Chocolate Candy Cane Truffles

0 Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Place in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until nearly melted (it's okay if small chunks remain), stirring every 15-20 seconds.
1 Bring heavy cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir in peppermint extract.
2 Pour heavy cream over chocolate and gently stir in one consistent direction, until the mixture is smooth and shiny (this is ganache).
3 Refrigerate ganache until it is firm but not solid, 1 to 3 hours.
4 Cover a small cutting board or sheet pan with parchment paper. Use a teaspoon to scoop the firm ganache into even balls and place on parchment (each ball should be about 1 1/2 teaspoons). Use your hands to gently form the balls, but you'll be able to perfect them in the next step.
5 Refrigerate for 20 minutes more, just to give the ganache balls time to firm up a bit more.
6 Using your hands, form the ganache into round balls and then roll in crushed candy canes, pressing the candy canes into the ganache. (This works great as a two-person task. One to roll the balls and one to coat in candy canes. The chocolate-roller will have very messy hands!)
7 Refrigerate for up to a week until ready to serve, but bring to room temperature before serving. These are best served at room temp. Enjoy!