My favourite candy is “Ganong Chicken Bones”.  If you don’t know what a chicken bone is just click here and see how they are made.  I can’t imagine Christmas without a bowl full of chicken bones.  Chicken bones candies are a holiday favourite for many from my hometown of St. Stephen, NB, as well as a Canadian favourite.  These little pink cinnamon candy sticks with the rich dark chocolate center are my “go to” treat year round.

This truffle has a white chocolate center with crushed chicken bone candies, dipped in dark chocolate.  I made up this recipe by accident.  I was going to make peppermint truffles and peppermint bark for Christmas goodie baskets for friends and family.  After starting the recipe, I then realized I hadn’t picked up candy canes.  I saw the bowl of chicken bones and since I am quite stingy with my beloved chicken bones, I put that thought right out of my head and went back to scouring the pantry.  No luck.  Chicken bones it is.  I crushed them into tiny pieces and a new family favourite was found.  Plus an added bonus was that I learned how to share 😉

These are made with a dark chocolate coating.  Try dipping them in a white chocolate coating, they look beautiful and taste just as delicious.

In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick you can buy chicken bones in packages or in bulk at the grocery store.  Of course, they can also be ordered online directly from Ganong.

Ingredients:

White Chocolate ganache

• 1 pound of white chocolate –
  • Some white chocolate doesn’t melt as easy as others.  I used a bag of white chocolate chips as it’s something easily available at most grocery stores.  I usually use Callebaut chocolate available at the Bulk Barn.
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp of vanilla (I use LorAnn oil free baking emulsion butter vanilla) you can buy these online or Michaels has a few flavours
• 1 cup crushed chicken bones 1/2 cup for ganache and 1/2 cup for sprinkling the tops of the truffles

• 1lb Dark chocolate for coating the truffles ( if using white chocolate please use a high quality white chocolate as white chocolate chips are not the easiest to cover with)

• Place a bowl over a sauce pan that has 2-3 inches of water on the bottom or use a double boiler.  I prefer the bowl method
• I add the chocolate and the butter and let it start to melt.  Stirring occasionally  (Since white chocolate chips usually don’t contain a high amount of cocoa butter they don’t melt as quick, or get smooth and glossy)
• I do it this way as I find its faster and the finished product is the same as heating the cream and adding the chocolate to that.
• Your chocolate may not look smooth and completely melted
• Add the cream and the flavoring.
• Remove from heat stir to combine until smooth and glossy

• Stir until well combined and all the chocolate is completely melted, smooth, and glossy.
• Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.

• This is the texture you are looking for, thickened but still able to stir with a spoon

• Place chicken bones in ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin or wooden tart press is what I use

• Stir in 1/2 cup of the crushed candy until evenly combined set the other 1/2 cup aside for garnishing the tops once dipped in chocolate
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 or more hours until hardened

• Using a 1 tablespoon scoop out hardened ganache.
• Make small balls by rolling the scoop of ganache between the palms of your hands gently

• Place the ganache rolls on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Refrigerate for 1/2 hour

• Melt chocolate over a double boiler.  I am tempering the dark chocolate so that they chocolate will stay hard at room temperature.  These refrigerate wonderfully so if I am in a hurry I just melt the chocolate over a double boiler without watching the temperature.
• I chopped the chips smaller for faster melting
• I like a candy thermometer to get the temperature correct for tempering, but it is not necessary for melting the chocolate.

• Once the chocolate is melted I add more chocolate to bring the temperature back down and it gives it proper crystal formation needed for tempered chocolate*
• Stir until smooth and creamy
• Untempered chocolate may look dull and get at coating on them once cool.

• Take the white chocolate truffle ball out of the refrigerator
• Using a fork dip the truffle in the chocolate, lift out tamp the fork on the side of the bowl to allow the extra chocolate to drip off
• If your chocolate in the bowl starts to thicken a bit set in back over the pot of hot water for 30 seconds to 1 minute

• I use a knife to carefully slide the truffle off onto the parchment covered baking tray.
• Sprinkle immediately with the crushed chicken bone candies

• Finished tray of truffles
• Let cool and set

• Since I grew up in a town where you could see the amazing candy makers from Ganong Chocolates demonstrate their hand-dipping skills during various town events.  I thought it was something to try.
• It was easier than I thought it would be, a little messy, but you get to lick your fingers in the end 😉

• Here is what my hand-dipped truffles look like.  Consensus in my house was they thought the hand dipped ones looked prettier than the ones with the fork.

Tips*

1. There is a couple of things to know about this recipe.  I tempered the chocolate.  Tempering chocolate can be tricky and I am indeed no expert.  If you decide to temper the chocolate there are many sites that give you detailed instruction.
2. If you’re a beginner to candy making just melt the chocolate, dip, cool, and Enjoy