Just about everyone loves chocolate and those that don’t know a loved one who does. So this little recipe is the perfect indulgence or the perfect gift. It’s very simple, quick and always impresses lucky recipients. Who wouldn’t love to receive a box of homemade chocolates!

What You’ll Need

80ml (2 3/4 fl oz) Double Cream

200g (7oz) good quality Dark or Milk Chocolate

12.5g (1/2 oz) Butter

2Tsp golden syrup (this is only if using Dark Chocolate, Milk Chocolate is sweet enough)

Ground Almond, Cocoa Powder or Chopped Nuts to decorate

Step 1

Finely chop or grate 100g (3 1/2 0z) of your chocolate. Heat the cream in a pan until it just begins to boil. Remove from the heat and add in your chocolate and butter. Leave it for a couple of minutes and then stir until smooth.

If you are using Dark Chocolate add your syrup in now.

Step 2

At this point you can either pour the hot ganache into a bowl and leave to cool. Or if you have an appropriate chocolate mould you can use this instead. Once cool cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. By now it will be a lovely firm ganache.

Step 3

Remove your ganache from the fridge. If you did not use a chocolate mould you will now need to dust a plate or tray with good quality cocoa powder. Spoon out a little ganache, cover in powder and then roll into a ball using your hands. Once rolled place on a tray and put back in the fridge. If you used a chocolate mould, pop out your moulded shapes and lightly dust with cocoa powder before placing onto a tray.

Step 4

Melt your remaining chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water. While this is melting cover a large plate/tray with ground almonds, chopped nuts or cocoa powder. Remove your ganache shapes from the fridge. Placing one on a fork lightly dip into the melted chocolate until covered. Lift up on the fork allowing excess chocolate to drain away.

Immediately place your chocolate onto your plate of almonds/nuts/cocoa and lightly cover.  Transfer to another plate/tray to set.

Continue until all your chocolates are covered and then place back in the fridge.

Once set you will have beautiful ganache chocolates with a light crisp chocolate shell.

Notes.

If you use Milk Chocolate and add syrup your ganache may not set.

The syrup can be substituted for another sweetener such as liquor.

You can just dip the ganache centres into melted chocolate and leave to set, they look particularly pretty dusted with a little metallic edible food powder.