Homemade Chocolate Truffles Recipe
Total Time
2 hours, 30 minutes
Prep Time
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cook Time
0 minutes
Rating
4.7 out of 5 stars
(121)
Ingredients
20-24 truffles
- two 4-ounce quality chocolate bars (226g), very finely chopped
- 2/3 cup (160ml) heavy cream
- optional: 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- optional: 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- toppings: unsweetened cocoa powder, sprinkles, crushed nuts, melted or tempered chocolate
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Preparation
Step 1
Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
Step 2
Heat the heavy cream until it is simmering. You can heat it on the stove or in the microwave.
Step 3
Add the butter, if using, to the chocolate and pour the heavy cream evenly on top. Let the warm cream and chocolate sit for 5 minutes minutes. Add the vanilla extract then stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface (to avoid condensation) and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Tip: Pour into a flat shallow dish, such as an 8-inch square baking pan, so the mixture evenly and quickly sets.
Step 4
Scoop the set truffle mixture into 2 teaspoon-sized mounds. This small cookie scoop is the perfect size. For larger truffles, 1 Tablespoon size mounds. Roll each into balls. This gets a little sticky, so see my tips above.
Step 5
Roll each into toppings, if desired. Truffles taste best at room temperature!
Step 6
Cover tightly and store truffles at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Step 7
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
Freezing Instructions:
For longer storage, freeze up to 3 months with or without toppings. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature, if desired, before enjoying.
Make Ahead Instructions:
Prepare the truffle mixture through step 3. The mixture must chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or up to 3 days. If chilling for longer than 4ish hours, let the mixture sit on the counter for several minutes to soften into scoop-able consistency.
Chocolate:
Use quality chocolate, the kind sold in 4 ounce bars in the baking aisle. Do not use chocolate chips. The higher quality chocolate you purchase, the better your truffles will taste. I love Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands. If you want to splurge, Scharffen Berger is exceptional! Semi-sweet or dark chocolate make a very intense chocolate truffle and milk chocolate yields a sweeter truffle. If using milk chocolate, reduce the cream to 1/2 cup as milk chocolate is much softer than dark chocolate. Do not use white chocolate in this recipe because it’s too thin.
Heavy Cream:
Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream is the only liquid that will melt the chocolate into the proper truffle consistency. Do not use half-and-half or milk. The only non-dairy substitute is canned full-fat coconut milk (not the refrigerated kind). Shake it up and use in the recipe as you would heavy cream.
Butter and Vanilla Extract:
Both are optional, but butter makes truffles extra creamy and vanilla extract adds wonderful flavor.
Flavors:
Instead of vanilla extract, use 1/2 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon (depending how strong of a flavor you want) raspberry, coconut, orange, peppermint, or strawberry extract. Or leave out the extract and add 1-2 Tablespoons of your favorite liqueur. I also have hazelnut truffles and key lime truffles recipes too!
Halved/Doubled:
Recipe can easily be halved, but I do not recommend doubling. Instead, make 2 separate batches.
