Julie Clark
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Homemade Chocolate Truffles
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Make decadent homemade chocolate truffles with just a handful of ingredients. They’re smooth and creamy, and perfect for gift giving.
Last week I shared our homemade chocolate fondue recipe. This week we’re taking that chocolate fondue, chilling it, then rolling into the best homemade chocolate truffles you’ll ever pop into your mouth.
Chocolate truffles are the perfect addition to cookie plates and dessert boards. They are elegant and surprisingly easy to make. This recipe makes about 6 dozen small truffles so you can wrap some up for a gift.
About Homemade Chocolate Truffles:
- Flavor: Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. That’s the flavor of this truffle recipe. You’ll notice it has a hint of espresso and vanilla, but those only enhance the chocolate flavor and counter the sweetness slightly. You can add a little extra flavor with the ingredient that you roll the truffle in if you’d like.
- Texture: Our homemade chocolate truffle recipe yields bite-size truffles that are ultra smooth and creamy. They’ll melt in your mouth. If you don’t want any texture, simply roll in unsweetened cocoa powder. If you like texture, try shredded coconut or crushed pecans.
What is the best chocolate for truffles?
If you want the best tasting truffles, it’s important to use a high quality chocolate such as Ghirardelli or Guittard chocolate. Chocolate chips are fine to use as long as they are not mini chocolate chips. Or you can use bars of chocolate. High quality chocolate will melt more smoothly than cheap chocolate.
How to Make Chocolate Truffles
- Measure chocolate into a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, warm the heavy whipping cream for 3-4 minutes.
- Make the coffee/espresso while the cream is warming up. I used espresso, you can use instant coffee, too.
- Add the chocolate and coffee to the heavy cream. Keep the heat on low and stir constantly to melt the chocolate with the heavy cream. Continue to melt and stir until the chocolate mixture is completely smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract and mix well. Remove from the heat.
- Line a 9×13″ pan or a 9×9″ pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the sides. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan and place it in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours to chill completely. It should be completely firm and be scoopable with a spoon or cookie scoop.
- Use a 1″ cookie scoop to scoop balls of chocolate, then roll the balls smooth. Then roll the truffles in cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, sprinkles or coconut.
Coating for Chocolate Truffles
The fun part of truffles is rolling them in different coatings to give them fun flavors and looks. Here are a few options:
- cocoa powder
- finely shredded coconut
- finely chopped pecans or walnuts
- sprinkles or coarse sugar of any color
- powdered sugar
- crushed candies like candy canes
- dip in melted chocolate…because chocolate dipped in chocolate is a chocolate lovers dream
How to Flavor Chocolate Truffles
There are several things you can do to change the flavor of truffles:
- Use espresso powder (several tablespoons of it) to get a strong mocha flavor.
- Use any other extract you’d like: almond extract, rum, even lemon if you’d like.
- Use maraschino cherry juice in place of the extract for a hint of cherry.
- For a mexican chocolate flavor, add cayenne pepper. Go easy when adding it and test to make sure it doesn’t get too spicy.
- Add peppermint extract for a mint flavor.
Storage Instructions
Store the truffles in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. And you can freeze truffles in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Perfect for making ahead for Christmas cookie plates and gift giving.
Homemade Chocolate Truffles
Make decadent homemade chocolate truffles with just a handful of ingredients. They're smooth and creamy, and perfect for gift giving.
Servings 72
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 16 ounces high quality milk chocolate chips or chocolate bars Ghirardelli
- 16 ounces high quality dark chocolate chips or chocolate bars Ghirardelli
- 2 tablespoons strongly brewed coffee or espresso
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Measure chocolate into a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat, warm the cream for 3-4 minutes.
- Make the coffee/espresso while the cream is warming up. I used espresso, you can use instant coffee, too.
- Add the chocolate and coffee to the heavy cream. Keep the heat on low and stir constantly to melt the chocolate with the heavy cream.
- Continue to melt and stir until the chocolate mixture is completely smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract and mix well.
- Remove from the heat.
- Line a 9×13" pan or a 9×9" pan with parchment paper, letting the paper hang over the sides. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan and place it in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours to chill completely. It should be completely firm and be scoopable with a spoon or cookie scoop.
- Use a 1" cookie scoop to scoop balls of chocolate, then roll the balls smooth.
- Roll the truffles in cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, sprinkles or coconut.
- Store an an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
This makes a large amount of truffles (about 6 dozen). You can easily reduce the recipe by half to make a smaller amount.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making about 72 truffles, with 1 serving being 1 truffle. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 64kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 61IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? Find your answer in our troubleshooting questions & answers.
My chocolate is too soft to roll. What happened?
First, try putting the chocolate into the fridge or freezer for longer. If that doesn’t work, your chocolate to cream ratio might be off slightly. You could try melting more chocolate into the mixture in order to save it.
My chocolate is too hard to roll. What do I do?
Allow the chocolate to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes until you are able to roll the chocolate.
My hands immediately melt the chocolate. What can I do?
You can wear 2-3 pairs of food safe gloves to help protect the chocolate from the heat of your hands.
Can I omit the Coffee and substitute?