Everyone loves decadence once in a while, and pleasure-seekers crave the luxury of sweet and savory chocolate. Be it the darker and bitter version or the milk-infused dark-brown delight, there are not many that are immune to chocolate.
Instead of going to the store every time you fancy some chocolate, why don’t you create your very own “chocolate truffles”? Yes, you can do it! And this home recipe is fairly easy to make. It’s difficult to go wrong with this bite-sized treat.
Before getting down to the how-tos, what exactly is a chocolate truffle? What makes it worthy of its sweet, sweet reputation?
Demystifying chocolate truffles
The striking resemblance with the truffle mushroom earned the chocolate truffle its name. Derived from the Latin word lump, chocolate “truffles” were initially made to look exactly like a lump. Whereas the original truffle is an item hitting expensive prices in the market, our chocolate truffle can be purchased for a decent price, often depending on the store.
It is a chocolate ganache rolled and formed into balls and tempered with a chocolate coating. The ganache is the center of all chocolate truffle recipes. If you think that the mushroom is the main ingredient of its chocolate incarnate, you’re both wrong and right. Typically, chocolate truffles go without the mushroom, although there are some people with eccentric tastes who include truffles as the main ingredient.
Some people with an eccentric taste include truffles as the main ingredient. (Image: via Pixabay)
There were 2 popular incidents regarding its creation. The first account is about Louis DuFour and his conquest to offer a new treat to his customer — a rolled chocolate ganache coated in cocoa powder. The next is French chef Auguste Escoffier’s accidental creation of the chocolate truffle that we know today when he poured hot cream over a bowl of chocolate chunks.
Rolled into balls or in more complex shapes, it is the perfect gift for any occasion. Now that we have introduced you to this wonderful delight, it’s time for you to make your own with this simple recipe.
Making chocolate truffles
Since this is your first time, let’s keep it simple. You just need two main ingredients: 2 4-oz (226 g) bars of pure baking chocolate (either dark or milk chocolate) and 2/3 cup (160 ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. For the chocolate, do not use chips, since they contain hardening agents. If you use milk chocolate, use less cream.
Heat the cream in the microwave or on the stove for a few minutes until it is simmering. While waiting, chop the chocolate finely and put it into a bowl. Use a serrated knife to make the task easy as it chopping the chocolate finely will help melt the chocolate quickly and evenly.
Once the cream is heated, pour it over the chopped chocolate, let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir the ingredients well. It is best to have a 2:1 ratio of chocolate to cream for better results. To do this, it is best to weigh your ingredients before mixing them.
You just need two main ingredients to create chocolate truffles: pure chocolate and whipping cream. (Image: Via Pixabay)
You have your ganache once the chocolate is melted. The next step is to mix the ganache until it’s smooth. Pour it into a pan and store it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once cooled, take the pan out of the fridge, scoop the chocolate mixture and mold it into small round shapes. And there you have it — your very own chocolate truffles!
This is good enough, but you can make your chocolate truffles better by adding some personal touches by simply rolling them in cocoa powder, sprinkles, nuts, or even dipping them in tempered chocolate.
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