Fudgy with a rich chocolate flavor, these classic bite-size truffles are a breeze to make and need only a handful of simple ingredients.
My trip to France last week wasn’t planned ahead. In fact, it took only one hour from the moment the idea came up until the final booking. Although I’m not really the spontaneous type, when it comes to traveling, I just can’t say no. So when my brother told me one afternoon how desperately he needed a vacation, I was totally up for it. The next day, we were already on the plane! How fun is that?!
But back to my point. Since it all happened so fast and I was planning on making a new dessert for the blog that day, I had to come up with something that would be quick and easy. The winner, as you can already guess, was chocolate truffles. Since I’m a hopeless chocolate addict, I found myself nibbling these creamy treats at 4 am on my way to the airport.
These bite-size classic chocolate truffles are rich and velvety, and are made of only chocolate, cream, and butter. I use both milk chocolate and dark chocolate in my recipe for a subtler and more complex flavor. If you use good quality chocolate (and I strongly suggest you should), then the truffles will be tasty enough, even with using milk chocolate rather than just the bittersweet kind. I also use butter instead of just whipping cream for added richness and texture.
Truffle batter is basically a ganache, which is a mixture of chocolate and cream (and, in our case, butter) that is melted together to create a luscious chocolaty sauce. This mixture is then left to cool in the fridge for several hours to firm up. Once chilled, scoop out small chunks using an ice-cream scoop, spoon, or melon baller. My truffles were exactly 1 tablespoon in size (I used this ice cream scoop) and the mixture yielded 24 truffles. You can make them bigger if you like, but keep in mind that they are dense. Use your hands to shape the truffles into balls (they don’t have to be perfect) and roll in cocoa powder. You can also roll the truffles in powdered sugar, crushed nuts, shredded coconut, etc. instead. I like the bitter taste of cocoa, which balances the richness of the truffles and also gives it an extra touch of class.
You can add a few teaspoons of alcohol if you like, such as brandy, cognac, or flavored liquors like coffee or orange. Once all other ingredients are already mixed, melted, and smooth, add one teaspoon at a time, tasting between to make sure you don’t add too much.
Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (115g) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces (115g) milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons (¼ stick or 30g) butter, cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (either natural or Dutch-Processed is fine), for coating truffles
Instructions
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In a medium heat-proof bowl, place the chopped bittersweet and milk chocolate. Set aside. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream and butter to a low boil. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, stir mixture until melted and smooth. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or until firm.
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Place cocoa powder in a small bowl. Take chocolate mixture out of the fridge. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon, or melon baller, scoop out a section and form into 1-inch balls with your hands. Roll each ball in cocoa coating.
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Store truffles in fridge in an airtight container for up to a week.
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Truffles can be frozen for up to a month. To thaw, leave them in the fridge overnight.
