Easy Homemade Chocolate Truffles Recipe
Show your loved ones how much you truly care by skipping the store bought chocolates and opt instead for these delicious homemade truffles.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces high quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
- 4 ounces heavy cream or whipping cream (1/2 cup)
- 1 tablespoon seedless black raspberry jam
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Method
- Prep. Chop or shave the chocolate into bits smaller than a pea. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at least 2 cup (473.2 ml) capacity.
- Cook. Heat the cream in a saucepan over a medium heat until it starts to make small bubbles in the center, but do not boil.
- Add the hot cream to the chocolate and stir steadily with a fork or whisk until the chocolate has melted completely and there are no streaks. Just after adding the cream, add the raspberry jam. If it doesn't smooth out, microwave the mix on medium for about 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. If needed nuke it again. If you don't have a microwave, you can set the mixing bowl in a pan of hot tap water but do not boil the water. Or you could sit the bowl on top of a small saucepan with about an inch of water at a very low simmer. Be very careful to not get any water in the chocolate. That can lead to disaster. Stir steadily. That's your ganache. If you are adding mix-ins, add them after the hot cream. Or divide the ganache into several bowls and flavor each differently.
- Cool. Refrigerate until firm throughout, at least 3 hours.
- Prep again. Scoop out about a teaspoon and roll in your very clean dry hands until it is roundish and bite size, about the size of a maraschino cherry. The chocolate will melt quickly, so have your lover lick your hands when you are done. Make all the balls before you start coating them and place them on a tray so they are not touching.
- Put the cocoa in a shallow bowl. Roll each ball in the coating. Tap off excess so it doesn't get all over your shirt when you eat it. They will keep well in the fridge if covered but this probably won't be necessary.
- Serve. When ready to serve, grab one while you can as they will go fast.
Notes
About the chocolate. Before you begin you should learn a bit more about chocolate, how it is made, how it is labeled, and how to handle it, you should read my article on The Science of Chocolate.
About the jam. I use Dickinson's Seedless Black Raspberry Preserves. Rich and concentrated, it adds tremendous depth and complexity. Whatever you use, make sure it is seedless!
Other mix-ins. Make this recipe first. Once you have the hang of it you can play. I've never tried any of the following mix-ins, so you're on your own if you want to experiment, but I've seen recipes with orange marmalade, orange juice concentrate, orange zest, lemon zest, candied ginger, peanut butter, nutella, honey, reduced balsamic vinegar, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, chipotle powder, vanilla extract, orange extract, peppermint oil, raspberry liqueur, grand marnier, coffee liqueur, hazelnut liqueur, amaretto liqueur, Bourbon, dark rum, brandy, condensed milk instead of cream, cream cheese, and even fresh goat cheese. If you must experiment, work in small batches. Failures can be expensive.
About the coating. Instead of the straight cocoa powder, I like to make a blend of cocoa powder and finely ground coffee beans. You can use just plain coffee, or substitute confectioners sugar, regular sugar, coconut shavings, finely ground coffee beans, colored sprinkles, colored sugar, crushed graham crackers, chopped hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, or peanuts. Or mix the cocoa with cinnamon powder, fennel powder, a pinch of salt, or even a touch of ancho or chipotle powder.
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