Chocolate Ganache

The first thing anyone ever trying to make anything delicious needs to know is how to make chocolate ganache, and how unbelievably easy it is.

Needs:

1 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips

1 c heavy cream

1 saucepan

1 spatula/stirring implement

Optional:

an extra bowl

Do:

In saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Once it is boiling dump in chocolate chips, remove from heat, and stir. (or use optional extra bowl)

It'll be kind of ugly for a few minutes, but then this magic moment will happen where it gets shiny and beautiful and look just like melted heavenly chocolate. 

Then, you can go one of three ways with it.
Option 1: Glaze
Option 2: Whip (my personal favorite)
Option 3: Pipe

Option 1: Glaze
Let cool, but do not refrigerate, then pour over cake/cupcake/whatever you wish.

Option 2: Whip
Refrigerate mixture. Stick your mixing bowl in the fridge (or if you're absent-minded like me, the freezer last-minute) Once entirely cool/cold, pour mixture into mixing bowl and use mixer to whip like it's nobody's business. Then place in a piping bag, or spoon onto desired dessert. The picture is an example of whipped ganache on cupcakes. DELICIOUS!

a note: never scrape the bowl to get the last little bit, this makes more than enough for 24 cupcakes/a whole cake. however the stuff on the side of the bowl isn't as good, or as airy, as the stuff in the middle of the bowl. i usually scrape the side of the bowl and put it in a tupperware container in the fridge to snack on when i want a little bit of chocolate.

Option 3: Pipe
Allow to set up in the fridge, then pipe onto cupcakes or cake. Pretty easy.

Chocolate ganache is pretty hard to mess up, and it's a great way to make something look unbelievably more fancy. No one ever has to know that it was so easy!



and because i like to be on the up & up, my first try at this came from right here.