My Sister's Dream Cupcake!

I asked my sister to describe her "dream cupcake" and this is what she would want:

"Chocolate mint cupcake filled with white chocolate chips and chocolate ganache center, topped with a dark chocolate mint frosting and white chocolate chips."

It seems like this cupcake will have to join the mile-high frosting club but I'll just whip the ganache a lot and pipe that onto it, so at least it won't have a ton of butter and other junk in it! Picture to come later this week!

Chocolate Pots de Crème

http://www.chow.com/recipes/18717-chocolate-pots-de-creme

I haven't made this yet but... oh my goodness, oh. my. goodness. It's basically just a straight-up, firm ganache. Done.

2 cups heavy cream

5 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

Heat the oven to 300°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Bring about 4 cups water to a simmer over medium heat. Arrange 6 (6-ounce) ramekins 1/2 inch apart in a large baking dish; set aside.

Place cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring it just to a simmer. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and stir until completely melted, about 3 minutes; set aside.

Whisk sugar and yolks in a large bowl until thickened and pale in color, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 1/3 of the chocolate mixture, then add the remainder while constantly stirring (try not to incorporate any air).

Place a fine mesh strainer over a large measuring cup or a bowl with a spout and pour in the custard base. Remove the strainer and evenly divide the custard base among the ramekins. Tap each ramekin a few times to break any bubbles that appear on the surface.

Place the baking dish in the oven and carefully add enough of the simmering water to reach 1 inch up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and poke several holes in the foil to allow steam to escape. Bake 25 minutes or until the outer 1 inch of each custard is set (the centers will still be slightly jiggly).

Remove the ramekins to a rack and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 4 days. If refrigerated, let the pots de crème come to room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Ganache Ideas for the future...

Yes, I know that all of these use the similar glaze. You would eat them anyway.

• Pumpkin Cake with Chocolate Ganache Glaze and Cream Cheese filling
• Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Whipped topping and Chocolate Ganache filling
• Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
• Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
• Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
• Cappuccino Cupcakes with Mocha Ganache Glaze
• Coconut Cupakes with Choconut Ganache Glaze
• Orange cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache filling and Raspberry spread topping
• Coconut Balls dipped in Chocolate Ganache
• Chocolate Chip Chocolatey Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze
• Poppyseed Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Glaze

Peppermint Ghiradelli Chocolate Fudge Balls

This is basically the same as the peanut butter balls below, but that's okay.

1 cup Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (or more - you might want to taste the ganache to see if you'd like to add more - but a little goes a long way!)

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Place the chocolate chips and salt in a medium-sized bowl (preferably glass). Bring the cream to a boil and immediately pour over the chips. Let sit for 10 minutes (do not touch until time is up!). Add the peppermint extract and whisk the mixture until smooth and shiny. Pour the mixture into a small, flat pan (such as a brownie pan or pie pan) and refrigerate until firm.

Before making the fudge balls, mix together the cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar in a cereal-sized bowl (you may need to keep making more mixture if you seem to run out). Also keep a small bowl of hot water ready. Using a melon baller, scoop out individual balls and roll in the cocoa powder mixture. Dip the melon baller in the hot water in between each ball - this makes it much easier to scoop and helps avoid frozen chunks of chocolate on the baller. You will have around 30 truffles.

Peanut Butter Ghiradelli Chocolate Fudge Balls

I made these for my boyfriend's parents for Christmas this past year and they looooved it.

1 cup Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Place the chocolate chips and salt in a medium-sized bowl (preferably glass). Bring the cream to a boil and immediately pour over chips. Let sit for 10 minutes (do not touch until time is up!). Whisk the mixture until smooth and shiny. Slowly add the peanut butter and continue whisking. Pour the mixture into a small, flat pan (such as a brownie pan or pie pan) and refrigerate until firm.

Before making the fudge balls, mix together the cocoa powder and confectioner's sugar in a cereal-sized bowl (you may need to keep making more mixture if you seem to run out). Also keep a small bowl of hot water ready. Using a melon baller, scoop out individual balls and roll in the cocoa powder mixture. Dip the melon baller in the hot water in between each ball - this makes it much easier to scoop and helps avoid frozen chunks of chocolate on the baller. You will have around 30 truffles.