We had two functions last weekend, so I made a big batch of chocolate truffles. These are wickedly good, and easy to make once you’ve nailed the art of tempering chocolate. They only have two ingredients in them – cream and chocolate – so use the very best you can of both.
This recipe uses lots of chocolate, but there was enough leftover tempered chocolate for a batch of almond rochers as well (recipe to follow). I made 64 truffles in total – 12 for each function, and 40 for me. (Ok, that’s an exaggeration, I had to share with the boys.)
Step 1 : Truffle Centres
- 19 oz (540g) Callebaut 811 (54%) dark chocolate callets
- 1½ cups fresh cream (heavy whipping cream – min. fat 35%)
The night before you need to make truffles, make the ganache for the centres by heating the cream in a small saucepan until boiling. Put the chocolate into a large mixing bowl, and gently pour over the hot cream. Using a whisk, stir very slowly until the chocolate is completely melted and the mix is smooth. Try not to beat any air bubbles into the chocolate. Press a piece of clingfilm over the top of the ganache to stop it forming a skin, and allow to rest on the kitchen bench overnight.
The following day, or when the ganache has set quite firm, scoop small balls of ganache onto a tray lined with parchment paper and allow the centres to firm up in the fridge. I used to use two teaspoons to do this, but have recently bought a nifty baby icecream scoop, which does a brilliant job of making round centres. Store these in the fridge, covered, until you need them.
Step 2 : Dipping the Truffles
When you’re ready to finish the truffles, take the centres out of the fridge and allow them to rest on the bench while you temper the chocolate. If you dip really cold centres, the finished truffles will crack.
Temper a large bowl of chocolate as per the instructions here. I used about 500g of chocolate for this batch. Place the bowl of tempered chocolate over a heat mat covered with a folded tea towel.
One by one, using a small chocolate dipper or mangled fork (see photo above), dip the truffles into the chocolate, then allow them to drain briefly, before turning them onto a sheet of parchment paper. I usually set the truffles briefly in the fridge, then store them in an airtight container on the bench (as Pete objects to fridge cold truffles!).
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
You are a wonder.
Recently Jane and I made truffles and I couldn’t get a good round shape so ended up hand rolling each truffle wearing latex gloves which soon turned too messy and had to keep changing them. The upside is they had a rough finish that looked excelent when dusted with coco power.
I wonder how you rated the chocolate tempering on masterchef?
moo {:0)
Don’t even go there, Moo. I was yelling at the screen when Poh melted the chocolate over direct heat and then stuck it in the fridge…sigh. And after she’d done so well (IMO) with the chicken rice…
The little icecream scoop is a winner! Truffles dusted in cocoa is the proper way, so they actually look like the truffles they’re named after! :)
Ce,
Your truffles look scrumptious! Brought back memories of when we would turn our kitchen into a truffle factory from Thanksgiving to Christmas turning out 1200 of the little devils. (Which of course, ended in burn-out). One thing we could never have done is let the ganache set out. We always chilled it or ours would not have been scoopable. Perhaps we added too much cream? We also stored them in the frig. Do you?
Keep on doing that voodoo that you do so well…
JuliaB
Jules, it’s taken me a bit of experimenting to get the truffle centres firm enough – the original recipe we used ended up quite runny. I think it’s something to do with the cream we use as well – ours was 35% fat, but unthickened. Quantity also seems important – while it works for us in the amounts specified, if I halve the recipe, for some reason it often won’t set as well.
If the centres won’t set outside the fridge, then you need to store the finished truffles in the fridge, particularly if you’ve rolled them in cocoa rather than dipping them in tempered choc. I have stored ours in the fridge before, but Pete always complains – he likes them at room temp. :)
Celia
Wow Mrs C, the Chocolate Truffles look irresistible! I love all your fancy utensils. Personally I’d prefer it with Milk Chocolate, however they still look scrumptious! :)
Thanks Kristen! We’re going to have to convert you to the dark side of chocolate… :)
Celia,
Stumbled upon your site, and I think I found a gem!
I have attempted to make chocolate truffles, but have not really found a simple recipe that I didn’t have difficulty making. Usually, I end up with a runny consistency. I am planning on taking a short course on Tempering Chocolate, if I can find a week-long course here in the U.S. My question is: Will your recipe hold its consistency if I add some liqueur for flavoring? – tess
Tess,
Welcome and thanks for dropping by!
The ganache centres will be softer if you add alcohol, so you might need to increase the amount of chocolate you use. I know exactly what you mean – it’s tricky to get the ganache so that it’s hard enough to keep its shape out of the fridge, but not so hard that it’s impossible to shape. The quantities I use work for me, but I think it can vary depending on the thickness of your cream – I used cream that had no additional ingredients, and was 35% fat (I think in the US that’s called heavy whipping cream). If you’re game to try it, I also wrote a photo-tute on how I temper chocolate – it’s quite easy, providing you have a good thermometer!
Celia
Hi Celia,
I made these for xmas and they went down a treat. I want to make some more but i had difficulty getting a decent shape on the truffle.
In your post you have a mini ice cream scoop. Where did you get it from…..i have searched for 3 months to find one in Sydney and can’t find one anywhere. Please point me i the right direction!
Thanks
Kaz
x
Kaz, I’m glad you enjoyed these, thanks for trying them out! I bought my mini scoop at Reward Distribution – The Hospitality Store in Camperdown. I think I’ve also seen them at Chefs’ Warehouse, but I’m not sure.
Here are the details for Reward:
193 Parramatta Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050
Main Phone Number: 02 9516 1236
https://www.rewarddistribution.com.au/
Cheers, Celia