You may think of rich, tempting chocolate truffles as a gourmet indulgence, but they’re surprisingly easy to make at home. This chocolate truffles recipe explains how to make truffles, with plenty of photos and helpful hints along the way.
New to candy-making? Take a look at these common truffle mistakes before getting started.
Ingredients for Chocolate Truffles
- Semisweet chocolate chips
- Butter
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- White baking chips
- Shortening
- Milk chocolate chips
Directions
Step 1: Mix ingredients
Add semisweet chocolate chips, butter and cream into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the ingredients in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. This should only take up to two minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract, and let the mixture cool. Refrigerate until the mixture is almost solid, but still workable, about one hour.
Step 2: Shape the chocolate truffles
Using a spoon or cookie scoop, shape each 1/2-inch scoop of chocolate into a ball. Roll the ball between your palms until smooth.
Step 3: Dip in white chocolate
In a microwave, melt white chocolate baking chips and 1 tablespoon of shortening. Stir until smooth. Dip half of the balls in the white chocolate mixture, allowing the excess to drip off. Place the truffles on waxed paper and let stand until set.
Step 4: Dip in milk chocolate
Microwave milk chocolate chips with the remaining tablespoon of shortening; stir until smooth. Dip the remaining balls in the milk chocolate mixture, and allow the excess to drip off. Place the truffles on waxed paper and let stand until set.
Step 5: Decorate
If desired, drizzle the truffles with melted chocolate of the opposite color or roll in any toppings you prefer.
Chocolate Truffle Recipe Variations
Add your favorite liqueur instead of vanilla extract for some adult truffles. You can also swap the vanilla extract for a different type of extract, such as peppermint or orange, if you want to change the flavor profile.
Love getting creative? Here are more truffle recipes to give you some decorating and flavor ideas.
How to Store Chocolate Truffles
Store chocolate truffles in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks. You can also freeze chocolate truffles in a zip-top bag tucked in an airtight container for up to three months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before digging in.
How to Make Chocolate Truffles Ahead
You can hold the chocolate filling mixture in the fridge for one to two days before rolling and shaping the truffles. Be sure the bowl is tightly wrapped. It will be very firm at this point, so let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour until it’s scoopable.
Chocolate Truffles Recipe Tips
How can I make the coatings stick to my chocolate truffles?
Place your toppings (like sprinkles, cocoa powder, chopped nuts, etc.) in bowls instead of plates. It’ll be easier and less messy to roll the truffles through them. If your toppings aren’t sticking, try rolling the truffle gently between your palms to warm and soften the surface.
Semisweet and dark chocolates make firmer truffles, which work well with fine coatings like cocoa or espresso powders. Truffles made with milk or white chocolate will be softer. Textured coatings like sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, decorating sugar or chopped nuts stick more easily to a softer truffle.
Why isn’t the chocolate melting evenly?
It could be the quality of your chocolate that is leading to poorly melted chocolate. Try using high-quality baking chips for truffles. The fewer stabilizers and emulsifiers in your chocolate, the easier it will be to melt down into a smooth consistency. Trust us, it’ll be worth the splurge!
What do I do if the chocolate won’t thicken?
This might mean you added too much cream in your cream-to-chocolate ratio. Try adding more chocolate to thicken the mixture. Another reason might be that the chocolate didn’t have enough time to set. If it’s still pretty smooth when you remove it from the fridge, try putting it back in for another 30 minutes to an hour.
The chocolate is separating. What do I do?
Sometimes, even if you’ve done everything right, your chocolate truffle mixture can still start to separate or get grainy. To fix this, you can try adding more chocolate chips while your mixture is still warm. You can also pop the bowl in the microwave and try melting the chocolate just a bit so that you can whisk the warmed mixture back into shape.
What do I do if the truffle mixture is too sticky?
If your chocolate truffles are sticky when you’re rolling them into balls, it’s probably because they aren’t fully set yet. Place them back in the fridge until the chocolate is very firm, but still soft enough to form into shape.
