Cocoa Curious

Luscious Chocolate Ganache

Learning how to make chocolate ganache is an essential skill in both baking and making confections. Fortunately, it is also incredibly easy to make, with its base only consisting of two ingredients: cream and chocolate. From there, you can either choose to keep it simple, or choose to infuse with flavor, enhance the texture, or other similar additions.

What is Chocolate Ganache?

At its most common, chocolate ganache is an emulsion of melted chocolate and cream that has a high fat content.

Flavor Notes in Chocolate

At first glance, it might seem like there are only three main “flavors” of chocolate: white, milk, and dark chocolate. However, these labels actually only pertain to the percent of cocoa mass or cocoa solids in a particular piece of chocolate, which usually only pertains to how sweet a chocolate will be.

However, a piece of chocolate’s true flavor–that is, any floral or fruity notes, for instance–derive from the particular country that particular cocoa bean grew.

7 Common Problems with Your Chocolate Ganache

Ganache is a hallmark in both baking and confection. It can serve as the center for literally hundreds of different confectionary combinations, be the star in a multitude of cake recipes, or be used for dipping. However, despite its simplicity, you might still encounter one (or more) of the following issues with your ganache. But don’t fret! It’s not you losing your baking or confectionary edge! If you’re currently experiencing issues with your ganache, read through the follow common problems others encounter, and the most effective solutions to help salvage your batch.

What is Chocolate Ganache?

In it’s most basic form, ganache is an emulsion of chocolate and cream that is at least 35% fat.

Problem #1: Your ganache has split

Solution:

Problem #2: Your ganache has “tiger stripes” after it has set

Solution:

Problem #3: Your ganache isn’t sweet enough

Solution:

Problem #4: Your ganache is gritty

Solution:

Problem #5: Your ganache is either too thin, or too thick, for the recipe you’re using

Solution:

Problem #6: Your ganache doesn’t pipe properly

Solution:

Problem #7: Your ganache doesn’t have a long shelf life

Solution:

Problem #8:

Solution:

The Fudgiest Double-Chocolate Cookies

Yield: 15 cookies

Fudgy Double Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

  • 227g unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 240g dark brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 330g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 60 grams unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus a handful or two (or five-- this is your day!) for topping
  • Optional: a pinch of coarse sea salt, for topping

Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
    2. In the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl if you're using a handheld mixer), combine the softened butter and dark brown sugar. Mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes, until mixture lightens in color and the butter no longer has a heavy grainy texture.
    3. Add the first egg and beat until fully incorporated. Repeat with the second egg.
    4. Shake the bottle of vanilla extract a few times, then measure out and add to the mixture of wet ingredients. Beat to incorporate.
    5. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients together and mix with a whisk until evenly distributed.
    6. With the mixer speed set to medium, slowly add in 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient mixture. Wait until this third is completely incorporated before adding the next third. Repeat for the final third, until all ingredients are combined and a solid dough has formed.
    7. Add in chocolate chips and mix on low until combined.
    8. Although not required, if time (and/or desire) permits, it is best to chill the dough to get the fudgiest texture. You can chill anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight. TIP: If you do choose to chill the dough, let the dough warm on the counter for ~30 minutes so the cookies will spread.
    9. Scoop into dough into 45g balls (cookie scoop #), roll into a ball, and place on the cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches on all sides to account for spread.
    10. Bake for 11-12 minutes. On the ninth minute, fold a hand towel over a few times and place on the counter. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and tap the bottom of the sheet against the towel a few times. (In chocolatiering, this action eliminates air bubbles. In cookie baking, this helps manually spread the cookies).
    11. Return to the oven for the final 2-3 minutes of baking.
    12. Once done, remove baking sheets from the oven. Using the reserved portion of chocolate chips, work quickly to place each chip around the entire top of each cookie.
    13. Once all cookies have been topped with chips, transfer them to a wire cooling rack to fully cool, another 5-10 minutes.
    14. Optional: sprinkle the tops with sea salt for garnish and a bit of flavor and crunch.
© Abigail
Cuisine: American / Category: Recipe