Chocolate truffles are the ultimate in homemade pleasure with minimum effort. Truffles are produced by combining melted chocolate with cream and butter. Put in the fridge, make some rolls, and apply some coating. Use my simple method, and you can whip up a batch of these in no time flat without breaking a sweat or getting chocolate everywhere!!!
Source : Recipetineats
Chocolate Truffles
When I set out on my chocolate truffle quest five years ago, I was disappointed that it wasn’t as simple as I had anticipated locating a “typical” chocolate truffle recipe.
I just wanted a simple truffle recipe that didn’t call for anything fancy, like Lindt 85% cacao dark chocolate (which costs $40/kg or $20/lb), liquor, a salted caramel center, a candy thermometer, or a double coating of chocolate.
Have I asked for the moon? Trying to shoot for the moon, perhaps?
As a result, I threw together my version. You’ll only need chocolate, heavy cream, and butter for this recipe. After all, how difficult could it be? The simplest sweet ever: chocolate, butter, and cream (*she thought confidently, perhaps too confidently, as it did take a few batches to get the ratios right for the perfect rollable-yet-melt-in-your-mouth consistency).
Photo by Recipetineats
Truffles are only as good as their chocolate filling. But it’s still really decadent, considering that the chocolate used is a retail brand. Make sure you use baking chocolate and not eat chocolate. Unlike baking chocolate, consuming chocolate doesn’t melt evenly and hardens to a different consistency.
Absolute, 100%, 100%, full-fat cream! No, I’m not being overly picky; this is necessary. If you want your chocolate to be firm enough to scoop and roll, don’t use a cream with less than 30% fat (as I did the first time I tried to make “low fat” chocolate truffles, SERIOUSLY WHO DOES THAT??!!).
Butter – not only does it help the chocolate truffles keep their shape, but it also imparts an extra, decadent flavor (because butter firms up in the fridge to make the mixture rollable but then softens once the truffles are at room temp).
Ingredients in Chocolate Truffles Photo by Recipetineats
The Formula for Chocolate Truffles
Truffle rolling can be messy, so I’ve compiled some of my best methods for making these delectable treats with minimal fuss.
- Chill the truffle mixture for at least 5 hours, preferably overnight, before rolling them. Avoid being tempted to use the freezer as a shortcut; doing so can lead the chocolate to harden unevenly, making some areas difficult to scoop.
- I recommend using an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas (wrapped in a tea towel) to keep your hands cool; my tiny hands tend to get quite warm—lots of natural insulation, which is fantastic for cutting down on heating costs throughout the winter. Tiny needles are not ideal for preparing chocolate truffles, as the chocolate melts as I roll the balls and ends up sliding all over the place.
Run your hands under cold water before rolling, and keep an ice pack, frozen peas, or something hard nearby to keep them chilly as you move.
***I realize this may seem strange, but it works!
How to make Chocolate Truffles Photo by Recipetineats
Giving and receiving food as gifts!!
When should I begin crafting such exquisite items?
After dinner, a “light” dessert rather than a full-on dessert. Because I put so much effort into the main course, my loved ones often find that they are too full to enjoy dessert when I prepare a meal. Did that sound similar to you as well?
As with high-end eateries, you can choose between coffee and a cocktail after dinner. Give it a shot with an Espresso Martini (*her eyes get all misty*);
Teatimes throughout the afternoon, morning, and throughout the day; and
The primary motivation for my production of them is for gifting. I can go the entire year without creating truffles, and then I’ll go on a truffle-making frenzy in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Wrap them up in pretty tissue paper and cellophane, and place them in cute little boxes.
They keep going and going and going for weeks and weeks, which in Australian slang is yonks. Keep them cold in the fridge if it’s hot where you are, but serve them at room temperature, so the chocolate is smooth and gooey when you bite into one. – Nagi x
