Chocolate Truffles
- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus at least one hour’s chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- ⅞cup heavy cream
- 8ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- Unsweetened cocoa powder as needed
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat cream in a pot until it steams. Put chocolate in a bowl, pour hot cream on top, and stir until chocolate is melted and incorporated into cream.
- Step 2
Chill until solid all the way through, 1 to 2 hours. Using a chilled melon baller or latex gloves to prevent the ganache from melting or sticking to your hands, scoop out about a tablespoonful and quickly roll it into a ball. Repeat, lining truffles on a plate or a baking sheet.
- Step 3
If truffles become too soft to handle, place them in refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. Roll them in cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar or a mixture of sugar and ground cinnamon. Serve immediately or store, wrapped in plastic, in refrigerator for up to four days.
Private Notes
Comments
These were easy to make and tasted delicious. However, handling them to shape into balls was a mess and they looked terrible...essentially like small, powdery turds. I thought about naming them "reindeer droppings".
Second time around I poured the melted ganache mixture into a greased "petite treat" mold (any kind of candy or mini mold would work). Did the trick! After cooling I popped them out and dusted them with cocoa powder. A much better looking result.
Pour into a foil-lined square baking dish. Chill, lift and cut into small squares. These pieces I place into a quart-sized Chinese food plastic container half filled with cocoa, about three at a time. Close the lid and shake vigorously. The rattling around in the container knocks down the sharp edges and the cocoa covers them completely, all without making a mess. They emerge looking like actual truffles - a perfect ball shape is not needed.
I have made them like this for 35 years. I wouldn't do the mold thing (mentioned by some readers). I just keep putting them back in the freezer to harden up enough for me to ontinue perfecting the shape. Afterall, they are SUPPOSED to look like powdery ....truffles!
Made these for a friend to communicate that I'm in love with him. I tried the technique, suggested by another commenter, of chilling the ganache in a foil-lined baking pan, cutting it into pieces with a knife, and shaking these pieces vigorously in a Tupperware container filled with about 1/4 c. of cocoa powder to coat them and round out their sharp edges. This was fun, quick, and didn't make much of a mess at all. Will make again unless I get better at conveying my feelings verbally.
Has anyone tried this with coconut cream instead of heavy cream? Or, any other alternative?
The ganache was way easier to shape after leaving it in the fridge for a couple days. I scooped it with a teaspoon and then rolled the balls in my hands (move quickly as they get soft quickly!) Low effort, high reward dessert that is endlessly riffable. I added a shake of ground cardamom to the cocoa powder and am excited to try more variations in the future!