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The Best Recipes for and With Homemade Chocolate Truffles

The Best Recipes for and With Homemade Chocolate Truffles

Published by Santa Barbara Chocolate on 3rd Sep 2022

Many people consider chocolate truffles to be their favorite treat, and it is no wonder - they are truly delicious! If you want to make your family happy on a special occasion (or on any day of the week), spoil your significant other on Valentine's Day, or astonish your guests when they visit you, preparing your own homemade truffles will certainly be a show stopper!

What’s more, it is a magnificent idea to add these products to the menu at your cafe, restaurant, bakery, or confectionery business and attract more customers. They’re easy to make and it doesn’t take long to train people to make them.

We have gathered some useful recipes that will help you to prepare excellent confectionery in many different ways. Also, when you get the hang of making truffles, you can try a more advanced recipe that uses them to prepare even more creative and surprising treats.

However, keep in mind that if you want to achieve a really spectacular result, you should use high-quality chocolate. At Santa Barbara Chocolate, we provide you  bulk chocolate from trusted and renowned sources that will make your truffles truly irresistible.

But first, let us explain to you what chocolate truffles are in the first place!

What Are Chocolate Truffles?

The name "truffle" comes from a Latin word that refers to a lump. Those sweets have been called like this after mushrooms with the same name because, at first glance, they look really similar to them. Traditionally, they have been made with a chocolate ganache center covered with chocolate, coconut,  cocoa powder, or pieces of toasted nuts (usually almonds or hazelnuts). Chocolate truffles most commonly come in spherical, curved, or conical shapes.

Homemade Chocolate Truffles - Recipes

To know what is the best chocolate truffle recipe for you, it is necessary to establish what flavor you are planning to achieve. Some can be very sweet, some semi-sweet, and others can be quite bitter due to intense dark chocolate content.

We hope that our list of recipes will allow you to find your favorite taste! Also, with such a variety, it will not be hard to keep your confectionery varied, which can be crucial to reach clients with diversified preferences.

Dark Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Prep time: 3 hours, 35 minutes (with cooling times)

Yield: 15 to 20 dark chocolate truffles, depending on how big you make them

List of Ingredients

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup cocoa powder for dusting

8 ounces high-quality (around 70 percent) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or in the convenient form of  dark chocolate chips)

Recipe Directions

The first step in this dark chocolate truffle recipe is to take a saucepan, put the heavy cream in, and bring it to a simmer over low heat. Place the chocolate pieces in a bowl and pour the prepared cream over them. Then, let them be for around 10 min to get the melted chocolate.

When it has the right consistency, just put a teaspoon of the vanilla extract and stir the whole mixture up to the point it becomes smooth.

Set it aside and let it cool for around 1 hour at room temperature. After that time, beat the chocolate at medium speed up to a point you notice it is becoming light-colored and thick.

Prepare a baking dish and spread the mixture over its bottom, smoothing it at the top. Put it into a fridge for around 2h until it gets firm.

Then, the cocoa powder should be poured into a shallow bowl or a deep plate. To scoop out balls of chocolate, use a small ice cream scoop or a melon baller.

Put the balls on the plate/bowl and roll truffles in cocoa powder. To transfer prepared candies to a waxed lined baking sheet or a parchment safely, use forks very carefully.

Chocolate Frangelico Truffles Recipe

Prep time: 1 hour

Yield: 24 chocolate Frangelico truffles

List of Ingredients

For ganache:

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped or in the form of chocolate chips

1 tablespoon Frangelico

For tempered chocolate:

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped, divided, or in chips (5+ ounces will be melted, and a bit less than 3 ounces is necessary for seeding)

Recipe Directions

To prepare the ganache, put the pieces of chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Then, use your microwave to heat the heavy cream up to a point it is almost boiling hot. Add Frangelico and stir until it is fully mixed.

Then, add the hot cream to the chocolate and set it aside for a few minutes. Stir until you see it becomes smooth.

Leave it at room temperature and let it cool a bit, and then put it in the fridge for 2 hours.

After that time, scoop little balls of the mixture and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Let it cool until the tempered chocolate is ready (it can be even overnight).

So as to temper chocolate, put around 2/3 of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl (it should be a bit over 5 ounces). The 1/3 of the chocolate pieces (a bit less than 3 ounces) that have left should be set aside.

Prepare a saucepan with simmering water and place the bowl over it, making sure that it does not touch the water.

Take a rubber spatula and slowly stir the chocolate to help it melt evenly.

Once the chocolate is fully melted, use your thermometer to check the temperature - as soon as it hits 113°F (45°C), put it away from the heat.

Take a small amount of the remaining 1/3 un-melted chocolate (the seeds), add it, and stir to melt.

Keep on adding small amounts of chocolate pieces until you reach the chocolate temperature of 80.6°F (27°C). In the case of  dark chocolate, it would be between 80°F and 82°F.

Place it back on the double boiler and raise the temperature once again until it reaches 89.6°F, which is the working temperature of the chocolate.

At this moment, you should already have tempered chocolate and be able to use it!

Now, all you have to do is dip your almost-finished truffles into the tempered chocolate and put them on a parchment-lined sheet up to the point when the coating becomes hardened.

Vegan and Gluten-Free White Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Prep time: 1 hour 20 min

Yield: 10 white chocolate truffles

List of Ingredients

For homemade truffles:

1/4 cup finely chopped cocoa butter (or more convenient  cocoa butter chips) for melting

1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts

2-4 tbsp organic powdered sugar (can be substituted with stevia)

1 1/2 cups desiccated (finely shredded) unsweetened coconut

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 pinch sea salt (as an option)

For rolling:

3/4 cup desiccated (finely shredded) unsweetened coconut

Recipe Directions

The first step to prepare those vegan and gluten-free white chocolate truffles is to take your food processor and put the desiccated coconut and macadamia nuts there. Mix them until you receive a creamy paste, and remember to scrape down the sides whenever necessary.

Melt the cocoa butter, and add it along with vanilla, powdered sugar, and optionally sea salt. Stir everything to get a well-combined mixture. Try it and adapt the flavor to your preferences if necessary (by adding more salt, more sugar, or more vanilla).

Place the mixture in a shallow plate or bowl and put it in the fridge for about an hour. Before taking it out, check if it is firm to the touch (particularly in the middle). While waiting, you can already prepare the 3/4 cup desiccated coconut in a small dish to roll your almost-finished truffles and set it aside.

When the mixture from the fridge is ready, take a small cookie scoop or a simple tablespoon and scoop out rounded pieces. You can either leave the white chocolate truffles in the form of a "disc" or subtly roll them into balls. Keep in mind that if the truffles are rolled for too long, they may end up partially melted, so do not be too determined to get the perfect shape.

When you form your white chocolate truffles, put them in the dish with the desiccated coconut and roll to get a nice coating. Finished truffles can be already put on a serving plate. Continue doing it until you finish making truffles - there should be around 10 candies.

To make them fully firm and set, put them back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes. Leftovers can be kept at room temperature for up to 3-4 days, for 1 week in the fridge, or for 1 month in a freezer.

The white chocolate truffles from this recipe are the most delicious at room temperature. Enjoy!

Milk Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Prep time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Yield: 20-24 milk chocolate truffles

List of Ingredients

two 4-ounce high-quality chocolate bars (226g), very finely chopped or in the form of milk chocolate chips

2/3 cup (160ml) heavy cream

optional: 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

optional: 1 tablespoon butter (unsalted), softened to room temperature

toppings: unsweetened cocoa powder, crushed nuts, sprinkles, melted or tempered chocolate, or any other of your choice

Recipe Directions

To make delicious homemade chocolate truffles with a sweet milk flavor from this recipe, first, take a heat-proof bowl. Put your high-quality chocolate inside and set it aside. Then, heat the heavy cream in a microwave or on the stove up to the point when it is simmering.

If you have decided to use the unsalted butter, add it to the milk chocolate now and distribute the heavy cream evenly on top. Leave the warm cream and chocolate for 5 minutes to cool down. Put the vanilla extract and stir until you see that the chocolate has fully melted.

Take a piece of plastic wrap and put it directly on the surface (to prevent condensation), and place the mixture in the fridge for 1-2 hours. It would be best to use a flat, shallow dish to allow the mixture for your homemade chocolate truffles to set evenly.

When it is ready, scoop it into 2 teaspoon-sized balls - if you have a cookie scoop, it would be perfect for getting the right size of your milk chocolate truffles from this recipe. However, if you want to have bigger truffles, you can prepare 1 tablespoon-sized mounds.

When you already achieve the preferred shape, roll your milk chocolate truffles in chosen toppings if you want (like cocoa powder, sprinkles, melted chocolate, or others). They are the most delicious at room temperature!

If you want to store your milk chocolate truffles after making them with this recipe, cover them tightly and keep them at room temperature for no longer than just 3-4 days or up to 2 weeks in a fridge.

Spicy Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Prep time: 1 hour (+ storage time)

Yield: 20 spicy chocolate truffles

List of Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate

2 tablespoons rum

1 tablespoon butter

11/16 cup heavy cream

fleur de sel

bittersweet cocoa powder

ground nutmeg

ground black pepper

ground ginger

Recipe Directions

Homemade chocolate truffles with a spicy flavor will certainly be a great, delicious surprise for your customers or your loved ones! Their taste is much different from the sweet chocolate truffles described in most recipes.

First, heat the heavy cream so that it is close to boiling. Then, break chocolates into tiny pieces (or use  chocolate chips for more convenience).

Distribute the heavy cream over the chocolate and set it aside for a few minutes. In this way, the chocolate will start melting - when that happens, stir the mixture to let the chocolate melt completely.

Add the rum, butter, and a pinch of salt, then stir again to combine everything.

Put the mixture in the fridge for around 3 hours.

The ganache should be solid now - take it out from the fridge, prepare small spoonfuls of it and roll your homemade chocolate truffles in your hands.

Put the truffles on a baking sheet lined with wax paper, and put it again in the fridge for 3 hours. If you want to make it quicker, you can also put them into a freezer for at least half an hour.

To achieve a nice coating, roll the truffles in a mixture of cocoa powder with a pinch each of black pepper, ginger, and nutmeg.

The coated truffles should be placed in an airtight container or in small muffin liners.

Refrigerate your spicy chocolate up to a point you plan to serve them.

Masala Chai Tea Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Prep time: 1 hour (+ storage time)

List of Ingredients

1/2 pound chocolate (milk or other - pick your favorite flavor)

1 3/16 inches whole-piece cinnamon

1 slice of thickly cut fresh ginger

1 3/8 tablespoons salted butter

3 cloves

3 cardamon (green, pods lightly crushed)

1 vanilla pod

4 black peppercorns

1 3/16 inches pieces of lemongrass

1 bay leaf

6 3/4 tablespoons double cream

5/8 tablespoon tea leaves (preferably Assam)

Recipe Directions

Put the cinnamon, lemongrass, vanilla, ginger, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, Assam tea, and cardamon into a pan together with butter and cream.

Let it infuse on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Strain the cream, remove the aromatics, and put the cream on the pan again with the chocolate beads, and heat it gently.

Stir to help the chocolate melt fully, and while the mixture is still warm, put it into silicone molds and refrigerate it until it becomes set.

Alternatively

Put the chocolate into a bowl and refrigerate it for a few hours until it is almost set.

So as to form a chocolate truffle, take a small amount of the ganache and shape it into a small ball in your hands.

Keep on doing it until all the mixture is used. As with all the recipes, you can adjust it to your preferences and roll your masala chai tea chocolate truffles in icing sugar, for example.

Recipes With Homemade Chocolate Truffles

Now that we have introduced a few recipes for chocolate truffles themselves, why not take a step further and see how you can use them for preparing other desserts? Check out the recipes with homemade chocolate truffles below!

Cookies with Chocolate Truffles - Recipe

Prep time: 2 hours

Yield: 36 cookies with chocolate truffles

List of Ingredients

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped

6 tablespoons butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)

¼ teaspoon baking powder

3 eggs

1 cup white sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

Recipe Directions

As in many other recipes, the first step here is to melt the chocolate - both the unsweetened one in pieces and the semisweet one in chips (but use just 1 cup of them). Use a microwave for it, or put it in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir until you notice it has a smooth consistency.

Take it away from the heat and let it cool down. Whip eggs and sugar in a large bowl up to the point when they are pale and thick (around 2 minutes). Add the chocolate and vanilla mixture and stir until they are well combined. Mix the cocoa, baking powder, salt, and flour, and gently stir them into the chocolate mixture. Fold in the other cup of chocolate chips, cover the dough and cool it for at least an hour (but you can even leave it overnight).

Set your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll the chilled dough and prepare balls 1 inch each. Put them on ungreased cookie sheets at a distance of around 2 inches from one another.

Bake the cookies for around 10 minutes, and when they are ready, take them out and allow them to cool on a baking sheet for a few minutes. Then, remove your cookies with chocolate truffles to cool completely.

Makeover Chocolate Truffle Dessert

Prep time: 30 min. + cooling Bake: 25 min. + chilling

Yield: 16 servings

List of Ingredients

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 box fudge brownie mix (8-inch square pan size)

6 tablespoons cubed butter

3 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 cups divided heavy whipping cream

14 to 16 Pirouette cookies, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

Recipe Directions

Like in other recipes that include a fudge brownie mix, you need to prepare it in accordance with the directions on the package. When it is ready, spread it into a greased 9-inch springform pan.

Then, put it on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes - you can make sure if it is ready by inserting a toothpick in the center and checking if it is clean. Let it cool on a wire rack.

Process the chocolate chips in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Put them in a small bowl suited to use in a microwave, and mix 1 cup of cream, coffee granules, and butter. Heat it uncovered on high for around a minute or until you see that butter has completely melted.

Stir the mixture until it gets smooth, and with your food processor running, add it to chocolate chips in a gentle, steady stream.

Then, add the vanilla extract as well and keep on processing until the mixture becomes well combined.

Take a pastry or plastic bag, and make a small hole in its corner. Fill it with 1/4 cup chocolate mixture, and set it aside, as it will be your garnish. Move the remaining mixture to a large bowl.

Take away the sides of a springform pan. Take half of your chocolate mixture and spread it over the brownie layer evenly over the top and sides. Beat the remaining cream in a small bowl until soft peaks appear. Spread over the chocolate layer and softly press the cookies into the sides of your dessert.

Then, the remaining chocolate mixture needs to be piped on top. Cover the dessert and put it into the fridge for at least hours (or even overnight). Take it away from the fridge and wait for around 5 minutes before you cut it.

What Are the Types of Chocolate Truffles?

Now that you know some fantastic recipes for delicious chocolate truffles, you can learn how those candies are classified. The main types of them are:

  • The Swiss chocolate truffle. To prepare this type of truffle, you need melted chocolate (which is most conveniently obtained from chocolate chips) combined with butter and dairy cream. The whole mixture needs to be poured into molds before you cover your truffles in cocoa powder. It is important to keep in mind that the Swiss truffles' shelf life is really short, and they need to be eaten within just a few days after preparing them.
  • The Spanish chocolate truffle. For this kind of truffle, you need dark chocolate, rum (or any other liqueur of your preference), and chocolate sprinkles.
  • The French chocolate truffle. When making this type of truffle, you need fresh cream and chocolate, and at the end, you have to roll truffles in cocoa powder (or nut powder). Remember that, in this case, similar to the Swiss truffles. They need to be consumed within a few days.
  • The standard European chocolate truffle. To create this one, you need syrup and a base of milk powder, fats, cocoa powder, and other ingredients of this kind to get an oil-in-water emulsion.
  • The American chocolate truffle. This is a chocolate-coated, half-oval-shaped truffle made from a mixture of milk or dark chocolate with butterfat. In some cases, hardened coconut oil is also added.

Other types of chocolate truffles:

  • The Californian chocolate truffle. It is similar to the French truffle but bigger and lumpier.
  • The Belgian chocolate truffle (or praline). This kind of truffle is prepared with milk or dark chocolate and a filling of buttercream, ganache, or nut pastes.

The Bottom Line

There are a lot of recipes for chocolate truffles and desserts containing them - the ones we have chosen are just a drop in the ocean. Pick any of them that you like the most and improve your offer to attract more customers - if you use high-quality chocolate and take care of every single detail, they will surely love your confectionery and come back again for more.

Our recipes are also excellent to use at home, on Valentine's Day, Christmas, Hanukkah, someone's birthday, or with no special occasion. You can try many different recipes and enjoy the amazing taste of truffles in various versions - we are sure you will love them!