Dark Chocolate Truffles

These dark chocolate truffles are made with just 3 ingredients and can be rolled in all sorts of various toppings! You can keep them as only chocolate or add in various flavorings. Once the truffle mixture is made, simply chill it and then roll into balls. I love giving these as gifts for Christmas or for Valentine’s Day!

Dark Chocolate Truffles Recipe

I remember the first time I made homemade dark chocolate truffles for Valentine’s Day many years ago. I went in thinking this has to be difficult. I mean chocolate truffles…fancy gourmet am I right? Boy was I wrong. So wrong. Chocolate truffles are so easy! And let’s also mention fun, because you can customize them however you want. I’m a big fan of variety in my life, especially when variety shows up in chocolate form.

And doesn’t hurt that chocolate truffles are no bake! So maybe make some Chocolate Covered Oreos or Oreo Cake Balls to go with it. Keep that oven off and enjoy some serious chocolate indulgence.

When it comes to truffles, you are essentially making a ganache – simply combining dark chocolate and heavy cream together. And then once it’s chilled you can scoop and roll. And then it’s a fun game of what topping do you want?

Want to roll them in cocoa powder? Delicious. Maybe some chopped pistachios? Heavenly. Or some chocolate sprinkles, or festive Valentine’s day sprinkles! Sky’s the limit. Go nuts. 😉

Then Pair them with some Chocolate Covered Strawberries Recipe and I think you would make any Valentine of yours pretty darn happy. I know it would make me swoon!

What exactly is a chocolate truffle?

Aww great question. A chocolate truffle is simply put a firm ganache, made of heavy cream and chocolate, that’s scooped and roll into balls. They can be flavored anyway you like and rolled in all sorts of various toppings.

To make a firm ganache that can be turned into a chocolate truffle you want to use a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream. Basically twice as much chocolate to cream so it makes a thick chocolate mixture that after refrigerating can be shaped into truffles.

Ingredients Needed

Ingredient Notes

Besides gathering the ingredients above, here a few things to note:

• Chocolate – You want to use high quality chocolate since this isn’t baked and the flavor will stand out. You can use bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate. I love using Ghiradelli chocolate bars. You also do NOT want to use chocolate chips as they contain ingredients that will keep them from melting fully. Do not use white chocolate as it does not contain cocoa butter and will not set up properly. And if you’re using milk chocolate then use 2 tablespoons less cream as it contains milk.
• Heavy Cream – You need the fat in the heavy cream to help set up the ganache, so do not use light cream or half-n-half. But you can use full fat canned coconut milk (not the kind in the refrigerator aisle).
• Butter – The butter is what makes them rich and creamy! I always use and recommend good quality unsalted butter vs. salted butter.

How To Make Chocolate Truffles

Make chocolate truffle mixture

1. Chop chocolate. With a serrated knife, finely chop the chocolate (you want it in small pieces so it melts easily into the heavy cream). Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the tablespoon of butter on top of the chocolate. Set aside.
2. Heat cream. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat (or you can do this in your microwave for 30 seconds (you may need to heat it longer – I heat in 15 second intervals a time). You want the cream very hot, steaming, but NOT boiling.
3. Combine chocolate and cream. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Do NOT stir it. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. If adding flavoring (see note below), add it now. Then stir, using a spatula, until the mixture is smooth. 
4. Refrigerate. Then you want to chill the chocolate mixture so it firms up. You can chill it right in the same bowl it is in, or pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow pan (I use my 8×8 baking pan) so it chills a bit faster. Refrigerate for about 1 hour until firm (time may vary if you keep it in the bowl).

Shape and coat truffles

1. Shape into truffles. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or you can use wax paper, or a silicone baking mat). Remove the pan from the fridge and using a tablespoon scoop, scoop the truffle mixture into tablespoon amounts.
2. Roll into balls. You can wear gloves to do this (highly recommend this!!), or lightly coat your hands in cocoa powder, roll the truffles into smooth balls. If the mixture is sticky, refrigerate for 15 minutes then roll into smooth balls.
3. Coat the truffles. Prepare small bowls of your toppings. Roll each truffle into the desired toppings. For some toppings, you may need to lightly press the toppings onto the truffles so they adhere.

Coating Your Dark Chocolate Truffles

You can coat truffles in all sorts of delicious things! Try coating in:

• Cocoa powder (unsweetened or Dutch process both work)
• Powdered sugar
• Toasted, chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or pistachios are great!)
• Crushed candy canes (finely chopped)
• Sprinkles
• Shredded coconut
• Freeze-dried strawberries (or raspberries), crushed into fine pieces
• Coat in tempered chocolate (refrigerate for 30 minutes before dipping in chocolate)

The amount you will need to coat your truffles in will vary depending on the topping. But generally, you will need about ¼-½ cup depending on the topping you choose.

Troubleshooting Your Chocolate Truffle Recipe

• Chocolate is greasy/separating: Heavy cream was too hot.
• Won’t thicken: Used wrong ingredients or wrong amounts (I did this the first time and basically I made chocolate sauce!) – make sure to use chocolate bars, not chips. And use heavy cream (see substitution).
• Sticky to roll: Coat hands in cocoa, or wear gloves. Gloves is best as I found even with cocoa powder they could still get messy to roll. Or refrigerate the mixture a little longer.
• Coatings won’t stick: Truffles may have dried out. Re-roll the truffles by mashing the mixture again in your hands and forming again into balls and then coat.

Recipe FAQ’s

More Yummy Chocolate Recipes

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• Oreo Cake Balls
• Peppermint Oreo Truffles
• S’mores Truffles (only 4 ingredients!)

Dark Chocolate Truffles Recipe

These dark chocolate truffles are made with just 3 ingredients and can be rolled in all sorts of various toppings! You can keep them as only chocolate or add in various flavorings. Once the truffle mixture is made, simply chill it and then roll into balls.

5 from 11 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 24 servings

Calories: 75kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

• ▢ 8 ounces bittersweet (or semi-sweet) chocolate. roughly chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 4 ounces (1/2 cup, 120 ml) heavy cream
• ▢ ¼ cup (up to 1/2 cup) toppings, *see note

Instructions

• Chop chocolate. With a serrated knife, finely chop the chocolate (you want it in small pieces so it melts easily into the heavy cream). Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the tablespoon of butter on top of the chocolate. Set aside.
• Heat cream. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over low heat (or you can do this in your microwave for 30 seconds (you may need to heat it longer – I heat in 15 second intervals a time). You want the cream very hot, steaming, but NOT boiling.
• Combine chocolate and cream. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Do NOT stir it. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. If adding flavoring (see note below), add it now. Then stir, using a spatula, until the mixture is smooth.
• Refrigerate. You can keep the chocolate mixture in the same bowl to refrigerate or pour the chocolate mixture into a shallow pan (I use my 8×8 baking pan) so it firms up faster. Refrigerate for about 1 hour until firm (if you keep it in the mixing bowl, it will take longer).
• Shape into truffles. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or you can use wax paper, or a silicone baking mat). Remove the pan from the fridge and using a tablespoon scoop, scoop the truffle mixture into tablespoon amounts. You can wear gloves to do this (recommended), or lightly coat your hands in cocoa powder (can still be a bit messy!), roll the truffles into smooth balls.
• Coat the truffles. Prepare small bowls of your toppings. Roll each truffle into the desired toppings. You want to coat them right after rolling them, so the truffles don't dry out otherwise the toppings won't stick. For certain toppings, you may need to lightly press them to get them to adhere to the truffle.

Video

Notes

• Extract/Flavoring your truffles: After you’ve added the cream and let the mixture sit, you can add a flavoring (extract or oil )if you want. Extracts can be strong so I would recommend no more than a ½ teaspoon of any extract and then stir the mixture together. But you can omit this if you want, or use less.
• Toppings: You can coat truffles in all sorts of delicious things! Try coating in dark cocoa powder (not unsweetened), powdered sugar, nuts (I like to toast and finely chop mine), candy canes (finely chopped), sprinkles, or coat in tempered chocolate. You will need about ¼-½ cup depending on the topping you choose. Nutrition facts do not reflect toppings addition.
• Chocolate: I recommend using chocolate bars as opposed to chocolate chips as some brands have stabilizers in them which can prevent the ganache mixture from setting up properly. Do not use white chocolate as it does not contain cocoa butter and will not set up properly. And if you’re using milk chocolate then use 2 tablespoons less cream as it contains milk. 
• Freezing: Freeze for 3 months, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before enjoying. You can freeze truffles with our without toppings.
• Make ahead: You can form the truffle mixture and refrigerate up to  3 days. When ready to shape into truffles, allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for several minutes in order to able to scoop them.
• Storage: Chocolate truffles should be kept in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, in the fridge.
• Heavy cream: You cannot replace with half and half or milk as the truffles won’t set up. But you can use full fat canned coconut milk (not the kind in the refrigerator aisle).
• Rolling the truffles: You want the mixture firmed up before you start. Then wear gloves, or roll your hands in cocoa powder. The colder your hands are the better, warm hands will soften the mixture up too much!
• Servings: I would not recommend doubling the recipe, but instead making two separate batches. But you could easily cut the recipe in half and make less servings if needed.
• Troubleshooting:
  • Chocolate is greasy/separating: Heavy cream was too hot.
  • Won’t thicken: Used wrong ingredients – make sure to use chocolate bars, not chips. And use heavy cream (see substitution).
  • Sticky to roll: Coat hands in cocoa, or wear gloves. Or refrigerate the mixture a little longer.
  • Coatings won’t stick: Truffles may have dried out. Re-roll the truffles by mashing the mixture again in your hands and forming again into balls and then coat.

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 57mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

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