Life is Like a Box of Chocolates…

We’re getting down to the wire now, and if you’re still putting off preparations for Valentine’s Day at this point, there’s a good chance that your procrastination will carry you straight to the 14th without a gift in sight. Lame excuses are easy to procure too, such as not being able to find anything “special” enough, or getting to the store too late, so it’s understandable why most would give up. Before you turn your back on the holiday though, think about how much it might mean to at least your family members if you gave them just a small reminder of how you appreciate them, even if it’s just a regular day in your book. Quick, don’t sit around with your hands inactive, get your butt into your kitchen because it’s not too late!

Tantalizing, aren’t they? Well, would you believe that you can make them in under 30 minutes, using leftover frosting? It’s true and it couldn’t be easier – Even the most cooking-challenged among us can whip out these decadent bon bons in no time!

Making so many cupcakes as of late, I’ve become accustomed to mixing up frosting in extra large batches with which to pipe swirls and squiggles to my heart’s content. It was only a matter of time before I had more containers of leftover frosting in my fridge than actual food. Attempting to remedy a severe storage shortage, I thought long and hard about what else the sweet topping could be used as, and with small experimentation and alterations, I found that it turns out to be similar consistency to the traditionally ganache center of a truffle.

Grab a note pad and get ready to take some fast notes, because here’s how it goes down: Take out your leftover frosting of any flavor from the fridge, where it should have sat for long enough to become thoroughly chilled and slightly stiff. Depending on how much you have to work with, stir in an extra 1 – 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar, combining thoroughly, until you end up with something akin to playdough (Very thick and malleable, but not so sugar-saturated that it becomes crumbly.)

In the microwave, melt down a cup or two of dark chocolate along with a generous pat of margarine to form a basic ganache. Stir until entirely smooth and emulsified. Roll about a tablespoon of your dough into a sphere – It doesn’t have to be perfect, but generally rounded is good. Drop the ball into your ganache, coat quickly (Being margarine based, it will dissolve from the heat if you wait too long!) Fish it out the a fork, allow to drip off the excess chocolate for a few seconds and place on a silpat to dry. Repeat with remaining dough until you run out, and let the chocolate-covered bon bons to cool before touching again. If you’re in a real hurry, you can place it in the fridge to solidify faster. Once dry, carefully remove from silpat and nestle into mini-cupcake liners. Pack away into an attractive box to surprise someone special with.

What’s could be better than a creamy, chocolate-coated sweet of absolutely any flavor imaginable? That also means it’s a snap to pull together a chocolate box with numerous different centers hiding within a ganache shell, ready to surprise and put a smile on someone’s face. Just think of the possibilities: Mint, cookies ‘n creme, strawberry, double chocolate… anything. These pictured in particular happen conceal lemony coconut cores, in which extra coconut can certainly make a welcome addition. Health-wise, they may not be the best thing for your diet, but they are still gluten-free, so get into the spirit and share them around with everyone. It’s not like it would be hard to make more!