Decadent and rich in flavor, these easy homemade chocolate truffles have a smooth consistency and are the easiest dessert you can make to surprise your guests. You can experiment a lot with this recipe by covering truffles with your favorite topping or flavoring them with your favorite liquor.
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Ingredients and substitutions
Chocolate – I use Callebaut Dark Chocolate 54.5%, but you can use finely chopped dark baking chocolate or dark chocolate chips of your choice.
Heavy cream – Use any heavy whipping cream with 34-36% fat.
Butter – The butter has to be at room temperature or even softer, so it emulsifies with the ganache easily. It gives the truffles a nice, smooth consistency. If you don’t want to use butter, it’s okay to skip it.
Salt and vanilla extract – You can skip vanilla or replace it with other flavorings, but keep the salt for flavor balance.
How to flavor homemade chocolate truffles with liquor
For this particular recipe, if you want to add Baileys, dark rum, brandy, or another liquor or alcohol, you can simply add 2 tablespoon of any AFTER butter is incorporated. If you add the liquor before, the ganache will become too cold and the butter won't melt.
Step by step directions
1. Pour the hot heavy cream into a bowl with the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes.
2. Stir to emulsify with a rubber spatula until the chocolate ganache mixture has formed.
3. Add the butter and stir until incorporated.
4. Add the salt and vanilla. Stir again.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and let it set either at room temperature or in the fridge until it reaches a very thick but scoopable consistency.
6. Using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop, scoop out 10 even chocolate balls. Form the truffles and cover with toppings.
Topping variations
Unsweetened cocoa powder – the simplest and classiest topping for truffles out there.
Shredded coconut – use shredded coconut right from the package, or toast it slightly before covering our homemade truffles.
Crushed nuts – walnuts, pecans, pistachio: you can choose whatever nuts you like.
Freeze-dried raspberries – raspberries or strawberries will fit the chocolate flavor perfectly. For easy application, pulse berries of your choice in a food processor to create a powder-like consistency. Then, place on the plate and roll the truffles to cover.
Tempered chocolate – You can always temper extra chocolate (dark, milk, or white) and dip the truffles in it. Then, remove using a fork and place on parchment paper to set.
FAQ
No, you can’t! If you want to use milk chocolate, you need to reformulate the whole recipe. This particular chocolate truffles recipe will work with dark chocolate that has 54-55% cocoa.
made using a 2:1 dark chocolate to heavy cream ratio won't melt at room temperature (20C-24C or 68F-76F), so you can serve them without being worried that they will lose their shape. However, if you live in a hot climate and don’t have AC at home, don’t leave your truffles outside the fridge for too long.
You can store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Made with heavy cream, chocolate truffles should be chilled in the fridge for food safety reasons.
More dessert recipes
Recipe card
Easy homemade chocolate truffles
Equipment
- Rubber spatula
- Cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 200 g Callebaut Dark Chocolate 54.5%
- 100 g heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping ideas
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Freeze-dried raspberries
- Crushed walnuts
- Shredded coconut
Instructions
- Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Pour the heavy cream into a saucepan and heat over medium-low until it starts simmering. Remove from the heat and pour the cream on top of the chocolate. Let it sit for 2 minutes.
- Then, stir with a rubber spatula to emulsify. If not all chocolate has melted, place it into a microwave and heat for 10 sec. at a time, stirring in between until no pieces of chocolate are left.
- Add the butter and stir until melted and incorporated. Then add salt and vanilla and stir again.
- Cover with a plastic wrap so it touches the chocolate surface and no air pockets are left. Let sit at room temperature to stabilize and set (this can take a few hours). You can speed up the process by placing the bowl in the fridge.
- When the mixture becomes very thick but still scoopable, prepare your toppings by placing them on separate plates. Scoop 10 even balls using a tablespoon or a cookie scoop. If you want all truffles to be the same size, use a digital scale to weigh each ball. They should be 30-35g each.
- Roll with the hands to shape and then roll in the desired topping. Place on a clean plate and let set further at room temperate or in the fridge.
May says
Thank you for the recipe!