You might need to make up two batches of these Chocolate Ganache Squares Recipe, one as a food gift and one to keep to yourself! This recipe is basically a chocolate bonbon without the difficulty of the tempering or enrobing part. You take just the filling—the ganache, dust it with cocoa powder, make clean cuts, place them inside a little candy cup, and bingo! You have a beautiful food gift that’s super impressive and yet so easy to prepare—perfect for Mother’s Day!
Watch a video of these Chocolate Ganache Squares Recipe HERE.
If you’re not familiar with the word GANACHE, allow me to introduce you:
Ganache is an emulsion between chocolate and heavy cream. Most ganache is made by heating the liquid until it begins to boil; the hot liquid is then poured over chopped chocolate — it has to be finely chopped because if you’re chocolate, it’s still in big chunks it won’t melt. The mixture is slowly and carefully combined as the chocolate melts to form an emulsion.
Find a nice box and fancy ribbon to place these Chocolate Ganache Squares Recipe in. The presentation counts just as much as the taste. Look out for vintage tins, boxes, or baskets, and keep a couple of wrapping materials handy to dress up these babies. A trip to Michael’s comes in handy before making these Chocolate Ganache Square Recipe.
I like to use brown glassine candy cups (number 3 or 4 bases) as they make for a lovely presentation.
While making a ganache is a simple recipe to prepare, quite a few variables could result in breaking the ganache. Let’s tackle the possible mistakes:
Butter
You want to use good quality, unsalted butter. Make sure the butter is at room temperature and cut into small cubes so that it melts quickly in the heat of the ganache. Do not melt the butter before adding it to the ganache, or the ganache will break.
Chocolate:
Do not try to melt the chocolate before, or the ganache will break. Make sure to chop the chocolate very finely by hand, using a long-serrated knife. If you see any big chunks of chocolate, chop that up.
Heavy cream:
You want to heat it gently. Give it 30 seconds before pouring it into the chopped chocolate. Don’t try to substitute for any other ingredient like milk (ganache won’t firm up) or sour cream (ganache will taste sour).
Cocoa Powder
Be sure to use excellent quality cocoa powder. This Chocolate Ganache Square Recipe is one where this ingredient will shine. See my recommendations for chocolate and cocoa powder brands below.
Here are some of my favorite chocolate brands to use:
Chocolate Ganache Squares
Yields 36 squares
Ingredients:
For the Ganache:
7 oz (200g) chocolate, preferably 64% finely chopped
1 cup (250 g) heavy cream
6 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
For the Coating:
1 cup high-quality cocoa powder
Equipment: one 8-inch square pan, lined with parchment paper
Procedure:
Place the chocolate in a glass or stainless-steel bowl.
In a medium saucepan, gently heat the heavy cream until it bubbles on the edges.
Pour the hot liquid into the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 1 minute, allowing the heat of the cream to melt the chocolate.
Using a whisk, stir slowly to combine and form an emulsion.
Once the chocolate and cream are thoroughly combined, add the butter, and whisk again until all the butter is incorporated. Let the ganache rest inside the bowl for 10 minutes.
Pour the ganache into the square pan and spread it flat with an offset spatula. Freeze it for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight.
Remove the pan from the freezer and gently flip the ganache onto a clean, dry cutting board. Remove the parchment paper from the bottom.
Using a cocoa powder shaker (or a fine sieve), dust cocoa powder evenly over the entire ganache.
Using a long knife dipped in hot water, cut the ganache into strips and then into individual pieces. You want to dip the knife into hot water and dry it with a paper towel between each cut. Having a ruler helps to measure the pieces in equal size.
Be careful to handle each cut chocolate ganache square by the sides, not leaving a fingerprint on top of each square. Place them inside the candy cups and arrange them inside a nice chocolate box. Wrap in nicely and give it to someone you love!
Click HERE to watch a video of these Chocolate Ganache Squares Recipe!
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If you like this recipe, you might also like this recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart.
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