Chocolate Truffles

Rachchow's Note:

These truffles have a rich dark chocolate ganache, with a dark chocolate coating, then rolled in cocoa. If you don't like cocoa on the outside, there are a few variations to the recipe. These aren't hard to make, but it takes some time to shape and coat them. They also make perfect little gifts.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 65

Yield: 65.0 truffles

Ganache

• 14 ounces very high quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
• 1 cup heavy cream (35%)

Coating

• 8 ounces very high quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
• 1 cup very high quality cocoa powder
• ¼ cup icing sugar

Directions:

1. For ganache, break chocolate into small pieces in a large aluminum bowl.
2. Bring cream slowly to a light boil in a small saucepan over low heat.
3. Pour boiling cream over chocolate and keep stirring until all the chocolate has melted and the batter is homogeneous. It is very important that there are no pieces of chocolate left here and that the batter is very smooth.
4. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until ganache is just thick enough to easily form truffle balls.
5. Form even round balls and place on waxed paper, slightly flattening bottom.
6. For coating, melt the chocolate in a double-boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, heat 2 inches of water in a small saucepan. Break chocolate into small pieces in a small aluminum bowl. Turn off heat and place bowl on top of saucepan with hot water. Let chocolate melt and stir until smooth. Place bowl of melted chocolate on a dry towel.
7. Sift together cocoa powder and icing sugar.
8. Dip each ball in the melted chocolate (slightly cooled, but not hardened); place back on waxed paper to let chocolate harden slightly.
9. When chocolate is hardened enough so that it doesn’t rub off on your finger, roll in cocoa mixture. Store truffles in covered container at room temperature in a slightly cool place away from heat.
10. Here are a few variations. If coating in cocoa powder, sift first with a little icing sugar or it will be too bitter.
11. White Chocolate Truffles: Using high quality white chocolate, follow the same recipe as above.
12. Coconut Truffles: Make a white chocolate ganache, sprinkle in shredded coconut when ganache is still warm, and roll in shredded coconut instead of cocoa powder.
13. Rum Raisin: Make a dark chocolate ganache, soak raisins in rum and drain, add raisins to warm ganache.
14. Orange Grand Marnier: Make a dark chocolate ganache, soak small cubes of orange rind in Grand Marnier and drain, stir in orange cubes when ganache is still warm.
15. Hazelnut: Make a milk chocolate ganache, stir in tiny pieces of hazelnut, and roll in chopped hazelnuts and/or cocoa powder.
16. Pistachio: Make a dark chocolate ganache, crush unsalted pistachio's and stir into warm ganache, roll in crushed pistachios and/or cocoa powder.
17. Coffee Truffles: Roll in coffee powder instead of cocoa.

Reviews

[jenifern]

I made this recipe today as a homemade coworker Christmas gift, and I was impressed. I liked that there were so few ingredients. I could really tell the difference when I used high % cacao chocolate as well. I think I'll try some of the variations next time!

[Mirj]

I made the orange and the coffee version of these truffles. I'd like to post my honest reaction to these babies, but this is a G-rated site... ;-) But, mmmmmmm, they were good. For the coffee version I took a dark chocolate with coffee bean bits in it, crushed that up in the food process and rolled the truffles around in that for the coating. Flavor overload, my favorite kind! As for the orange version, I took was was suggested in the recipe as a guideline. I zested an orange very finely and soaked that in orange liquer, which I then added to the warm ganache. It incorporated beautifully, the chocolate and orange flavors melded into a heavenly flavor.