So, you may have been wondering how much hot chocolate I was going to make with all that ganache the other day. Hot chocolate for everyone! Actually, not really. Hot chocolate for no one. Truffles for everyone…or at least for me. The bonus of making hot chocolate from ganache is that I successfully crossed off one of the items on my holiday “baking” list: truffles. They are flashy, and I like adding a few here and there to cookie gift containers. Plus, they’re easy, especially if you’ve already made ganache for hot chocolate.

If you weren’t paying attention before to see how you make ganache, I’ll recap. First, we’re going to heat some heavy whipping cream over here in this pan over a medium heat.

And in a separate pan or bowl not on the heat, we’ll place our dark chocolate. I’m using a 72% cacao, which makes for a pretty dark truffle center.

When the cream starts to boil, pour it directly into the chocolate pieces and stir until it’s all melted together.

Then add a bit of peppermint schnapps or peppermint extract and stir that in.

Let it cool on the counter and then in the fridge for at least an hour until the ganache is nice and firm.

If you need to, you can let the ganache sit out so it’s easier to scoop. THis may be necessary if you let it sit in the fridge for a day or two.

Using a small cookie scoop like this one, scoop the ganache into small balls…

…and then roll them directly on the pan until the sides are smooth. When you’ve rolled them all, slide the cookie sheet into the freezer for an hour or more. This will make them easy to dip into warm melted chocolate without risking melting of the ganache during the process.

Melt some milk chocolate (to balance out the dark of the ganache) over a double boiler or in the microwave by setting it for 30 seconds, stirring, 30 seconds, stirring again. Then plop in your frozen chocolate balls. I like to use a fork, seeing as I don’t own a fancy dipping set.

Once the ball is covered, carefully slide it onto a parchment covered cookie sheet or onto a baking mat. I like to use a toothpick to scrape of the bottom of the fork first and then to push from the very bottom of the ball onto the cookie sheet. This leaves me with hardly any chocolate mess at the bottom of the ball.

Now you can top off the truffles with crushed peppermint pieces for a showy look, or leave them all nice and sleek and smooth if that’s your plan. If your dining room isn’t freezing cold, you may need to slide them on the sheet into the fridge for five minutes or so to harden the chocolate completely.

Whatever you do, make sure you remember to move them from the cookie sheet and out of sight before those half pint children get up and start begging for the candy that’s sitting out. You may have a mutiny on your hands if you reject their pleas.

My kids have been complaining lately and with good reason. I have been procrastinating something fierce with moving into the fall season. It hasn’t necessarily been intentional. No. It’s just that there has been so much to do and juggle that things like seasonal baking have gotten pushed aside to make room for coordinating the book fair, doctor’s appointments and work. The complaint has been the overall lack of seasonal decorations coming from the mouths of my children. They have informed me multiple times that it’s going to be Halloween, and that means “we make things and hang them and paint pumpkins and put up fake spider webs.” Thank you, Kola Nut for the five-year-old’s tutorial on seasonal decorating.

You see, I am severely lacking in the decorating department. I’m not one to switch my house with every season. I mean…my house isn’t even “finished” in any kind of decor sense as it is. I do, however, make goodies and treats. So, to appease the masses under my roof, I did a few things:

First, I hung up a Halloween sign that I found in our mailbox one day after preschool. No joke. It was inside our mailbox. I put it on the side of the house by the door. “See, mommy put up that lovely orange pumpkin and bat thing.” They were not satisfied.

Then, last weekend at the farmer’s market I purchased four tiny pumpkins in varying sizes, one for each kid. I placed them in the center of the table. While they enjoy making the pumpkins act out their sibling roles, they may be more impressed if I also let them paint the pumpkins. I have added it to me to-do list for the weekend.

Since my decorating genius didn’t seem to be winning them over, I moved to bribery through their stomach and made these both for us at home and to gift away to friends. Start by making a tray of your favorite crispy rice treats. We call them Rice Crispy Bars here in Minnesota. While they’re still warm, cut into triangles. Freeze ‘em.



Melt your favorite wafers, white chocolate, whatever it is you use to dip things in. Retrieve the crisp rice triangles from your freezer. Start by dipping the tips and then allowing them to dry on a parchment-lined pan. Refreeze, if you can spare the space, while you melt your orange candies. Note: if using food dye to color your white-colored chocolate, use the recommended food dye for the brand to prevent disastrous results. For example, Candiquik suggests oil-based or powder colors and Wilton makes a gel coloring that works well with their melts.


Dip the cereal-exposed ends into the orange chocolate. Give the wide end of your triangles a dip into a bowl of yellow sprinkles immediately after, and lay again on the parchment to harden.


I am now the most popular mom in Halloweentown because I have giant candy corn. Loads of it. Well, of course, that is until they saw me packaging it up in little bags to give away. They were very concerned that I was gifting away the only thing I had done right this Halloween season. I told them not to worry. There will be plenty giant candy corns for everyone.

We’re off for a Saturday at the apple orchard to pet goats, get lost in the hay maze, pick apples and find a pumpkin or two that I may even let them carve a face into. Have a wonderful weekend!

One of our favorite things to get at fairs, festivals and our local farmer’s market is a cone of roasted nuts. Just follow your nose, allowing the cinnamon smell to guide you. They’ll usually hand out a one-nut sample to entice you to buy them, too. It’s love at first taste, and you’re walking out of there without your $7 and with a paper cone filled with roasted goodness.

These happen to be of the rum variety on account of a certain banana rum cake they wanted to grace the top of. It all starts with sugars and salt in a pan.


I love pouring pictures. Rum makes me think of Christmas. Probably because of rum balls and my grandma’s apricot rings.


Stir it around until it starts to boil. Let it cook for a good 5 minutes to start thickening up as you continue stirring.


All that syrup has to coat something, why not pecans.


Stir until coated, add a little bit more rum and return to a boil. The syrup will look glossy on the pecans.


Spoon the pecans into a semi-single layer on a lined baking sheet. Some overlap is okay, but try not to make towers out of them.


Bake until the bubbling stops and the syrup looks hard, about 20 minutes. It will still be slightly pliable when it comes out of the oven and will harden as it cools.


We seem to have an influx of paper now that school is back in session, so I decided to cut and glue a few into paper cones. I must have been feeling crafty.


If you aren’t going to eat them in the near future, let the nuts cool completely before packaging and then store in an airtight container, like this Pyrex. Try packaging them in cellophane bags and giving them out as gifts or adding them to cookie baskets and boxes during the holidays. Whatever you do, enjoy.