Gremlin Hot Chocolate Truffles

This recipe originally appeared on the Syfy.com website under my column “Fantastic Feasts.”

It’s the holiday season which means copious amounts of time snuggled in heavy fluffy blankets with giant mugs of hot cocoa eating popcorn and watching Christmas movies.

Now when I say Christmas movies, I don’t mean White Christmas or The Santa Clause.  No, my taste in Christmas movies is a little less…’traditional.’

When it comes to my annual holiday film fest, I like to start out with a good solid screening of Nightmare Before Christmas (the second screening of the year as we also watch it at Halloween) followed by Die Hard, (because as they say, it’s not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi Tower), and then round out with the original Gremlins.

Of course, watching this many movies calls for proper celebratory beverages, and I like to make a batch of Gremlin Hot Chocolate Truffle Cocoons.

In the movie Gremlins, a Mogwai goes through several different stages of evolution, starting with the cute fuzzy Furby-esque Gizmo we love.  Getting a Mogwai wet will result in additional adorable Mogwai, but feeding a Mogwai after midnight will result in a metamorphosis from sweet fuzzball into a scaly reptilian monster with the entire process taking place in a cocoon-like structure.

Luckily for us, these Gremlin Cocoon truffles don’t hatch into scaly reptilian gremlins, they hatch into delicious marshmallow filled mint hot chocolate.

To make your own Gremlin Hot Chocolate Truffle Cocoons you will need:

• 3 cups of mint green chips*
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups bright green candy melts
• Green food coloring
• 1 cup dehydrated mini marshmallows (optional)
• Coconut oil (optional)
• Milk

*If you can’t find mint green chips, 3 cups of white chocolate and 1 tablespoon of mint extract works just as well.

You will also need:

• Small pot
• Heat-proof glass pan
• Spatula
• Small microwave-safe bowl
• Parchment paper lined cookie sheet
• Fork
• Chopstick
• Mug

Start by first combining your heavy cream, salt, and sugar in your pot over low heat on the stove.  Mix until all the sugar and salt are dissolved.  Add in green food coloring until you achieve a deep dark green.

Bring the temperature up to just below a simmer.  You just want to warm the milk, not boil it.  Stir it continuously so it doesn’t scorch.

Once it reaches a temperature where it’s just starting to bubble along the edges, remove from heat and stir in your green mint chips.

Continue to stir as they melt, resulting in a thick, smooth, heavy green ganache.  The full process of melting should take about 5 minutes, so be patient.  Just keep stirring!

Once your chips are completely melted, pour your mixture into a heat-proof glass pan and allow it to rest, and come to room temperature.

After your ganache has cooled to room temperature, sprinkle your dehydrated mini-marshmallows on top and stir to mix.

Slide the whole pan into the fridge to firm up for approximately 30-45 minutes.

Now, since it’s the holidays, and this recipe makes approximately 20 or so truffles, let’s make a fun box to put them in that you can give away as presents.

I’ve designed an easy to make Gizmo box that takes a single sheet of paper to make.  Simply download the file and open it. 

Before printing, make sure you set your printer to landscape and scale to fit.  Print out on either plain white paper or if you want a more durable box, cardstock.

Print out the design and carefully cut out along the outside lines of the box and both the ears.

To assemble, simply fold along the dotted lines and tape the tabs to the inside of the box.  The ears are made by folding in half down the middle of the tab and securing with a piece of double-stick tape.

To add the ears, cut down the slit on either side of Gizmo’s head, slide the ear tabs in (white fuzzy side facing forward), and secure with tape.

And now your Gizmo box is done and ready to be filled with truffles!

Now let’s finish the truffles.

With a spoon or scoop, scoop up approximately 1 ½ tablespoons of your ganache.  It should be firm but still soft enough to roll into a ball.  Gently roll the ganache dough in your hands until you end up with a ball shape.  Keeping your palms wet with cold water will help keep the ganache dough from sticking to you too badly.  Place your ganache balls onto the parchment lined cookie sheet.

If you find that your hands are too warm or your ganache is still too soft, pop into the freezer for about 10 minutes to quickly firm up.

Roll your ganache balls until all the ganache in your pan is used up.

Return the balls to the fridge to firm up for about 10 minutes.

While they’re firming up, gently warm up your bright green candy melts either by microwaving in a microwave-safe bowl for 30-second blasts (stirring between each zap) or in a double boiler or small chocolate pot.  You want the candy melts to be liquid-smooth and just slightly runny.  Depending on the type of candy melt you use, you can add a little coconut oil (about ¼ a teaspoon at a time) to help thin it out.  Don’t add too much!  You want the candy melt to have the consistency of cream…just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but not so thick that it’s sluggish.

One at a time, drop your ganache balls into your melted green candy melt.  Use your fork to roll the ball around until it’s fully covered. 

Pull the ganache balls out of the candy melt, gently tapping or shaking the fork to shake off the excess candy melt, and then transfer back to your parchment paper-lined pan.

Do this with all your truffle balls.

Once they’re all covered in candy melt, return to the fridge for an additional 10-15 minutes to harden.

Now let’s talk about decorating the Gremlin Cocoons.  Yes, I know, if you watch the movie, the actual cocoons are slimy drab grey things that look wholly unappetizing. 

While I normally encourage staying as true to source as possible, for this treat, I’m allowing a little creative freedom as I don’t have many friends who would be eager to receive a slimy grey wad of chocolate from me, much less be willing to drop it in hot milk and then drink it.  For this reason alone, I’m saying it’s okay to do a little creative adjusting to our cocoons and make them a touch more appetizing.

I took inspiration for my cocoons from my favorite Gremlin, Spike and added a v-shaped ‘mohawk’ and yellow dots to my truffles, but feel free to do whatever you want with them!

One more trip to the fridge for about 10 minutes for the yellow to firm up and the truffles are done!

Add a layer of decorative crinkle paper or tissue paper to your Gizmo box, drop in a truffle, and you’re ready to share!

Now, remember, much like real Gremlins, these little guys melt when they get wet, and because they’re dark green on the inside, and light yellowish green on the outside, the results are almost as horrifying as the actual melting of a Gremlin, just without the screams and thrashing and possibly toxic ooze.

To make your Gremlin Hot Chocolate Truffle Cocoons, simply microwave a mug of milk until steaming hot, then drop in a truffle.  As it melts, it will color the milk green and release all the mini-marshmallows.

Stir and enjoy!

Happy Holidays and bone appetite!

For more holiday-inspired fun, nothing beats the Nightmare Before Christmas.

If you’re feeling ambitious, why not make our Nightmare Before Christmas Inspired Jack Skellington Gingerbread House?

And if you’re feeling chilly, why not warm up with a bowl of Sally’s Worm’s Wart Soup?

For dessert, how about some Oogie Boogie cupcakes?

Halloween Recipe: Nightmare Before Christmas Krispy Wreath