Snowman Chocolate Truffles

It's up to you.

15 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Preparing the ganache and reserving the decor

   Weigh 250 g of 60% dark chocolate, then finely chop it with a knife on a dry board. Put the pieces in a heat-resistant bowl. Measure 150 ml of whipping cream in a saucepan and cuts the 30 g of butter into small dice; keeps the finishing ingredients separate so as not to mix them with ganache.

2. Gently heat the cream

   Place the pan on medium heat and watch it without moving away. As soon as small bubbles appear on the edges and a little steam is released, remove it from the heat; do not let the cream boil for a long time, which would evaporate some of the liquid. Stir once with a clean spatula.

3. Pour the cream in three additions

   Pour about a third of the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and wait 30 seconds. Stir with the spatula in small circles in the center: the mixture may at first appear thick and irregular. Add the second third, mixes in the same way, then pours the last third; gradually widens the circles to the edges of the bowl.

4. Get a smooth ganache

   Scrape the bottom and the walls: there must no longer remain a piece of chocolate. If some chips persist, place the bowl for a few seconds over a pot of simmering water, without contact with water, and then stir off the heat. Stop as soon as the ganache is smooth and shiny; avoid the whisk, which would incorporate unnecessary bubbles.

5. Add the butter to the warm ganache

   Let the ganache cool for a few minutes, stirring occasionally; it should be below 40°C. Add the 30 g of butter into small cubes and slowly mix with the spatula until the pieces disappear. The preparation must be flexible and homogeneous, without a separate sheet of butter on the top.

6. Refrigerate in a shallow dish

   Pour the ganache into a clean dish, on a layer of about 2 cm, and scrape the bowl well. Cover the dish and place it in the refrigerator for 3 hours. It is ready when you can take a portion that keeps its shape; if it spreads out immediately, put it back in the refrigerator before starting the shaping.

7. Spreading the ganache among the twelve men

   Place a container on the scale, reset and weigh the cold ganache recovered from the dish. Divide this mass by 12 to know the amount of each man, then prepare 12 equal portions with two small spoons. Divide each portion in two: about two-thirds for the body and one-third for the head; thus use all the ganache.

8. Rolling bodies and heads

   Wash and dry your hands, then quickly roll the portions between cool palms. Place each large ball on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and flatten its base very slightly so that it does not roll. Place the small ball next to it; work by four men and keep the rest of the ganache cold if it becomes sticky.

9. Strengthen the shapes before coating

   Place the plate of 24 balls in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the 60 g of grated coconut into a hollow plate and prepare two forks and a second sheet of baking paper. The balls should be firm before lifting them in the chocolate.

10. Melt the white chocolate

    Chop the 150 g of white chocolate and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Pour 2 cm of water into a saucepan, heat until it simmers and then lower the heat. Set the bowl over the pan without letting it touch the water. Stir with a spatula and remove as soon as the last pieces melt. Wipe the bottom of the bowl: no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. Reserve about 15 g in a small bowl to stick the buds; use the remaining 135 g for coating. Let cool for a few minutes: too hot chocolate would soften the ganache.

11. Wrap the twenty-four balls

    Place a ball on a fork above the bowl and pour some white chocolate over it with the other fork or spoon. Turn it gently to obtain a thin layer, then let the surplus fall back into the bowl. Place it immediately in the coco, roll it gently and place it on clean paper; start again for the 24 balls.

12. Assemble a body and a head

    If the reserved 15 g of chocolate has frozen, re-melt them for a few seconds in the bain-marie. Place a small drop at the top of a body, put a head on it and hold it for 5 seconds without pressing. The flattened base must remain against the paper; starts again for the 12 men, then refrigerates 20 minutes to fix the assemblies.

13. Drawing the eyes with dark chocolate

    Chop the 10 g of dark chocolate and put them in a small, perfectly dry bowl. Pour 2 cm of water into a saucepan, heat until it simmers and then lower the heat. Set the bowl over the pan without letting it touch the water. Stir with a spatula and remove as soon as the last pieces melt. Wipe the bottom of the bowl: no drop of water should fall into the chocolate. Put this chocolate in a small cone whose opening is very thin, or use the tip of a small spoon. Place two dots on each head, without tracing any additional details; leave the face facing toward you to control the spacing.

14. Lay the nose in candied orange

    Cut the 10 g of candied orange peel into 12 short triangles. With the tip of a knife, open a very small passage in the coconut at the place of the nose, then gently push the base of the triangle into the layer still flexible, between and under the eyes. If necessary, a tiny drop of the remaining white chocolate serves as glue; do not make a long nose that would unbalance the head.

15. Allow to be taken and served

    Keep the 12 men in the refrigerator in a box, without stacking them, until service. Take them out about 10 minutes before presenting them on a flat tray so that the ganache softens slightly. Any chocolate or coconut leftovers can be served separately; do not add arms or high pieces that would make the assembly fragile.