Dark chocolate raspberry bonbons

Ingredients

6 oz. Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Baking Bars, broken into small pieces
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp. raspberry preserves
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds (optional)
3 tbsp. Guittard Cocoa Rouge (Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder)

Directions

Melt chocolate (see melting tips below) and cream together using a hot water bath or microwave oven.  Stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove bowl from water if you used a hot water bath and set aside to cool.

Stir raspberry preserves and nuts (if using) into melted chocolate. Let chocolate mixture cool for 15 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours, or until mixture is firm enough to handle.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Set aside. Pour cocoa powder into a small, shallow dish.

Using a scoop or teaspoon, form chilled chocolate mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll chocolate balls between the palms of your hands to smooth them out, without handling them too much. Roll each ball in cocoa powder to coat and place on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate bonbons for 1 to 5 hours, then serve chilled. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 16

Recipe reprinted with permission from "Guittard Chocolate Cookbook: Decadent Recipes from San Francisco's Premium Bean to-Bar Chocolate Company," Copyright © 2015 by Amy Guittard, Chronicle Books.

Amy Guittard's tips for melting chocolate:

Use either a hot water bath or melt the chocolate in the microwave oven. Here are instructions for both methods:

• Hot water bath—Fill a medium saucepan with 1 to 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Place the chocolate or chocolate mixture in a heatproof bowl (glass or stainless steel) that will fit on top of the saucepan without touching the water. Set the bowl on top of the saucepan. Remove the bowl from the water and let cool.
• Microwave—Place the chocolate or chocolate mixture in a medium glass bowl and place in the microwave oven. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring well with a rubber spatula after each interval. Stop microwaving when there are still very small lumps in the chocolate and stir until completely smooth. Let cool.