~Amanda~
Gingerbread cookies have been a Christmas favorite of mine for ages, but since I can’t have gluten I rarely get to enjoy them anymore – gluten free gingerbread is just NOT the same, I have tried and haven’t liked a single recipe yet, so if you have a good one, please share! I still make our recipe (find it HERE) for Gingerbread Cookies almost every year so I can give them away to others, but again, since those aren’t gluten free I never get to have any for myself. Lucky for me, I found this recipe for Chocolate Gingerbread TRUFFLES in Bon Appetit magazine a while ago and it’s the perfect solution for my problem; you get the awesome Christmas-y flavors of gingerbread in the form of a truffle coated with dark and vanilla chocolate and sprinkled with crystallized ginger. I mean these might even be better than just regular gingerbread cookies because they’re coated with chocolate, it doesn’t get much better than that, am I right?!
There are tons and tons of recipes for gingerbread truffles out there and the reason that this one stuck out to me the most is because the cream that is used to make the truffle filling is infused with all the classic gingerbread flavors. You get this amazing flavor by placing heavy whipping cream in a pot and boiling it with allspice, cloves, molasses, fresh ginger and cinnamon. Once it steeps for about an hour it smells just like fresh gingerbread cookies!
To make this into a filling for the truffles, you combine the cream mixture (after it’s been strained) with a mixture of melted white and semisweet chocolates. It then takes a few hours chilling in the fridge for the filling to firm up and be ready to mold into balls. There are also some more simple recipes out there combining cream cheese and crushed ginger cookies together for a filling – these are really really good too, but I figure if I’m going to go to the effort of making truffles, I’m going to go all out and do it right!
(See the right picture above – you want it thick to where you can draw a line with your finger and it stays)
(this is a VERY messy task and VERY frustrating – don’t give up! It’s totally worth it and they do not have to be perfect looking, aiming for perfection here will just leave you disappointed haha)
Once the filling is made, you want to melt the dark chocolate for the truffle coating. You can make a double broiler to melt the chocolate by setting a metal bowl on top of a pot of simmering water; make sure the water is not touching the bowl though – you want to use the heat from the steam to melt the chocolate, but if the water is touching the bowl, it could get too hot and potentially burn and I’m pretty sure wasting chocolate is a sin. Once it’s ready, you dip the sweet and spicy truffle balls into the melted dark chocolate and let them cool for awhile in the fridge. Then you’re going to melt some white chocolate the same way and dip only one side of the balls back in there. This makes the truffles look really custom and gives a little bit of that wow factor. I like to chop of some crystalized ginger up and sprinkle it on top to add an extra pop of ginger flavor to the outside of the truffles too – plus it looks really pretty and festive. These are perfect for any party you go to or as a gift for friends and family (or if we’re being honest, a gift for yourself to enjoy and not have to share with anyone)!
(again – this is VERY messy… please don’t judge)
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 10 whole allspice
- 10 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon light molasses
- 1½ teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- 7 ounces plus 12 ounces high-quality white chocolate, chopped
- 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup crystallized ginger, chopped (plus additional for garnish)
- Place the cream, allspice, cloves, molasses, ginger, cinnamon and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour.
- Once it has been sitting for an hour, strain it through a fine colander and set aside.
- Place the 7 ounces of semisweet chocolate and 7 ounces of white chocolate in large metal bowl and set over saucepan of simmering water (to create a double broiler) and stir until chocolate is melted and smooth then remove bowl from over water.
- Stir the cream mixture into the melted chocolate until well combined.
- Add in 1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger and stir.
- Chill the mixture in the fridge for 2-3 hours until firm.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a 1-inch melon baller to scoop the filling out and roll between palms to form it into balls. Place on parchment and chill for another 2 hours.
- Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place 12 ounces dark chocolate in medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water; stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water and cool until a thermometer reads about 115°F.
- Submerge truffles in chocolate one by one using a fork then lift out and tap the fork against the side of the bowl to remove excess coating.
- Slide the truffle off the fork using a knife onto the parchment lines sheet. Repeat with remaining truffles. Chill until set - about 30 minutes.
- Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place 12 ounces white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water; stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water and cool until a thermometer reads about 100°F.
- Hold 1 truffle between thumb and index finger and dip halfway into white chocolate then place on parchment lined sheet.
- Sprinkle pieces of crystallized ginger on top then repeat with remaining truffles.
- Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Enjoy now or keep covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.
