This chocolate truffle recipe is very easy to make and I thought I’d share it, especially with Valentine’s day coming around the corner. When I was a kid, I would eat truffles by the dozen from those pretty gold foiled packages that only seemed to appear around Christmas time. For a treat that seems so fancy, it really surprised me when I learned that making chocolate truffles only require three main ingredients and next to no kitchen experience.
The first exposure I had with making chocolate truffles was at an introduction to Belgium chocolate class from ‘Chocolate Tales’ run by David and Zoe Levy. We explored the history of chocolate, the different methods of treating chocolate and even got to make our own truffles and molten chocolate cakes (both of which were absolutely delicious). The one thing I really took away from that class was the creation of ganache, made usually by mixing hot cream with chocolate chips. I learned that ganache that is more fluid can be used to spread over cakes while ganache that is more viscous can be used as the base of chocolate truffles. David taught us a wonderful method of storing homemade ganache using a ziploc bag, which I will be using in this recipe. I have adapted his method and altered the amounts, ingredients and instructions, so what you can expect here is a little different from his recipe. I wish you all a wonderful chocolate truffle making session and Happy Early Valentine’s day!
Chocolate Truffles Recipe
YIELDS: 40-60 chocolate truffles (depending on the size you make them)
TIME: 4.5 HOURS (30 MINUTES ACTIVE + 4 HOURS CHILL TIME)
CREDITS: Adapted from ‘Dark Chocolate Truffles’ by Chocolate Tales
INGREDIENTS
- 400 g semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 170 ml Cream 35%
- 1 Tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
- 2 Tsp. instant coffee (optional)
- 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl and set aside. Open a ziploc bag and fit into a regular cup, folding the edges over the lip of the cup; set aside. Add the cocoa powder into a small bowl and set aside.
- Add the cream, vanilla extract and instant coffee into a sauce pan and heat on medium over the stove until it boils. Immediately remove and pour the cream onto the chocolate; mix with a spoon until it becomes smooth and shiny.
- Spoon this chocolate-cream mixture (called ganache) into the ziploc bag. Remove the bag from the cup and carefully press out the air pockets before sealing. Massage the ziploc to spread the ganache evenly throughout, then place it in the fridge to chill for 4 hours. You can also skip the ziploc bag, and chill the bowl of ganache as is.
- Remove the ganache from the fridge and slice open the ziploc packaging. Divide the ganache slab into small bite-sized parts, followed by rolling them into balls with your hands. Drop these balls into the cocoa bowl and roll them about to coat. Chill and serve.