Earl Grey Kisses

Are you ready for a tale of woe?

This month’s We Should Cocoa Challenge was hosted by Choclette and she came up with the fantastic idea of creating something with chocolate and tea.  Now straight away the thought struck me that Earl Grey truffles would be a lovely thing.  Except I had no Earl Grey in the house.

The days of February passed in a dash and I suddenly found myself in the middle of half term, at home with two busy children and still no Earl Grey.  Several trips to the shops later and still no Earl Grey.  It was the final day of the challenge and I managed to remember to buy Earl Grey, but then a cough came on and I ran out of energy and time.

Anyway, Sunday morning arrived and I thought I would make the truffles for eating after dinner.  I made them but the ganache split. I was making dinner for ten so the truffle mixture stayed in the fridge.  Monday morning and the split ganache was saved with the addition  of a bit more cream, but then I was busy and when I took the ganache out of the fridge it had set solid and there was no way any truffles could be formed.  The split ganache had returned with a fury it seems.

So today I reheated the ganache and yes it is well and truly split.  No truffles will be made from this. But in that ganache is 100g of chocolate and 200ml of cream.  I was not about to waste it.  The little one is off from nursery with a cough of her own but wanted to make cookies.  So here they are, cookies made with the ganache and filled with the ganache.

I will try to make the truffles again as the mixture tasted lovely.  These cookies are tasty but the delicate Earl Grey taste is lost amongst the biscuityness of it all.  But the ganache has at least been saved.

For the ganache:

100g best quality dark chocolate, chopped finely
200ml double cream
4 heaped tsp Earl Grey loose tea

Method

Pour the cream into a small saucepan and add the tea leaves.  Heat until just under boiling point. Take the pan off the heat and leave to infuse for  15 minutes. Place the chopped chocolate into a shallow bowl.  Strain the cream through a sieve into a jug, reheat gently and pour over the chocolate.  Leave to melt for a minute or so and then stir gently until the mixture is smooth.  If you successfully manage this without it splitting and becoming granular then you should be able to place it in the fridge for an hour or so and then roll into truffles.

For the cookies:

100g butter, softened
75g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
3 tbsps of the Earl Grey chocolate ganache
200g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
a splash of milk if necessary

Method

Cream together the butter and the sugar until fluffy.  Add the egg and beat until well combined.  Add the ganache and stir to mix.  Sieve over the flour and baking powder and stir until the mixture comes together into a stiff dough.  You may need a splash of milk to help it come together.

Roll teaspoonfuls into balls and flatten into discs and place onto greased baking trays (you will need two).  Bake in a preheated oven at 180°c, gas mark 4 or the Baking Oven of the Aga for 8-12 minutes until they look dry and feel firm.  Leave to cool on the tin for a couple of minutes and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sandwich two of the biscuits together using the Earl Grey chocolate ganache.

 

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20 thoughts on “Earl Grey Kisses”

  1. Well they look pretty impressive to me … ganache is such a fickle beast! Love the idea of the Earl Grey and Truffles and in cookie form too …. I might just pop over for afternoon tea ;0)

  2. I’m liking your tale of woe – I was thinking it was only me that blogs the ones that don’t turn out quite right. They still look nice though.

    With any luck you’ve still got some flapjacks left to make up.

  3. These look very fine and very tasty – quite elegant in fact. Sorry you didn’t make it in time. I could sneak them in to the round up if you’d like – mitigating circumstances of a cold and all that 😉

    This wretched ganache business. I made some yesterday which split again – I didn’t follow Marc Demarquette’s method which worked so well, but used the same method as you, pouring hot cream onto the chocolate. I’m wondering if that’s part of the problem. The cream doesn’t seem to melt the chocolate properly so I end up stirring it too much. This is what happens when I actually try to follow a recipe. I forgot that you’d rescued yours with extra cream so ended up adding icing sugar to mine – hey ho!

    1. Thanks Choc, no don’t go to any trouble on my behalf, it will teach me to be more prepared. I think the addition of the extra cream only saved it temporarily, when it chilled it seemed to have split again. I wonder if my cream was too hot and the chocolate too cold. I normally stand it for a few minutes on the warming plate of the Aga which warms it through a bit before I pour the cream on. Oh well, you live and learn, or not perhaps.

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