This is the quickest way to deal with a chocolate craving. You know you have them… when nothing but some good, smooth and creamy dark chocolate will do. It’s the recipe I recently gave my mom (I know, it’s usually the other way around, but not when it comes to desserts) when she asked me for a “good chocolate puddin’ recipe”:

Me: Chocolate pudding? Why do you want to make chocolate pudding?
Mom: Maybe I should just buy one of those Instant Puddings by Jello… and add more cocoa powder to it?
Me: Why?
Mom: It’s never chocolatey enough…

At that moment, I knew what she needed. Mom didn’t want chocolate pudding, she wanted chocolate ganache. I gave her the recipe, throwing in the magic line “by the way, this is how you make truffles too” as an aside- and now she’s hooked. You will be, too.

Chilled Chocolate Ganache

1 cup heavy cream
2 cups bittersweet chocolate bits (cut from your favorite bar, or chips)
4 tablespoons salted butter, softened but still quite firm*

Put chocolate and butter in a medium bowl… set this aside. Heat heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat until hot, but not boiling. You want to see only the tiniest of bubbles. Once it’s nice and hot (but not boiling) pour immediately over your chopped chocolate and butter. Count to twenty, then stir gently til all the chocolate has melted, and you have a gorgeous, gleaming mass of chocolate before you. Transfer to little pudding cups, custard cups, or ramekins. Chill in the fridge.

Enjoy entirely on its own, with a generous-sized spoon, or top with some whipped cream (yes, the canned stuff is fine).

*the butter is entirely optional here. I like how it adds more richness to the ganache, and if it’s salted, the saltiness helps too. But you don’t need it to make ganache.