoons or so)
sprinkling of ginger (1/2 or 1 teaspoon, optional)
3 cups Quaker oats
copious amounts of semi-sweet chocolate chips (at least a bag, come on these are cookies…)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional, but the chocolate is not in my book)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (for easier clean-up).
Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until creamy.
Add eggs and vanilla; mix.
Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger; mix.
Add oats, chocolate chips and cranberries (or any other ingredients you’re adding); mix.
Form drop cookies and bake 10-12 minutes, or until a nice golden brown.