- 200ml/7fl oz full-fat milk or double cream
- 1 cinnamon stick, crushed
- half a nutmeg, grated
- 75g/2¾oz muscovado sugar
- 300g/10½oz dark chocolate (preferably with 62% or more cocoa solids), finely chopped
- 5 tsp brandy
- 100g/3½oz marzipan
- 100g/3½oz cocoa powder
- 100g/3½oz icing sugar
- 25g/1oz ground cinnamon
- 10g/¼oz ground nutmeg
- 400g/14oz dark chocolate, melted and tempered
- For the ganache, put the milk or cream, spices and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Remove the spiced milk from the heat and strain through a fine sieve onto the chopped chocolate. Whisk until smooth, then add the brandy and whisk again. Pour into a plastic container and refrigerate for an hour, or until set.
- Roll the marzipan into small balls the size of a hazelnut. Coat the marzipan balls in the set ganache and place on a tray.
- For the coating, place the cocoa powder, icing sugar, cinnamon and ground nutmeg into a bowl.
- Melt and temper the dark chocolate by breaking the chocolate into small, even pieces and gently melting it in a bowl over a saucepan of hot, not boiling, water. Place a cook’s thermometer into the chocolate and continue to heat until it reaches 43C/110F. Remove from the heat and cool to 35C/95F. Now it is ready to use.
- Using your fingers, dip each truffle in the melted, tempered chocolate and drop into the cocoa powder mixture, rolling until the truffle is completely coated. Set aside to cool on a plate.
- Eat the truffles at room temperature, so they are very soft inside.