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Want to show me romance and sweep me off my feet? Then cook for me.
Flowers are a sweet gesture, but I don’t have a vase so they end up sitting on my table in an Indiana Jones Big Gulp cup and then my cats end up eating them anyway.
Gifts and tokens are sweet and while I may say thank you out loud in my mind I’m saying, “Great, now I have more crud in my house and no place to put it!”
No, if you want to make me swoon, then cook for me. If you don’t know how to cook, make me chocolate truffles.
Truffles are the simplest of candy to make; cream, chocolate, and time is all it takes to create something blissfully elegant, decadent, and delicious.
Be sure to use high quality chocolate, and if you can find it, chocolate that is 62% cacao or higher, and organic cream, as the quality of these ingredients will affect the final product.
How to Make Homemade Chocolate Truffles Recipe
Ingredients
Basic truffle ingredients
- 8 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate (high quality, 62% cacao or higher), well chopped into small pieces
- 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Optional base flavorings:
- Mint leaves (1 bunch, stems removed, chopped, about 1 cup)
- Cinnamon and cardamon (1 cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom pods)
- Amaretto (1-2 tablespoons)
- Almond extract (1 teaspoon)
Truffle coatings
- Cocoa powder
- Finely chopped walnuts
- Finely chopped almonds
Method
1 Heat cream to a simmer: In a small, heavy saucepan bring the heavy whipping cream to a simmer (stir and scrape down the sides with a spatula every few minutes).
If you are using one of the other recommended flavorings, stir it in with the cream (and ignore vanilla in the next step). If adding mint or other solids, after the cream simmers, remove from heat and let seep for an hour. Then strain away solids, and return the cream to a simmer and proceed with recipe.
2 Make chocolate base: Place the chocolate in a separate bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate, add the vanilla, and allow to stand for a few minutes then stir until smooth. (This chocolate base is called ganache.)
3 Refrigerate for 2 hours: Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator for two hours.
4 Roll into balls and chill overnight: Use a teaspoon to roll out balls of the ganache. Roll in your hands quickly (as it will melt from the heat of your hands) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
5 Roll in cocoa powder: Roll in cocoa powder or chopped nuts and serve. If not using right away, keep the coated truffles covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For the best flavor and texture, let the refrigerated truffles come back to room temperature before serving.
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Garrett McCord is a professional writer and recipe developer whose work has appeared in many print and online publications such as Gourmet Live, Saveur, Huffington Post, Smithsonian, and NPR. Past clients also include numerous food companies, wineries, and distilleries. Garrett writes about cocktails on his website, Coupe de Grace.
How to Make Homemade Chocolate Truffles
Quick, great taste, but SOFT. Freezing might help but they were gooey on the fingers
xxxxxyyyyy
Hi Kathryn, thanks for your comment. Were your truffles soft when you were working with the ganache, or when you served them? I have found that the temperature of your hands can have a lot to do with how easy a ganache is to work with. My hands are always cold, and so ganache stays cool when I shape it. But if your hands are warmer, the ganache can soften a lot. If you have latex gloves, the extra layer can be a buffer for the heat that makes the ganache soft. Either that or yes, divide the ganahce in rough balls, freeze briefly, and then shape. There are a lot of little tricks. You can also decrease the cream a tad if you’d like them firmer.
I melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of warm water. As the chocolate melts I then add the cream . I do not add any flavorings as that disrupts the texture. I wait till I can roll them then roll them in sprinkles.
xxxxxyyyyy
Hi, I’m excited to try this recipe! Should I be coating them in unsweetened cocoa powder?
Hi Becky, it’s typical to use unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling truffles, but if you’re unsure about it, try rolling just one in cocoa and taste to see how you like it. If it’s not to your taste, you can mix granulated sugar and unsweetened cocoa and try that, or powdered sugar and cocoa.
Thank you for the response! So I just took the ganache out of the fridge and it doesn’t seem “rollable”. I used 8 ounces of 64% cacao semisweet chocolate and 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, and followed the recipe. Not sure where I went wrong!
You needed less cream more chocolate because the less cream the more firm the set and vice versa
Recipe looks amazing. Going to try it tomorrow. I have callets lying . Can I use those?.would they say fine ?
xxxxxyyyyy
Hello Seerat,
Callets (large discs of chocolate made by Callebaut, for any of you other readers) should work just fine in this recipe, yes. Enjoy your truffle making!
wait what do i put in the frige
Hi Hazel,
The truffles are best stored in the refrigerator. However, they have the best flavor and texture at room temperature. Take them out of the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before enjoying, if you can remember to.