Chocolate Truffle Recipe and How to Make Truffles

By Debbie Carollo

’Tis the season to be jolly. No, wait. That’s not right. ’Tis the season for flowers, chocolates, and dinner out on the town. Or, if you are like us, the flowers are still out in the garden, in the ground, buried under a foot of snow, and dinner is at home because the restaurants are just too crowded. I’m easy to please around Saint Valentine’s Day, but there really must be chocolates. And what better chocolates than truffles? In this article I’ll share two chocolate truffle recipes and a peanut butter truffle recipe, and I’ll also give you some great tips on how to make truffles.

My daughter and I took a recent weekend to see if we could find the perfect chocolate truffle recipe. We spent Saturday melting and mixing, shaping and dipping, sprinkling and dusting three different types of truffles. And then we spent Sunday frantically giving them away to our friends and family. Note to self: halve the recipes next time! We discovered that each of the three recipes we tried were marvelous in their own unique way. So, without further ado, I’m going to wipe the chocolate off my fingers and type up all three recipes.

A Few Hints On How To Make Truffles

1. I am a big fan of quickly melting chocolate. I have found that if you microwave it on high, for short intervals, and stir well between, it works beautifully. Just make sure you keep an eye on it. And stir it well, because it may at first glance look as though it needs more cooking time, until you begin mixing it, and then you may find those pretty little lumps of chips are actually melted enough to blend smooth. Trust me. You don’t want to burn it.
2. The little candy papers (like cupcake papers, only smaller) dress up your truffles and hide any drips or fork prints you may leave behind. And we discovered that they fit perfectly in the cups of a mini-cupcake pan. Bonus: the cups hold the papers upright when you drop the heavy truffles.
3. In my grandma’s day, she added paraffin wax when melting chocolate for dipping. I suspect that is what makes the chocolate barks so handy. I prefer to add a bit of shortening instead.
4. When dipping the truffles, use a fork. Gently scrape excess chocolate off on the side of the bowl, and then use a toothpick to slide the truffle off of the fork.

Traditional Cream & Chocolate Truffle Recipe

(Makes about 18 small)
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli®)
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup chocolate chips (your choice) for dipping
• 2 tsp. shortening
• Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Cocoa for dusting

Steps

1. Stir together the chocolate chips with the cream in a glass microwave-safe bowl (a 4-cup measuring pitcher works perfectly for this).
2. Heat on high 30 seconds; stir well. Repeat just until melted.
3. Stir in the almond extract. Chill several hours in the refrigerator.
4. Scoop out teaspoonfuls and shape into balls. Chill in the freezer 15-20 minutes.
5. Melt the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips with the shortening. Carefully dip each truffle. Drop on waxed paper, or into candy papers.
6. Dust tops with the sweet ground cocoa.
7. When set, store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Notes: The truffle filling turned out pretty soft and sticky. We were not able to roll it into balls, but I may not have chilled it long enough. I was ready to throw this recipe out because our truffles weren’t quite as pretty, until I tasted them. Oh my goodness, these are my favorite! Thankfully, the candy papers hide the slight misshapenness, and the cocoa powder dresses them up.

Variations: Use a different flavored extract. Orange would be fabulous, or peppermint, or whatever your family enjoys. You can dip these in dark, milk, or white chocolate.

Fudgy & Easy Chocolate Truffle Recipe

(Makes about 3 dozen)
Ingredients

• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
• 4 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups chocolate chips (your choice)
• 1 1/2–2 Tbsp. shortening
• Assorted toppings

Steps

1. Combine the 2 cups of chips with the sweetened condensed milk in a glass microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 30 seconds; stir well.
2. Repeat just until melted.
3. Stir in the vanilla; chill for an hour or so in the refrigerator.
4. Scoop out tablespoonfuls and shape into balls. Dip in melted chocolate. Drop on waxed paper, or into candy papers. Sprinkle with your favorite toppings.
5. When set, store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Notes: These are easy to roll and hold up well when dipping. If you like the standard fudge recipe, you will like these. I prefer the richer truffle filling myself (see first chocolate truffle recipe), but these are the easiest and look really pretty when topped with candies or sprinkles.

Variations: We topped ours with finely chopped peanuts, coarse salt, mini M&Ms®, and toffee bits. Our favorites were the toffee bits and M&Ms. I accidentally “hid” the last of the Christmas candy canes from myself, otherwise we would have topped some with crushed candy canes. (Don’t worry, my daughter found them right after we were done.) I think colored sugar sprinkles would be pretty, and of course, you can’t go wrong with the sweet ground cocoa.

Peanut Butter Truffles Recipe

And finally, drumroll please, a slightly different take on your average chocolate truffle recipe. Peanut butter truffles, oo-la-la!

(Makes about 3 dozen)
Ingredients

• 1 pkg. peanut butter chips
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup finely chopped peanuts
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup sweet ground cocoa (I used Ghirardelli)

Steps

1. Combine peanut butter chips with the whipping cream in a glass, microwave-safe bowl.
2. Heat on high for 30 seconds; stir well.
3. Repeat just until melted.
4. Add in the chopped peanuts and vanilla.
5. Pour into a greased 8 or 9 inch baking dish.
6. Chill for at least two hours in the refrigerator.
7. Mix together the powdered sugar and the sweet ground cocoa in a small bowl.
8. Scoop out teaspoonfuls of the truffle filling and roll into balls. Then roll each ball in the sugar-cocoa mixture, until well coated.
9. Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Note: These are really yummy, if you are a peanut butter and chocolate fiend like myself. They were relatively easy to make, with no dipping in melted chocolate. However, they soak the sugar-cocoa mixture in quickly. You will want to re-roll them before serving.
We packaged our excess truffles in little half-pint jars from the Ball® Collection Elite Design Series. They are such cute little jars, absolutely ideal for gifting, and each jar holds four truffles perfectly. Add a little fabric and/or ribbon, and you have lovely—and delicious—gifts for your favorite Valentines. Enjoy!

Debbie savors life with her hubby and youngest daughter on their transplanted-to-the-suburbs Sonflower Ranch. Writing, gardening, quilting, petting cats, and partaking in “kitchen therapy” are her favorite to-do’s, but spending time with family trumps them all. For more ranch life antics, visit her personal blog at sonflowerranch.wordpress.com.