After a week off, DIY Wednesday is back!  I know you missed it and were totally lost without a fun DIY to fill your Wednesday.  At least that’s what I would like to think.

I’m SUPER excited about this DIY because I didn’t think it was going to work and it did and it is amazing.  If you don’t know what a ganache is, then you obviously don’t spend enough time in bakeries or watching the Food Network.  A ganache is a glaze, sauce, icing, or filling that is typically made with cream and chocolate.  It can be used for cakes, cupcakes, truffles, or donuts.  Basically, anything that is delicious can be made even more delicious with ganache.

Ganache used to be one of my favorite things.  It isn’t super heavy or super sweet like typical frostings and it really lets the chocolate flavor shine through.  And let’s face it, chocolate is the reason many of us get up in the morning.  Wait, is that just me?  Oh well, it’s true and I ain’t ashamed of that.

So you can imagine how excited I was when I was able to make it without dairy but still just as delicious.  I figured I would share this one with you right as the holiday season is upon us because this will definitely come in handy for all your baking needs.  You can use it as a frosting or icing for you cooking, as a decadent hot chocolate drink, as a filling for pastries or sweet breads, or stick it in the fridge for a rich and creamy mousse and a simple dessert.  The possibilities are endless and with just a few ingredients you can have this on hand at all times.  That is a very good thing!

Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache

• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, unsweetened
• 2 oz unsweetened baking chocolate (I used Baker’s brand)
• 2-3 tbsp maple syrup, honey, molasses, whatever liquid sweetener you have on hand

1. Using a microplane or fine grater, grate the 2 oz of chocolate into a medium bowl until you have a little pile of chocolate shreds.  Set bowl aside.
2. Get a small to medium saucepan and pour the coconut milk in.  Heat the milk over medium heat and whisk frequently.  You don’t want the milk to boil or scald.  Whisk in the maple syrup or other sweetener and whisking until you get a light simmer.  This should take about 10 minutes
3. Remove the milk from the heat and get your bowl with chocolate shreds.  Slowly pour in the sweetened warm milk, whisking the whole time.  Keep whisking until the chocolate is completely melted and everything is smooth.
4. You can use the ganache right away or you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.