The Best Chocolate Truffle Recipe: Easy and Homemade

Have you ever looked at the beautiful array of chocolate truffle candies in a shop display case and wondered if you could make them at home?

The answer is that you can and it is easier than you may think. Chocolate truffles are easy to make homemade and the flavor and texture is just as good, or better, than those you buy at the store. Once you learn the basic recipe and techniques you will be able to experiment with flavors and coatings to create unique truffles that are wonderful gifts, if you decide to share!

Chocolate truffles are simple to make at home with ingredients that you are probably already familiar with.

Chocolate

Chocolate comes in a variety of types and the quality may be different from brand to brand. Because truffles have only two basic ingredients their quality is very important. Choose a high quality chocolate that is at least 70 percent cocoa. It's a good idea to try different brands until you find one that you like best.

Classic varieties that are available almost everywhere are:

• Scharffen Berger
• Ghirardelli
• Valrhona

Choosing more than one type of chocolate can create a more complex chocolate flavor. Begin by mixing bittersweet and dark chocolate in equal amounts. After you gain some experience add other types of chocolate and change the percentages of each until you find the perfect combination for your tastes.

By carefully choosing your chocolate varieties and mixing them you will create your own unique formula and a flavor unlike any other.

Heavy Cream

Heavy whipping cream is the only other necessary ingredient in chocolate truffles. Heavy cream is the type that you use to make that fluffy whipped cream that is so good on cakes and pies.

Choose a cream that is a minimum of 30 percent milk fat. The higher the percentage the creamier your truffles will be so if you can find one that has more milk fat choose it. Organic cream is preferred to other types and if you have a local dairy so much the better.

Watch out for additives. Many commercial brands mix the cream with skim milk and thickeners. Read the ingredients carefully and don't choose any that have skim milk. The fat content will be off and your results will not be as delicious as you want them to be.

Depending on the flavor and texture you want in your truffles you may want to add more ingredients or coatings of various sorts.

Some of the most common are:

• Alcohol and Liqueurs – added in small amounts to flavor the truffle mixture
• Butter – added to make a creamier texture
• Coffee – you can steep coarsely ground coffee beans in the cream to flavor it before you add it to the chocolate – do the same thing with tea leaves
• Edible gold – this doesn't add a lot of flavor but it is beautiful and luxurious when added to your truffle mixture
• Flavorings – vanilla and other pure flavorings can be added to create a variety of flavors
• Fleur de Sel – usually added to the coating to offset the sweetness with salt
• Praline – can be broken up and added to the truffle for a unique crunch

Truffles should be finished by rolling them in cocoa or dipping them in melted chocolate.

Coating the Truffles with Cocoa

The cocoa adds a bitter flavor that balances out the intense sweetness of the truffle mixture, giving it more depth of flavor. Dipping in melted chocolate gives the truffles a beautiful finish, especially if you won't be serving them right away (sometimes the cocoa is absorbed into the chocolate). Use bittersweet, dark, milk, semi-sweet, white or a combination of several to coat the truffles. Some chocolatiers even dip the truffles in one type of chocolate, let it set, and then cover it with a different type.

Use a good quality cocoa either alone or with powdered spices added. Mix together well and roll the balls of truffle mixture in the cocoa until they are well covered.

Spices to consider for this are:

• Cardamom
• Cinnamon
• Chili
• Cloves
• Ground chipotle
• Ginger
• Lemon peel
• Orange peel

How to Dip Truffles

Dipping (called enrobing) the truffles takes a bit more time but the results are spectacular.

1. Melt high quality bittersweet chocolate (or a combination of chocolates) over simmering water until smooth and shiny.
2. Dip well chilled truffles into the chocolate making sure to cover them completely
3. Place on parchment and allow the chocolate to harden.
4. If you are doing a second coat dip them again after the chocolate hardens

While the chocolate is still warm you can sprinkle the tops of your truffles with:

• Chopped nuts
• Fleur de Sel
• Chopped candied ginger

Or anything that you like – just make sure it is finely chopped

You can even create designs on your homemade truffles with different types of chocolate by swirling the melted chocolate over the hardened coating with a fork.

Once truffles are finished they should be kept in the refrigerator, well covered.

Ingredients

• 10 ounces (be sure and weigh the chocolate) of chopped bittersweet chocolate, or a mixture of bittersweet and dark
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup cocoa powder or 10 oz melted chocolate for covering truffles

Instructions

1. Heat the cream in a heavy pan just until steam starts to rise and bubbles form around the edges – do not boil
2. Remove the pan from the heat
3. Add the chocolate
4. Stir the chocolate until it is melted and smooth, and totally incorporated with the cream
5. Cover tightly, allow to come to room temperature and then refrigerate for six hours or overnight

When you are ready to make the truffles –

1. Place a melon baller or a 1 teaspoon size cookie scoop into the freezer to chill
2. Scoop out the truffles with the melon baller and form into balls. Chill the melon baller as needed to keep it cold
3. Either roll the truffles in your cocoa mixture or chill the truffles and dip them in chocolate
4. Keep refrigerated, tightly covered until about 30 minutes before serving

Yield: 30 Truffles, depending on size

You can vary the flavors by adding other ingredients.

Flavors

Add flavorings when the cream comes off the heat and the chocolate is melted. Stir in well. Plan on using one to two teaspoons of any of the following flavors --

• Bourbon
• Contrineau
• Irish Cream
• Port wine
• Rosewater
• Rum
• Vanilla

Infusions

Infusions flavor the truffle by flavoring the cream. In order to create an infusion you will need to heat the cream to a simmer, add what you are infusing and then let it steep for one hour to several hours depending on the flavor you are looking for. Once the cream is infused with the flavor you will strain it though a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to get out the material that you used as flavoring. Warm the cream up to a simmer again and proceed with your recipe.

Use about 1 tablespoon flavoring to 1/3 cup cream.

Flavoring agents to infuse are:

• Citrus peel
• Coffee beans
• Dried peppers
• Lavender buds
• Tea leaves (Earl Grey is especially nice)
• Whole cloves
• Whole cardamom
• Whole peppercorns

Sprinkle on These Finishing Touches

Sprinkle any of the following ingredients on to the truffles before the coating hardens. Just make sure that they are finely chopped.

• Candied citrus peel
• Coconut
• Chocolate
• Crystallized ginger
• Finely chopped nuts
• Fleur de Sel
• Sprinkles

You can give the truffles as a gift on a paper plate if you like but since you went to all the trouble of making them it is more fun to present them in a beautiful, creative way.

You can buy candy wrappers that look like tiny cupcake wrappers to place the truffle in. This gives them a clean look in the presentation container. You can buy small candy boxes to hold the truffles for a very professional presentation or, consider using a vintage candy dish or other decorative container that fits your recipient's personality and interests.

Making truffles, whether for yourself or as gifts, is a great way to spend an afternoon. After all, who doesn't like chocolate?

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