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As the new school year approaches, fundraising season is going to kick into full swing. If your child's school is hosting bake sales and you want to offer something truly unique that's sure to bring in money, you should consider making homemade chocolate truffles. If your first thought is that those are far too complicated, you may be surprised. In fact, gourmet treats like these are much easier to make than you might think. Here's a look at what you need to know.

Gather Your Ingredients

Any time you're working with chocolate, it's best to have everything you need ready right from the start. Chocolate is temperamental, and it can scald very easily. In addition, if it cools while you're trying to get the other ingredients, you'll be left with a clumpy mess.

To make truffles, you'll need:

• 12 ounces of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 3 tablespoons of butter
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon corn syrup

You'll also need a medium-sized glass bowl to melt the chocolate in, a saucepan for warming the heavy cream, parchment paper, an 8-inch square glass dish, a few rubber spatulas, a small cookie scoop, a cookie sheet, and rubber gloves.

Soften the Chocolate

Combine the chopped chocolate and the butter in a glass bowl. Heat it in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring it between each cycle. Repeat until the chocolate is softened but not melted.

Warm the Cream

Place the heavy cream and the corn syrup into a small saucepan. Warm it over medium heat, stirring frequently until it simmers. When you see small bubbles consistently on the top of the cream, turn the heat off. Don't let it boil because it could scorch.

Make the Centers

Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate in the glass dish. Let it sit undisturbed. Don't stir it for at least two or three minutes. The hot cream will melt the chocolate. Once a couple of minutes have passed, use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture. Be careful stirring so that you don't cause the cream to splash out of the bowl. Work from the middle outward, combining the two until you have a creamy, smooth chocolate ganache. Pour it into a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours until the mixture is hard enough to scoop.

Use the small cookie scoop to get small balls from the chocolate mixture. Wearing gloves, roll the chocolate in your hand until it forms a round ball. Place the round centers into the fridge for an hour or so.

Finish The Candies

Melt any chocolates you want to use to coat the centers. You can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, or any combination. Melt the chocolate completely in the microwave. For each 8-ounce chocolate portion, add about a tablespoon of butter or coconut oil before melting. That helps you get a good coating consistency. You'll need to warm the chocolate to about 90 degrees. That way, when it hardens, you'll maintain that classic snap from the chocolate.

Dip them, place them on a baking sheet, then sprinkle your favorite toppings on them, like chopped nuts, grated chocolate, crushed candies, or even shredded coconut. Let them sit for an hour or so for the chocolate coating to harden and they're done!

Once you master the basics, you can experiment with flavoring the centers using different candy oils and other ingredients. The possibilities are nearly endless. If you're not confident enough in your chocolate-handling skills, you can always gourmet truffles from a shop like Abdallah Candies And Gifts, which would be an extra special treat.