While my aunt’s homemade fudge may be a star of our family’s holiday dessert spread, and one I wait for all year long, I’m equally partial to simple chocolate-ganache truffles. The richness of the chocolate and cream-filled ganache is the perfect starting point for one of the best cups of hot chocolate you will have.
Stirring a few of the truffle cubes into steamy, hot milk make for a rich and decadent wintertime beverage, plus, these truffles package up perfectly as a great little gift for the chocolate-fiends on your list. Simply seal it up with some glittery tape, affix a tag and you’re ready to go!
To make the truffles, heat some cream until scalded—aka, until just before boiling, when little bubbles appear around the edges of the pan. Pour the hot milk over a bowl of chocolate chips. Cover, and let it sit for a few minutes, then stir the milk and chocolate mixture ‘til it’s smooth.
Then, we spread the ganache in an even layer into a parchment-lined and greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with mini marshamallows until they are semi-submerged into the silky ganache, and then refrigerate for several hours until chilled and set.
Once the ganache has set, remove it from the pan by lifting up the parchment, and cut the truffles into rectangles.
Then, it’s just a matter of gathering a few mugs and heating some milk before you are on your way to hot-chocolate town!