Originally, the word 'truffle' was used only to describe its literal namesake; a rare fungi, or mushroom, found under the earth's surface with the assistance of pigs. Pigs enjoy these mushrooms so much they were used similarly to scent hounds to track down the tasty fungus. The chocolate truffle we all know and love, contrary to some people's belief, actually do not contain truffles of any kind. Chocolate Truffles got their name from the resemblance they bare to the dirty little mushroom after its been unearthed. Traditionally, Chocolate Truffles would be covered in cocoa powder to resemble the dirt, hence the name.
Today we find Chocolate truffles in an incredible variety of different styles, flavours and coatings. More commonly, we tend to actually find the hard chocolate covered truffle in the stores rather than their traditional dusty counterparts. Thanks to the immeasurable array of ingredients available to us to assist us with our creative spark, the possibilities are endless.
The basic components of a chocolate truffle are simply a ganache centre which consists of chocolate and cream, and a coating of your choice. You can hold true to tradition with a light dusting of cocoa powder on these gooey balls of heaven, or you can coat them in pure melted chocolate. You can also coat them in chopped nuts, shredded coconut, chocolate sprinkles or any other thing your creative mind could conjure.
It may surprise some of you, but it actually isn't difficult to make these tasty treats on your very own in your kitchen with nothing more than a small pot, a steel bowl, a little water, some heat and of course our agreeable ingredients; Chocolate and Cream.
This recipe is easy to follow, and though your first attempt may appear a little odd, remember: practice makes perfect, and appearances can most definitely be deceiving. No matter what the end result may look like, these are a guaranteed delight.
You do need to plan this recipe, unfortunately it is very unlike a cake or cookies which can be made from start to finish in an hour or less. Start this recipe at least a day in advance if you wish to serve them for an occasion.
For the Chocolate I prefer the dark stuff, it has more chocolate flavor and fewer of the downsides compared to its milky counterpart. If you are going to choose dark chocolate you will need to sweeten it. Milk chocolate, however, is loaded with sugar already and requires no additional sweetening. Of course you can choose whichever chocolate you like, even white chocolate. You can also pick two, if you like you can make the ganache centre with one type of chocolate and use another type of chocolate for the coating, if you wish to give them a hard chocolate shell. Whichever chocolate you choose, remember to measure after it is chopped. For added convenience you can use chocolate chips instead.
For the Cream If you choose to use half and half instead of the traditional whole fat whipping cream, you will thank yourself to refrigerate these treats after they are completed. Half and half is half whole milk and half whole fat cream, due to the water content in the whole milk half of the half and half, this creates the possibility that mold will grow. If you choose whole fat whipping cream, these treats will survive outside of the refrigerator. So please, choose whichever you prefer, but store your treats with your choice in mind.
For the Coating of course you can go for the previously mentioned hard chocolate shell, or you can make it simple and roll these little balls in a little cocoa powder, chopped nuts, coconut, sprinkles or anything else you can imagine.
Tantalizing Chocolate Truffle Recipe
Ganache:
6oz (3/4 cup) whipping cream or half and half
16oz (2 cups) choice chocolate chopped or chips
(If you are using dark chocolate, sweeten with 2 tbsp of sugar, more or less to taste. If you are using milk chocolate or white chocolate do not sweeten.)
Tip: Feeling daring? Try adding about 1oz of your favourite alcohol or flavoured liqueur to the hot cream wile mixing. Kahlua would work nicely. For a festive flare, try peppermint schnapps.
Not a fan of the hard stuff? You may use rum extract, or any other type of extract or essence you think might pair well with chocolate.
To make the Ganache
- Place chocolate in a large bowl (preferably steel) and set aside.
- Heat cream in a small pot on medium heat until it just comes to a simmer and you can see steam, be very careful not to boil the cream. (If you are adding a flavouring with alcohol or extract, add it to the cream in this step)
- Once cream is heated slowly pour all of the cream over the chocolate you've set aside while stirring the chocolate slowly. Continue to stir until mixture is combined and smooth.
- Place bowl of ganache in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight to cool.
Making The Truffle balls
Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper lining the whole tray.
Tip: You can use a tiny dab of the ganache under each corner to keep the paper in place.
Once the ganache has cooled and is firm, you can remove from the refrigerator and begin making balls. If you have warm and clammy hands naturally, you might want to have a bowl of ice water on hand to get your hands nice and cold, just remember to dry them off before touching the chocolate. For those of you with poor circulation and cold fingers, you were made for this recipe.
- Scoop the ganache with a teaspoon or your fingers and roll between your fingers in a circular motion to form a ball. You may make these whatever size you like, but this is a case of the more the merrier, so small is best.
- Once each ball is formed, place on the lined cookie sheet and repeat. Try not to let them touch eachother.
- Now that your bowl is empty and you have a tray full of wonderful little ganache balls, return the tray to the refrigerator for the balls to cool and prepare for the next step. About 30 minutes should be enough.
Coating
As mentioned, you may coat with whatever you like, or a combination of a few. Little instruction is required if you choose to use a dry coating, other than this: use one hand for picking up the bare truffle balls and one hand for rolling them in their coating, this will save you many a trip to the sink for hand washing.
Simply pour the desired dry coating onto a plate and commence rolling. Once coating is complete, return truffle to lined tray (you may use a fresh cookie sheet lined with fresh parchment or wax paper if desired). Return to fridge once they're complete, to firm up once more before serving.
Tip: Getting sticky? Return the tray to the fridge or pop it in the freezer for a few minutes if the balls become to warm and gooey to work with.
Hard Chocolate Coating (optional):
12oz (1+1/2 cup) choice chocolate
(If you are using dark chocolate, sweeten with 2 tbsp of sugar, more or less to taste. If you are using milk chocolate or white chocolate do not sweeten.)
To Melt the Chocolate
- Make a double boiler with a steel bowl and a medium saucepan that fit together (bottom of bowl should just fit inside the opening of the saucepan).
- Pour an inch or two of water into the saucepan and place on medium-low heat so the water just comes to a simmer.
- Place steel bowl on top and add the chocolate to the bowl.
- Stir the chocolate every minute or so with a silicone spatula until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Remove double boiler from heat, Keep the steel bowl with chocolate inside on the pot so the chocolate stays melted during the coating process.
To Coat in Chocolate
There are little utensils made for this, they look like a spoon thats missing its insides. If you do not have one of these, which most of us don't, use a fork.
Tip: Looking for a little extra wow? Roll the ganache balls in nuts or coconut before coating in chocolate.
Tip: Looking for a little extra wow? Roll the ganache balls in nuts or coconut before coating in chocolate.
- Drop one ganache ball at a time into the melted chocolate.
- Using the fork, gently toss the ganache ball around in the melted chocolate until completely coated.
- Remove coated truffle with the fork and carefully transfer back to the lined cookie sheet. Remember not to let them touch. (you may use a fresh cookie sheet lined with fresh parchment or wax paper if desired). If you wish, while they're wet you can sprinkle a little something on top like chopped nuts or coconut.
- Once you've completed coating the ganache balls in the melted chocolate and they are all on the tray, return to the fridge for a final chill to set the chocolate until it becomes hard. This shouldn't take more than an hour.
As you can see, the possibilities are never ending when it comes to making this wonderful treat. However you've made them, these truffles will be sure to please any guest. These would even make a great gift for a loved one. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, but remember; there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.
Recipe Created, Written and Published by: Rachel Gonsalves
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