Easy Chocolate Truffles
The snow is falling here in New York so, at least for the next few hours, the city will look like a Christmas card. The view from my kitchen is lovely but this weather isn't ideal for some of the treats I had planned to make today. Meringues and fudges don't set up well when there is a lot of humidity in the air. The baskets will also include truffles, shortbread, and macaroons - all gluten-free of course!
Truffles are an easy but elegant item to include in your holiday baskets. The best part is that making truffles doesn't require any special equipment. I've simplified this recipe over the years and the results are just as good without all the extra steps! You can get very creative with the flavors but the basic technique is the same. Feel free to experiment with your own flavor combination. Some truffle recipes use savory spices to add a kick to the chocolate, but don't discount other popular chocolate confection flavor trends. The recipients of my gift baskets don't strike me as cutting-edge culinary adventurers, so I won't be straying too far from the basic recipe below.
Chocolate Truffles
1 Cup Heavy Cream
4 Cups shaved GOOD Bittersweet Chocolate (approx 18 ounces)
6 Tbs. Unsalted Butter
1 Tbs. Vanilla Paste
1/4 C Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, Finely Chopped nuts, and/or Unsweetened Toasted Coconut, for coating truffles
Heat cream till it just begins to boil. Remove from heat.
Whisk butter into the hot cream just till fully melted.
Pour hot cream and butter mixture over the chopped chocolate
Whisk until all the chocolate has melted
Transfer to a shallow baking dish and cool to room temperature
Once cooled, cover well and refrigerate at least 3 hours
Place cocoa powder in a shallow container such as a pie plate
Using a melon baller or very small cookie scoop, scoop truffles into small balls.
Rolls balls in cocoa or other coatings. Let balls sit in coatings for 10 seconds before removing them to a parchment lined sheet pan.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes before moving truffles to an airtight container for refrigerator storage.
Truffles will keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Allow truffles to come to room temp before serving
Yield approx 60 truffles
Truffles are an easy but elegant item to include in your holiday baskets. The best part is that making truffles doesn't require any special equipment. I've simplified this recipe over the years and the results are just as good without all the extra steps! You can get very creative with the flavors but the basic technique is the same. Feel free to experiment with your own flavor combination. Some truffle recipes use savory spices to add a kick to the chocolate, but don't discount other popular chocolate confection flavor trends. The recipients of my gift baskets don't strike me as cutting-edge culinary adventurers, so I won't be straying too far from the basic recipe below.
Chocolate Truffles
1 Cup Heavy Cream
4 Cups shaved GOOD Bittersweet Chocolate (approx 18 ounces)
6 Tbs. Unsalted Butter
1 Tbs. Vanilla Paste
1/4 C Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder, Finely Chopped nuts, and/or Unsweetened Toasted Coconut, for coating truffles
Heat cream till it just begins to boil. Remove from heat.
Whisk butter into the hot cream just till fully melted.
Pour hot cream and butter mixture over the chopped chocolate
Whisk until all the chocolate has melted
Transfer to a shallow baking dish and cool to room temperature
Once cooled, cover well and refrigerate at least 3 hours
Place cocoa powder in a shallow container such as a pie plate
Using a melon baller or very small cookie scoop, scoop truffles into small balls.
Rolls balls in cocoa or other coatings. Let balls sit in coatings for 10 seconds before removing them to a parchment lined sheet pan.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes before moving truffles to an airtight container for refrigerator storage.
Truffles will keep up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Allow truffles to come to room temp before serving
Yield approx 60 truffles
Thanks for this recipe. I used to make truffles for Le Bernardin years ago. I am going to make a GFCF version of this.
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Kirstin,
To make a casein free version of this recipe, just substitute your favorite non-dairy "milk" for the heavy cream. Whenever substitutions are necessary, you'll get the best results when you select something that approximates as many of the characteristics of the original ingredient as possible.
The high fat content of the heavy cream contributes more than just calories. It helps to create a velvety mouth feel and effects how the chocolate sets up. So while any GF rice, nut or soy milk might work, most commercial brands lack enough "body" to create the desired consistency. You could compensate for this lack of body by making your own milK, "reducing" a commercial preparation or by thickening up your favorite brand. You could also try using a soy "creamer". Coconut cream is good choice not only because it's CF but because it has a thicker, more creamy consistency than regular coconut milk and the higher fat content gives the finished product good mouth feel. This is a particularly good choice if you don't mind the coconut flavor in your finished product! Just be sure you don't confuse coconut cream with "cream of coconut". "Cream of coconut" is sweetened.
Let me know what you decide to try and your results. Truffles would be nice for Valentine's Day!
Stacy
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