October 09, 2008

Goodness, gracious, great balls of chocolate.


The October issue of Better Homes & Gardens had a Prize Tested Recipe from a reader for pumpkin-spiced gingersnap truffles. Hello, gorgeous.

Here’s the super easy recipe, along with my notes.

1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate pieces (I used
Ghirardelli semisweet chips, and I didn’t even need one full bag)
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I buy my spices at
Penzeys, who carry a great pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice. But you can also use cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and, if you have, a pinch of allspice and/or clove to create a fine blend o' seasonal goodness.)
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup chopped gingersnaps (I used
Anna’s Ginger Thins. Super thin, so easy to pulvarize with a rolling pin. Or hammer. See what tool suits your mood of the day. I also used less than the recipe called for; maybe 1/3 cup.)

Additional 1/3 cup finely crushed gingersnaps and/or 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used gingersnaps only, and if I had a food processor I’d give them a whirl in there.)

1. In medium bowl combine chocolate pieces, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla.

2. In medium microwave-safe bowl place whipping cream. Microwave on high for 70 seconds or until boiling (or place cream in saucepan and bring just to boiling. I did this, as I tend to try and be nuke-free whenever possible.) Pour cream over chocolate mixture. Let stand 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Stir in chopped gingersnaps.

Cover; refrigerate 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until firm but soft enough to form into balls. *


3. Place crushed gingersnaps (note: I put in a ziplock bag and smashed with a rolling pin) and/or cocoa powder in small bowl(s).


Using a small spoon, scoop 1-tablespoon portions of truffle mixture and shape into balls. Roll in crushed gingersnaps or cocoa powder to coat. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store, covered, in refrigerator, up to 3 days. Makes 20 to 25 truffles.

* An “addendum” from me: After refrigerating for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, the mixture was a bit of a gooey mess and difficult to work with. I decided to chance it and refrigerated half the bowl overnight – easily another 10 hours – and found it still pliable and MUCH easier to work with. Next time, I’ll probably transfer the mixture to a shallow dish (or a lipped baking pan) so it sets quicker and more uniformly.

The good news is, there will be a next time. These were delish, simple, and elicit “ooos” and “ahhs” from guests who will think you worked way harder than you did. I forgot to take a picture of my pretty plated ones, so instead you’ll have to deal with this not-so-pretty plating in the Chinese food container I stored them in. Keeping it real here at the shore house.

16 comments:

Jules from "The Roost" said...

MY MY they look delicious. Can't wait to try this recipe! Thanks:)

beachy in the burbs said...

Those look great! I'm so proud of myself because I baked an apple pie last night :) Okay, so I cheated and used store-bought dough, but I did the rest myself. I feel like I'm on my way (slowly) to becoming a domestic goddess!

Liz Harrell said...

There goes my diet.

Here, There, Elsewhere... and more said...

WOW! Thanks for sharing - I'll can't wait to make these asap with my girls for the whole family to enjoy..:)

abeachcottage said...

oooh my! Laura this looks fantastic, I am gonna try that with Miss Beach Cottage, I will be in heaven heehee!

Sarah

Anonymous said...

Ooh! Ahh! We're having friends over on Sunday; I know what I'm doing this weekend! And, drat, my issue of BHG was never delivered this month. Gotta get on them about that. :)

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Mmmmmmm...they sound and look delicious! A perfect treat for Thanksgiving. I never even noticed this recipe in my BH&G!

Thanks!

Laura @ the shorehouse. said...

Hi ladies!

oh Jules...they are delish! Messy; but delish. :-)

you go, Jersey Girl! It still counts if you take a crust short cut (your secret's safe with me, wink, wink. ;-)

Liz...going, going, GONE.

Here, There...it's a PERFECT "group project" -- kids will love dipping their hands in this stuff!

Sarah...ditto; Miss Beach Cottage will love...and you'll be able to display them on one of your fancy table scapes, as opposed to my Chinese food container, LOL!

Laundry...really?? I got mine like 2 weeks ago! But...now that you have this recipe I highly recommend for company!

Pat...It was one of those recipes on the pages that have two-per-page...with the little "cut out lines" around them...that readers send in to win $. There was another quick and easy dessert recipe this month but I'm totally blanking on what it was. Maybe another post! :-)

I recommend you all give it a try...a bit messy during the rolling process, but worth it!

-- Laura

Anonymous said...

Thank you very much for sharing.
Through your blog, a lot of people including me of course have a chance to read and learn from.
I have read some of your post and I really enjoyed reading it.
Thanks again and looking forward for more of your posting soon!

Kimberly said...

Um, yes, I second that "Hello, Gorgeous". Gonna have to make these and then eat them...all :)

Thanks for dropping by! I finally posted my pretty pumpkin: http://seashellsandsilver.blogspot.com/2008/10/prettying-up-my-pumpkin.html

heidi said...

hmm... looks like you snagged yerself a prince with those great balls of chocolate, my friend!

Kimberly said...

Oh yes; we and the living room were looking quite festive after it was all said and done :)

That is the tray top to an old trunk we bought. Here's my first post about it: http://seashellsandsilver.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-recently-complained-to-hubs-that-our.html

That crow is one from the Dollar Tree (I've noticed a bunch of bloggers snagged them) so if you saw those maybe that will give you an idea of the size of the trunk.

j.cro said...

If you want to make these vegan you can use either soy creamer for something a little thicker or try using one of the nut milks like almond or hazelnut... use dark chocolate and I'm sure there's some kind of vegan ginger snaps out there.
I might be trying this very thing at home this weekend.

Ms. Tee said...

Oh, how I do love Ghiradelli. :) This looks dee-vine.

Anonymous said...

wow deliciousness

Blogger said...

Those look soooo good!!! They look fun to make, too!

Thanks for posting this, I will have to bookmark and make them sometime with my boys:)

Bella