Easy Homemade Chocolate Truffles
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.
These Chocolate Truffles are a simple affair. We’ll make a creamily smooth dark chocolate ganache and handroll it to create rich melt-in-the-mouth truffles. You can flavour the ganache itself or roll the truffles in a variety of coatings. They look so charming and taste unbelievably decadent.
Homemade truffles can look and taste as good as any bought box of chocolates. They are less expensive, beautifully irresistible and no trouble to make. I’ll show you how to perfect a classically smooth dark chocolate ganache recipe using good quality dark chocolate and cream. But the devil is in the details and for such a simple recipe we can do so much with it.
You can flavour the ganache in so many different ways or roll them in different coatings to create your own selection box. I also give advice for using milk and white chocolate ganache; it’s a slightly different ratio of ingredients but the method remains identical.
However, it’s this simple basic dark chocolate recipe that’s the easiest to achieve and the one I make most often. When you use really good chocolate then I can honestly think of no better food gift. And you certainly don’t need to feel any sort of shame if the recipient of the gift is indeed yourself. We all need to treat ourselves to some excellent chocolate once in a while.
Why You’ll Love These Chocolate Truffles
- Creamy, smooth, melt-in-the-mouth, richly chocolatey.
- Charmingly pretty, particularly with the choice of coatings.
- So quick and simple to pull together even novices will achieve gorgeous truffles first time round.
- You can make them in stages so the ganache is made ahead of time.
- Guidance for milk and white chocolate truffles given.
- Lovely after dinner and pair so well with coffee.
- The perfect foodie gift for Christmas, Valentine’s Day or as wedding favours. You can choose your favourite flavour or coating or customise to your recipients.
Watch the Video
Sometimes it helps to see a visual of what I'm talking about. So watch the video to see what it looks like to make your chocolate truffle recipe.
Ingredients Needed
Chocolate. We’re using 70% dark chocolate here. A bar of your favourite good quality supermarket chocolate works just fine but I like to use Callebaut dark chocolate chips due to the superior flavour. You could use a 50-60% dark chocolate but the lower percentage of cocoa solids will make a softer ganache so you have to use less cream or more chocolate to make sure they are firm enough for rolling once the ganache sets.
Double Cream. Ideally you need the fat content of your cream to be at least 30% fat content for a stable ganache. The higher the fat the better. This means double cream is perfect to use at 48%-50% for this recipe.
Golden syrup. This isn’t just used for sweetness but provides a lovely shine and stability to the ganache.
Vanilla extract. We add it here to the basic truffle recipe for flavour. If you are wanting to make rum truffles or another kind of flavour then you can omit it.
Salt. I need salt with my chocolate, it’s just a fact. I use kosher salt here (and for all my baking) as it has a soft gentle flavour.
Potential coatings. I’ve pictured rolling the truffles in cocoa powder, desiccated coconut, crushed caramelised nuts (you can just use roasted nuts), cocoa nibs and freeze-dried strawberries (these were a particular favourite as they added so much fruity flavour).
How To Make Chocolate Truffles
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Pour the cream, the golden syrup and the salt into a medium sized saucepan. Heat very slowly and gently, stirring so the syrup and salt melt until the cream is just about simmering.
Remove from the heat then immediately pour the cream over very small pieces of chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is completely submerged into the cream by poking down if necessary. Rest for 3-5 minutes.
Stir from the centre or the bowl to the outer until the chocolate ganache has emulsified and is smooth and glossy. Finally add and stir in the vanilla extract.
Pour into lined baking tray to cool down for 1-2 hours before rolling into truffles. You can also chill at this point for less sticky rolling.
Once your ganache has completely set take a teaspoon and scrape it down the tray of ganache until your teaspoon is full. Weigh it as you need about 15g per truffle.
Roll the ganache in cool hands into a smooth ball which will be slightly tacky at the edges. Place on another lined baking tray whilst you prepare the rest of the truffles.
Arrange your coating/s on a saucer and roll each truffle in the coating until it is covered. Replace onto the baking tray and repeat until all your truffles are coated.
Tips & Troubleshooting
In these photos I use the Callebaut chocolate chips as is and it melts just fine. However, I do recommend chopping your chocolate up as finely as you can (either grating or in the food processor) before pouring over the cream. This will help with slow even melting. Ideally you need your chocolate to be melted before you start stirring the cream in.
Stir the chocolate into the cream starting at the centre and moving slowly outwards.
If the chocolate ganache starts to look grainy then stop as this means the ganache has cooled too much and the cocoa butter is starting to recrystallise. A small amount of graininess will not affect the finished ganache, it will still be smooth and creamy within the truffle once it has set. If you want to troubleshoot you can heat the ganache up ever so slightly by adding 1-2 teaspoons of warm cream into the centre of the ganache and stir in which should help.
For tips on making the ganache, particularly if it splits or if your chocolate is not melting into the cream then my complete guide to ganache explains why this is happens and solutions to all of it. I’ve got a definitive step-by-step process to save a split ganache which I encourage you to look at if this happens.
By pouring the ganache into a lined baking tray it will cool quicker and it’s also easier to scrape out the ganache once to make your truffles.
The ganache will have cooled enough after 1-2 hours to make your truffles. The mixture will be a little sticky as you roll it, this is good as it means the coatings will stick to it. Hopefully not too sticky so that there’s more chocolate on your hands than is creating the truffle.
If the ganache is too sticky to roll then chill it for an hour in the fridge.
If your coatings are not sticking to the ganache then it might be too dry, leave the rolled truffles out at room temperature for 30 minutes then give them a quick re-roll with your hands to make them a little more sticky.
Ideally to roll the truffles you need cool hands and a cool environment. I’m at an advantage here as my children will testify I have the coldest hands on the planet and we are in the UK so in the cooler months my kitchen is a great environment.
Making chocolate truffles in the hot summer would not be my first choice. However, we can manage this situation if you are. Keep your ganache in the fridge, sit the ganache tray on ice blocks when it is out of the fridge. Keep a bowl of ice water nearby to cool your hands between every truffle, making sure to dry thoroughly. As soon as the truffle has been rolled and coated then stick straight back in the fridge.
The easiest choice is to roll these truffles in your favourite coating, this protects the ganache and can add flavouring. However, you can also pipe the ganache when it’s a little softer into tempered chocolate cases or just dip the truffles in tempered chocolate which is very special indeed, especially if you’ve flavoured the ganache!
Milk or White Chocolate Truffles
If you want to make this chocolate truffle recipe using milk or white chocolate it’s not a straight swap as you need less cream for using chocolate with less cocoa solids. Otherwise the truffles will be too soft for rolling.
I have a complete guide on how to adjust the ratios for using milk and white chocolate in my ganache guide. You can use the same quantities in the recipe card in that article (you won’t need golden syrup or vanilla) and use the method outlined below.
Making Ahead
You can make the ganache a day ahead of when you want to roll your truffles. Store the baking tray of ganache in the fridge covered to protect it – either plastic wrap, aluminium foil. I like to place a large chopping board on top of the tray too for ultra protection.
Storing
Keep your truffles chilled in the fridge in an airtight container once they are made. They will keep for up to 5 days. You can eat them directly from the fridge but they are better when they are brought up to room temperature for 1 hour so they are more creamy.
Freezing
You can freeze the truffles up to 2 months in an airtight container, with baking parchment between the layers. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring up to room temperature before enjoying.
FAQs
Use the best quality dark chocolate you can. The flavour of your chocolate will reflect in the truffles. I love using 70% Callebaut dark chocolate chips for special occasions. However, you can use your favourite bar of supermarket chocolate as long as it is at least 70% cocoa solids. I have experimented with Sainsburys and Waitrose own brand and found those truffles to be excellent as well.
Make sure to choose a good quality dairy-free dark chocolate. You can choose either a plant-based double cream or coconut cream (not coconut milk) to mix it with but the ganache might be a little trickier to work with and can produce a softer result. If you would prefer a firmer ganache you may need to experiment with a higher ratio of chocolate to plant-based cream.
Ganache splits when the emulsion breaks and the mixture will look very oily. Ganache is a fat-in-water emulsion so a sudden temperature change or an unbalanced ratio of fat to liquid can cause the emulsion to break. Try raising the temperature of the ganache by adding a teaspoon at a time of warm cream or water to the ganache or try short bursts of 10 seconds in the microwave followed by gentle stirring to bring it back together.
A grainy ganache is the sign of an unstable emulsion. It’s either the beginning of a split ganache (it will soon turn oily if you keep stirring) or it’s just that the cocoa butter has recrystallised (cooled down) before all the fat had been evenly dispersed in the ganache. It can happen if you stir too much at an unstable temperature. Stop stirring as soon as it’s smooth and creamy.
This ganache is equal parts chocolate to cream so they will produce softer ganache than if you are using a higher proportion of chocolate. To firm up this batch you can chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours which will make them easier to roll. If you prefer a firmer ganache then next time you can use a higher ratio of chocolate to cream in your ganache.
Yes you can. Allow your ganache to set to a pipable consistency, it will take maybe 15 minutes, then fill a piping bag and fill your chocolate shells.
Flavouring Chocolate Truffles
Any extra liquid added to this recipe will result in a softer ganache so I don't advice using any additional wet ingredients save a little bit of extract. Always stick to the order of adding in the ingredients to stabilise the emulsion.
Infuse the cream. You can infuse the cream with flavour before you even get started. Make sure the flavour you add is not water-based as this will mess with the emulsion of your ganache. Try adding a cinnamon stick or other spices, black pepper or orange zest.
Spices. You can add ground spice to the end of your ganache recipe. Just ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, mixed spice or a ¼ teaspoon ginger or nutmeg is delicious.
Extracts. Add ¼ teaspoon of peppermint extract, orange extract of almond extract to the ganache at the end.
Shortbread crumbs. You can stir your favourite biscuity crumbs into the ganache for deliciously crunchy texture.
Coatings. The coatings will go a long way to giving your truffles flavour. Try cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, roasted crushed nuts, desiccated coconut or freeze-dried berries.
More Chocolate Recipes You’ll Love
Learn how to temper chocolate at home using precise temperatures for dark, milk and white chocolate so you can make your own chocolate truffles, chocolate bark and hand filled chocolates. From seeding to microwave methods, expert tips and temperature charts for glossy snappy chocolate.
Fleur de Sel Olive Oil Chocolate Truffles are the ultimate chocolate truffle. Rich, peppery from the olive oil, flavoured with the most delicate salt and with a crisp chocolate shell coating.
An incredibly easy and heavenly Hot Chocolate Sauce which requires only 5 simple ingredients. Take your ice cream game to another level with this absolute crowd pleaser.
Enter your email below to get this recipe sent to your inbox plus get new recipes, baking tips, and updates.
Easy Homemade Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
- 180 g double cream
- 1 tablespoon golden syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 180 g dark chocolate
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons truffle coatings
Instructions
- Grate or process your chocolate very finely in a food processor so it’s as small as possible and place in a heatproof bowl.
- Pour the cream, the golden syrup and the salt into a medium sized saucepan. Heat very slowly and gently, stirring so the syrup and salt melt.
- The cream should just come to a gentle simmering boil so you are starting to see bubbles on the surface but don’t allow to boil properly.
- Remove from the heat then immediately pour the cream over the chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is completely submerged into the cream by poking down if necessary. Rest for 3-5 minutes.
- Stir from the centre or the bowl to the outer until the chocolate ganache has emulsified and is smooth and glossy.
- Finally add and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour into lined baking tray to cool down for 1-2 hours before rolling into truffles. You can also chill at this point for less sticky rolling.
- Once your ganache has completely set take a teaspoon and scrape it down the tray of ganache until your teaspoon is full. Weigh it as you need about 15g per truffle.
- Roll the ganache in cool hands into a smooth ball which will be slightly tacky at the edges. Place on another lined baking tray whilst you prepare the rest of the truffles.
- Arrange your coating/s on a saucer and roll each truffle in the coating until it is covered. Replace onto the baking tray and repeat until all your truffles are coated.
- Store the truffles in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring up to room temperature before enjoying.
