Cherry Almond Truffle Squares by The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

Layers of ganache nestle under a chocolate jacket. For a neat presentation, lift entire batch out of pan using parchment paper, trim edges even and cut into squares.

Servings: 36

Ingredients:

Nutritional Info
Per square: about	-
cal	208
pro	2 g
total fat	14 g
sat. fat	9 g
carb	21 g
fibre	1 g
chol	19 mg
sodium	46 mg
% RDI:	-
calcium	4%
iron	4%
vit A	5%
folate	1%

1 lb (500 g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
White Chocolate Ganache:
9 oz (275 g) white chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup (50 mL) whipping cream
3 tbsp (50 mL) butter, cubed
Cherry Ganache:
2/3 cup (150 mL) red candied cherries
6 oz (175 g) white chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup (50 mL) whipping cream
2 tbsp(25 mL) butter, cubed
Milk chocolate Almond Ganache:
8 oz (250 g) milk chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream
3 tbsp (50 mL) butter, cubed
1/4 tsp (1 mL) almond extract

Preparation:

Cut piece of parchment paper larger than 8-inch (2 L) square metal cake pan. Place pan on top of parchment; cut corners diagonally to pan. Fit parchment into pan, overlapping cut corners. Set aside.

White Chocolate Ganache: In heatproof bowl set over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, heat chocolate until half is melted. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in saucepan, heat cream with butter just until butter melts and bubbles form around edge of pan. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Pour into prepared pan; smooth top. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Cherry Ganache: Cut 6 of the cherries into 6 slivers each; set aside for garnish. Chop remaining cherries finely; set aside.

Make ganache following method used for White Chocolate Ganache above. Stir in chopped cherries. Pour over white chocolate layer; smooth top. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Milk Chocolate Almond Ganache: Make ganache following method used for White Chocolate Ganache above. Stir in almond extract. Pour over cherry layer; smooth top. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. (Make-ahead: Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)

Using paper, lift out of pan. Invert; peel off paper. Using knife and wiping it with damp cloth between slices, cut into 36 squares. Place, not touching, on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Freeze until hard, 1 hour.

In heatproof bowl set over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt half of the semisweet chocolate, stirring. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Remove half of the squares from freezer; using 2 forks, dip each into chocolate, tapping forks on edge of bowl to remove excess. Return to waxed paper-lined baking sheet; top each with reserved cherry sliver. Refrigerate until coating is hardened, about 2 hours.

In clean bowl, repeat with remaining chocolate, squares and cherry slivers. (Make-ahead: Layer between waxed paper in airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.) Place in paper mini-muffin cups.