How to Make Simple, Easy Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate truffles are the multifunctional Swiss Army knife of mood foods. If you want to reward good deeds, soothe feelings, or simply show some love, just whip out rich, indulgent chocolate truffles and you're golden.

You can easily make excellent chocolate truffles in your own kitchen with simple ingredients and no fancy equipment. And, starting with a basic truffle recipe, you can customize by adding flavorings such as extracts, liqueurs, spices, and more. I'll show you how easy it is.

How to Make Easy Chocolate Truffles

Let's use Chef John's Chocolate Truffles recipe to demonstrate how to make ganache (pronounced guh-NAASH) — the simple mixture that forms the soft chocolate core of classic truffles. Chef John's recipe includes a few extra flavorings, but you can change them up to suit your taste.

Equipment

• Heat-proof mixing bowl
• Wire whisk
• Saucepan
• Plastic wrap
• Small sorbet scoop or teaspoons
• Rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper
• Spoon and fork for dipping

Ingredients

• 326 grams dark chocolate chips
• 196 grams heavy cream*
• Optional flavorings (teaspoon vanilla, liqueur, extract, etc.)
• More chocolate chips for melting and coating
• Optional toppings (candy sprinkles, finely chopped nuts, etc.)

*Note: To get the perfect 60 percent ratio of cream to chocolate, Chef John suggests you multiply the weight of your chocolate chips by .6. Example: 326 grams x .6 = 195.6 grams. Round up to 196 grams.

Directions

1. Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl with other (optional) flavorings such as extracts, liqueurs, or spices.
2. Heat cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
3. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, making sure all the chocolate pieces are covered, and let it sit for 2 minutes to let the chocolate soften and melt.
4. Gently whisk until the cream and chocolate mixture is completely smooth.
5. Cover mixture with plastic wrap and let cool at room temperature until firm and scoopable.
6. Scoop small balls of mixture onto the lined baking sheet. Refrigerate until cold, then reroll by hand to smooth the mixture into balls. Set aside.
7. Melt chocolate for coating. Dip chocolate ganache balls into melted chocolate. Place on lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with desired toppings, if you're using them.

You can create endless flavor variations, but making classic chocolate truffles is really as simple as that. Watch the video below for step-by-step directions.

Your truffles will only taste as good as the ingredients you use, that's why you'll want to choose the best chocolate you can afford and make sure you like the taste of the chocolate you're using. For example, some home cooks like to use a combination of bittersweet chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate to find the right balance of flavor for them.

Try this easy recipe for Basic Truffles:

Chocolate Truffles 4 Ways

Here's how to take one easy chocolate truffle recipe and change it up four ways by rolling the truffles in strawberry powder, cocoa powder, peanut butter powder, or crushed peppermint candies:

Get the recipe and watch the video: Chocolate Truffles 4 Ways

Related

• What is a Truffle?
• Easy Chocolate Desserts That Look Fancy Enough to Impress
• Find More Truffle Recipes