In this blog you will learn:
- What are chocolate truffle
- When and how they were invented
- 3 chocolate truffle recipes
- How to infuse cream for truffles
- How to make a chocolate coating
- Inspiration of flavour combination
What are chocolate truffles?
2 basic elements found in truffles
- Ganache
- Chocolate
- cream
- butter
- Flavour (vanilla, rum, spices)
- salt (makes chocolate taste more like chocolate – just enhances the flavour)
- Double the cream in the ganache to make chocolate fondu.
- Coating:
- chocolate OR
- cocoa powder OR
- nuts
When & how chocolate truffles were invented
Chocolate truffles were invented durring a shortage of ingredients in December 1890. Louis Dufour, instead of resorting to dry fruits, as customary, created a new candy with available ingredients.
The origins of the chocolate truffle is a great reminder: In times of hardship comes creativity.
Dark chocolate truffles recipe
- 8 oz dark chocolate finely chopped
- 2/3 cup 33% or 35% cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla/alcohol
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/3 cup sifted cocoa powder
- In a saucepan, heat the cream until it is simmering (almost boiling). At that temperature small bubbles appear on the cream. See how to infuse the cream later in the blog.
- Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until melted. If necessary, place the saucepan in a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Add the vanilla (or alchool of choice) and stir to blend. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Refrigerate for about 2 hours – minimum 30 minutes.
- With a spoon, take about 1 tablespoon of ganache for each truffle and roll into a ball with your hands coated with cocoa powder. Roll the truffles in cocoa powder (or coating of choice). See how to coat truffles with chocolate later in this blog. Store in a cool place.
Semi-sweet chocolate truffles recipe
- 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate cut in chunks
- ½ cup 33% or 35% cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla/alcohol
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/3 cup sifted cocoa powder
- In a saucepan, heat the cream until it is simmering (almost boiling). At that temperature small bubbles appear on the cream.
- Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until melted. If necessary, place the saucepan in a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Add the vanilla (or alchool of choice) and stir to blend. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Refrigerate for about 2 hours – minimum 30 minutes.
- With a spoon, take about 1 tablespoon of ganache for each truffle and roll into a ball with your hands coated with cocoa powder. Roll the truffles in cocoa powder (or coating of choice). Store in a cool place.
White chocolate truffles recipe
- 5 oz white chocolate chocolate cut in chunks
- ½ cup 33% or 35% cream
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla/alcohol
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/3 cup sifted powdered sugar
- In a saucepan, heat the cream until it is simmering (almost boiling). At that temperature small bubbles appear on the cream.
- Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until melted. If necessary, place the saucepan in a pan of simmering water and stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Add the vanilla (or alchool of choice) and stir to blend. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Refrigerate for about 2 hours – minimum 30 minutes.
- With a spoon, take about 1 tablespoon of ganache for each truffle and roll into a ball with your hands coated with cocoa powder. Roll the truffles in powdered sugar (or coating of choice). Store in a cool place.
Chocolate Coating
For a more professional coating, you can used chocolate. To ensure a perfect craking chocolate, it is essential to temper the chocolate cover.
Place a few inches of water in a pot on medium high. Bring the water to a simmer. Place a glass bowl on the pot ) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). Bring the chocolate to 50°C. Turn off the heat and let the chocolate cool to 27°C or 28°C. Turn the heat on medium again and bring the chocolate to 31°C.
This temperature curve is essential to cristalize the chocolate and make a perfect chocolate coating.
When the chocolate is ready, place the trufle in the chocolate and pick it up with a fork. Place the truffle on a cooling rack.
Infuse the cream in ganache
To add even more flavour to your truffle infuse your cream with the flavour of your choice.
We love infusing the cream with vanilla bean, lavender, rose, cinamon, cardamon, fresh herbs like mint, thyme, rosemary…
When making the ganache, bring the cream to a simmer. Turn off the heat, add your spice or other flavouring. Cover and let steap for 1 hour. Remove the flavouring with a strainer. Bring the cream back to a simmer and use to make the ganache.
Flavour combination examples
White Chocolate
- Lavender Honey (infuse the cream with lavendar, add 1 tbsp honey to the ganache, coat the truffle with white chocolate and decorate with lavendar)
- Lemon ( add lemon zest to the ganache, coat with powder sugar)
Semi-sweet chocolate
- Almond (use almond liquor in the genache and coat with chopped almond coating)
Dark-chocolate
- Cardamom & orange (infuse the cream with 5 cardamom pods, use 1 tbsp orange liquor in the ganache), coat with cocoa powder
- Rose & Raspberry (add 2 tbsp raspberry rose preserve in the ganache), cocoa powder and dry rose petal coating
Be creative
Have fun!
Come up with fun flavours to create an experience in the kitchen. If you aren’t sure if the flavour combination you’d like to try will work, google it!
Why Make Truffles
- We use higher quality ingredients and better support our health.
- We can use local Saskatchewan products and support our producers and farmers.
- Its super fast and simple
- 6 ingredients (chocolate, cream, vanilla or alchool, butter, salt, cocoa powder)
- Have fun and be creative with your flavours