Even though the center of a truffle is traditionally ganache, truffles can be made with a variety of fillings ranging from nuts to caramel to nougat. When not made with ganache, these truffles are generally coated in a thin shell of hard chocolate. The truffles in this recipe will be made with a ganache center.
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Obtain 1 pound (455 g) of dark chocolate and 1 cup (235 mL) heavy whipping cream. Be sure to select a chocolate that you enjoy the flavor of.
Cut the chocolate into pieces using a large serrated knife (like a sturdy bread knife). Cutting the chocolate into strips about 5 mm apart with the serrated knife will cause the chocolate to break into small pieces. Pieces of chocolate will fall all over the place, so I like to place the cutting board in a sheet pan to catch the chocolate shards.
After breaking down the whole pound of chocolate, you should have a bunch of similarly sized pieces. Small, uniformly sized pieces will make melting the chocolate evenly easier. Pour all the pieces into a medium heat proof bowl.
Bring the cup of heavy whipping cream just to a boil. (This is called scalding.)
Pour the scalded heavy cream onto the chocolate and allow it to sit for five minutes.
Stir the now melted chocolate with the cream. Chocolate and small amounts of aqueous solutions (liquids containing water) do not mix well - the chocolate clumps up in what is called seizing. However, when a substantial amount of liquid is added to the chocolate, we can make chocolate syrup. A ganache is simply a syrup of chocolate and cream that does not contain enough cream to be liquid at room temperature. Once this mixture cools, it will form a hard ganache that can be molded into shapes.
The melted ganache should be smooth in texture without lumps. If not all the chocolate has melted, you can heat the ganache gently over a hot pot of water. Stir until the chocolate melts and the ganache is smooth.
You can transfer the ganache into a smaller bowl to cool. When the ganache is solid, it may be easier for you to scoop out when working with a smaller bowl. Let the ganache cool down and chill for about an hour in the refrigerator to harden. Cold ganache is harder to scoop, but easier to form into a ball.
Using a melon baller or small ice cream scoop (such as a #70), scoop out balls of hard ganache and place on a cookie sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. As the ganache gets warmer, it will have a tendency to stick to the scooping device. You might find it easier to work with after rechilling the ganache, dipping the utensil in ice water, or simply using your hands to form rough spheres.
After forming all the balls, chill the pan in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes to allow the ganache to harden back up and set into their shapes.
Scoop a little cocoa powder into a small bowl. Use a pair of spoons to pick up and roll each ganache ball in the cocoa powder to coat.
If you prefer a hard chocolate shell, then you'll need to melt and temper some chocolate (usually, a couple ounces will be more than enough to coat the truffles). Once the chocolate has been tempered, use a spatula to spread some onto the palm of one hand. Place the ball of ganache into the layer of chocolate and rotate, coating the ball. Place the truffle on a sheet of parchment paper or silicone baking mat or other nonstick surface for it to cool and set. Repeat the spreading of chocolate on the palm and coating for each truffle. The tempered chocolate will shrink slightly as it cools and clad itself to the ganache. Because of this shrinking action, if it cools too rapidly, the shell can crack, so don't immediately chill them in the refrigerator - allow the truffles to set in a cool room. The ganache should also be allowed to warm up a bit before you coat them. After the chocolate has hardened, chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator and then remove and store at room temperature. The chocolate coated truffles should not be allowed to touch each other (touching the truffles together can mar the hard surface of the truffles) - so divide them with small paper cups or paper muffin liners.
The cocoa dusted truffles can be packed together without harm. These truffles can be stored at cool room temperature in an airtight container for at least a month - but good luck keeping them from being eaten for that long!Chocolate Truffles (yields about 32 to 36 truffles)
| 1 lb. (455 g) dark chocolate | cut into small pieces | pour onto chocolate | wait 5 min. | stir until smooth | chill | form into balls | dust |
| 1 cup (235 mL) heavy whipping cream | scald | ||||||
| cocoa powder | |||||||
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it wasn't the look I was going for, but it was delicious. it retained the dark chocolate taste, even with all the cream, but it was lighter, more delicate.
Perhaps since I had more liquid, the chocolate melted more easily, but I found fairly coars pieces of broken chocolate had no problem melting.
I usually only coat the ganache in cocoa powder. Most truffles I've seen are either/or, but it is quite possible to coat with hard chocolate and then with a dusting of cocoa powder - but the cocoa powder won't stick all that well and it's a shame to cover up the chocolate coating...
for great contrast and flavor:
- use icing/confectioner's/powdered sugar for rolling the dark chocolate ganache
- use white chocolate in place of dark, in making ganache balls, then roll in unsweetened cocoa powder
- tint white chocolate ganache with paste or gel food color, then roll in powdered sugar. if you make red and green, looks great on the christmas spread! pink for valentine's or sweet sixteen!
- roll in grated desiccated coconut or chopped unsalted roasted nuts, instead of cocoa powder.
- if you dip the ganache balls in melted dark chocolate, instead of cocoa powder, melt some white chocolate and drizzle on top and vice versa.
- for an elegant dinner party, use the melted dark chocolate coating, then buy some edible gold and silver powder from baking specialty shops and dust over.
- add a piece of unsalted, roasted nut or dried fruit in the center of each ganache for a sweet surprise.
- white scalding the cream, infuse with vanilla (split beans or extract) or other flavors like grated orange rind(great with milk chocolate ganache), instant coffee powder is great with dark chocolate; cayenne powder for the adventurous!
- for grown-up parties, a tablespoon or two of bailey's, kahlua, grand marnier, cherry brandy, tequila rose, etc., in the melted ganache will give an extra kick. DarkAeons' right on the mark! remember to use good liqueur!
i can feel the pounds coming on...
A good dessert for the afternoon snack of the childrens.
Best regards.
Susan
Ange - http://viciousange.blogspot.com/
Where does one get "truffle quality" dark chocolate?
Any dark chocolate that you enjoy eating will work well for this recipe.
What are the rules for safely storing chocolates made with perishable ingredients?
Thanks!
What are the rules for safely storing chocolates made with perishable ingredients?
With this ratio of chocolate to cream, it should be able to be stored at cool room temperature (65°F) in an airtight container for one month.
Love the site, I check it often.
I started the site using a point and shoot Canon S300. After a few months, I switched to a Nikon D100 when enabled me to use my Nikon SLR lenses. From 2004 to late 2006, I used the Nikon D100 and last month moved to a Nikon D200 which gives me a little more flexibility in working with raw files for post capture color balance processing. (The D100's write speeds were so slow that shooting raw files would be intolerable.)
These days, I try to take many of the pictures with natural light which gives the food a pleasant appearance as opposed to the flat, flash pictures that I used to provide in the articles.
I was also pleasantly surprised that the fresh-from-the-fridge ganache, once rolled in the cocoa powder, didn't 'sweat' into the paper bag I put them in and left them at room temperature. Definitely a recipe I'll bookmark, write down, and keep to use again!
Next I'll experiment with different liqueurs and other flavors.
Thanks for the wonderful and easy recipe!!
Thanks!
If it's pure chocolate (look at the ingredients label) then it should be fine. If it has other stuff in it (like a chocolate bar or a chocolate confection) then it's probably not going to work. I like my chocolate dark, so I used 72% (the percentage refers to cacao content) dark chocolate for this recipe. I think most people find semi-sweet is more to their taste.
By the way, your site is great!
Least amount of work for the most amount of praise.
And will the different chocolate affect how long you can store them?
Starbucks Liqueur - rolled in cocoa, garnished with a whole coffee bean
Cointreau - rolled in cocoa, garnished with candied orange zest
Malibu Rum - rolled in coconut
Frangelico - rolled in finely chopped hazelnuts
Disarono - rolled in cocoa, garnished with sliced almond
Chambord - rolled in coco, I couldn't think of a good garnish for this. I ended up using marzipan mixed with Chambord
Barenjager - rolled in cocoa, garnished with honeycomb
Peanut butter - rolled in chopped peanuts
I first want to try adding a little cayenne to the cocoa powder... I've read that the capsaicin interacts nicely with the polyphenols in chocolate, thus "turning up" the flavor. I also want to try crushed espresso beans and chopped hazelnuts.
I want to experiment as well with adding different liqueurs, particularly Frangelico, Grand Marinier, Vandermint, and Chambord. How much of a cordial should I add to the ganache mixture? At what point would I add the additional liquid?
One minor note... they did not melt as easily or quickly on the tongue as some truffles I've had, though they had the best flavor of any that I'd tasted. If I wanted a lower melting point, should I merely add more cream? Or do I need to add even more fat of some other type?
I also tried to dip the ganache into melted semi-sweet baking chocolate chips to make a hard shell, but it was difficult. I found the melted chocolate very viscous, so it was hard to make a nice thin coating. If I warm the chocolate coating a bit, it becomes too warm and tends to melt the ganache... I ended up making big truffles with thick hard shell in strange shapes. I'm not sure if it'd be better if I work with my palms...but it looked too sticky to work easily.
Any tips for me??
It's easiest to spread the melted chocolate onto your palm and quickly roll the ganache ball through it instead of dipping.
Any advice would be appreciated..
The cocoa content of the chocolate makes a huge difference in the behavior of the chocolate. You should find a chocolate which is at minimum 70% cocoa.
Waht type of chocolate are you using? Bar chocolate for baking or chocolate chips or candy bar chocolate?
Waht type of chocolate are you using? Bar chocolate for baking or chocolate chips or candy bar chocolate?
Yes, I've used the PoundPlus brand from Trader Joe's for this recipe before without a problem. I know you said the chocolate/cream mixture seemed smooth before you put it in the fridge, but it might help to keep it warm on a double boiler (just boil the water, then turn off the heat entirely. The residual heat will be enough to keep melting the chocolate) and stir until you're entirely sure it's smooth. Then let it cool at room temperature until they are room temperature - takes about an hour. That might help...
Nice post though :)
For my next batch i'm going to try some different coatings (my skills aren't up to tempered chocolate!), maybe mixing in some fine sugar with the cocoa, or cinnamon, or chilli as suggested above.
Cheers
Steve
If you are properly tempering your chocolate, then I would probably recommend trying coating chocolate (sometimes called compound chocolate) which has a higher melting point (because of it's use of vegetable oils instead of cocoa butter). It also doesn't require tempering for that same reason.
Ganache should not be liquid once it returns to room temperature. Assuming you measured the ingredients properly (for 1 pound of chocolate with 1 cup heavy cream will make a pretty hard ganache - 1 pound of chocolate can take a lot more than 1 cup cream without a problem), the only thing that I can think of is the 2 Tbs. of cognac, but I would not expect such a small quantity to cause a problem. In the worst case, if the ganache continues to be liquidy, you can always use it as a luxurious topping to a dessert (like a brownie) or in/on a cake.
Are you using Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Candy Bars or Hershey's Special Dark Baking Bars? The ingredient mix is a bit different. The candy bar probably won't work - you'll want to find a chocolate that simply has cocoa (or cacao) (solids and butter), sugar, and a little lecithin as it's ingredients. Anything more may not work well in a recipe designed for making chocolate candies. If the baking bar has excessive ingredients (like the candy bar) then look for another brand.
Oh, another tip: buy chocolate for recipes in the baking section of your grocery store instead of the chocolate/candy section. The chocolate there will be more "pure" and won't have additives that help make the chocolate taste better or melt better in the mouth that may adversely affect its performance in a recipe.
thanx for the recipe
I am hoping that someone can help me out here.
Where I come from there is either Heavy cream (with gelatin) or UHT whipping cream.
Which one do I use?
Thanks.
Thanks.
Use the UHT cream.
Thank you for your help.
The ganache did not turn out the way it was shown. This is my first time handling chocolate. Its probably something I did wrong along the way.
The chocolate mix did not set, instead it became curdled, and I saw a layer of oil on top of the mix. That was bad isn't it?
The chocolate bar i used was the lindt excellence 70% cocoa. Can this be used?
Look forward to hearing from you again.
Cheers
I was just wondering about the shelf life of these goodies. I am just starting to make truffles and I am really looking for something I am able to keep around for 2 months... possibly three. With the cream in this, I don't think it is a good idea to keep that long!! ;) Any ideas?
Thanks for all anticipated responses~
Jo
The outer shell can also be made of melted chocolate that is tempered - i.e., the melted chocolate temperature is between 83F to 95F - the lower temperature ensures a thicker shell coating while the higher a thinner shell. Dipping is quite a highly labor intensive process unless you go into commercial.
Go on-line for chocolate bars sources - prices will vary but make sure the content includes only the chocolate liquor and sugar and nothing else!
I store my truffles by layers in a jar in the refrigerator for short time periods and in the freezer for longer (up to 1 year) but let them return to room temperature before serving.
Excellent basic source book author Alice Medrich - "Bittersweet". :)
He tripled the batch and did it all in one go. Maybe that was just too much chocolate for the scalded cream to handle? The only thing going against this theory is that when I gently melted a small amount of the ganache in a bowl over hot water, it didn't come back together. That leads me to believe that it seized and that I just wasted $20 worth of chocolate and heavy cream.
He put foil over the bowl of ganache when he put it in the fridge. I was thinking that maybe condensation collected on the foil and dripped into the chocolate causing it to seize? The surface of the ganache wasn't marred at all, though.
For the record, he used Trader Joe's Pound Plus 72% dark chocolate.
Any ideas?
melt the butter, watch it not to burn.
get ganache you prepared earlier.
experiment on a small amount first.
put it in the microwave for a few seconds, being very careful not to burn it. take it out then add the butter little by little. just work on it by feeling the mixture until it is velvety smooth. the secret here is the technique of mixing it properly to attain the smooth mixture. then put in the refrigerator to firm it again. scoop. roll. coat. let me know how it turns up :)
Couple of batches of ganache that i made turn out having this layer of fat/oil after it was set. and it doesn't make it smooth anymore when i eat it.
Any way to not have the fats come out during the cooling process?
Cheers
thanks
I'm sorry it didn't work for you. How soft is it that it can't be formed? It it almost runny? You can always use ultra-soft ganache between layers of a cake or to ice cupcakes.
Thanks much, Melissa:)
OK. So, when your ganache is completely homogenous and smooth, you will want to transfer to a baking dish, so that more surface area is available to the ganache and will thus cool faster. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, placing the plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ganache (this protects the flavor and also keeps all condensation off of the ganache). Cover with another layer of plastic wrap and put into the reefer for at least 2 hours.
At this point, you have a perfectly lovely ganache for a regular truffle. But if you want to whip the ganache, then follow the below steps.
Take the cooled ganache and place into a mixer with the whip attachment. Remove approximately 1/2 cup of the mixture, put into the microwave and melt, in 30 second increments, stirring between each time, until completely melted. When the ganache has melted, turn on your mixer ON LOW, and slowly pour melted ganache over ganache in mixer. This will soften the ganache. As ganache gets soft, and there is no more liquid, turn up the mixer. Whip the ganache. The ganache will lighten, due to more air being incorporated, and will begin to look like a chocolate buttercream. It will be softer than regular ganache, but will still be scoopable. Turn off the mixer, use an ice cream scooper or pipe out of a bag, to make your balls. Then--and this is what I always do for truffles--cover them with plastic wrap, and put them in the freezer for at least an hour. This sets the ganache and allows the chocolate that you will be coating the centers with to harden more quickly.
While your ganache is in the freezer, chop more milk chocolate, about 8 oz, and put into a microwave safe bowl. (This is a quick, straight tempering method and skips "tabliering" and other much more difficult steps, especially when used in combination with very cold, almost frozen truffle centers). On high, in 30 second increments, melt the chocolate. Between each turn in the microwave, gently stir the chocolate. When the chocolate is about 75-80% melted, just stop using the microwave and stir gently until all of the chocolate is melted. When all of the chocolate is melted, dip your finger in the chocolate and put a dab on the skin right above your upper lip. It should feel slightly warmer than body temp. Now, remove your centers from the freezer and, working quickly, roll the centers between your palms to smooth them out slightly. Pour your sugar into a sheet pan. Now, get a friend, because this takes two people!!! Both people should wear gloves, too.
Smear chocolate on one palm, take a center and roll in between your hands and toss into the sugar. The 2nd person should QUICKLY roll the truffle in the sugar and place on a clean, parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat, etc.
I know it might sound involved, but its not too bad, and with the production line I just told you about, I have done over 250 truffles in less than a couple of hours, start to finish. I promise it works.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!! I am so psyched to try making these! I will recruit my daughter to do the sugar rolling! I will let you know if I am successful!
Again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
~Melissa
I just finished my first batch of truffles using your recipe and they are AWESOME!!! They are almost identical to the truffles I was remembering. It seems it was the technique used to whip the chocolate centers that I was not mastering. Thanks again for the tips, I greatly appreciate it!
~Melissa
I'm as mystified by the oil and solid separation. I have been unsuccessful in duplicating this with my ingredients... since there probably aren't that many, can you list the ingredients in your chocolate and double cream - the total number should be less than 8...
However, while the recipe does NOT specifically state this, one must understand that if you want to dip truffles into chocolate and have a hardened shell, they CANNOT be dusted with cocoa powder first. I learned this the hard way, as it was not specifically stated. The melted chocolate does not stick to a powder-dusted ball. Maybe others already knew this or were able to read between the lines of the recipe's directions. Nonetheless, I hope future truffle makers avoid this problem!
Thanks for the recipe!
- T.O.
Is there something about a less fat milk that does not allow the mixture to solidify?
Thanks
Rohit
1 Cup Whipping cream
3T butter
1/4 Cup Grand Marnier (I have used wine (Good Zinandel), Kahlua plus a couple of tablespoons of instant expresso to name few)
Cocoa powder or more chocolate for coating.
Chop chocolate. Place chocolate into a food processor with metal blade. Chop until uniformly ground. Bring whip cream to foaming boil and turn off immediately. Turn food processor on and add the hot whipping cream. Cut butter into small pieces and add to running food processor. Add liquor to runing food processor as well. Turn off and pour ganache into glass bowl. Place saran/plastic wrap on top of chocolate so that it is touching chocolate - stops chocolate ganache from drying out on the top layer. Place another layer of saran/plastic wrap around the top of the bowl. Refrigerate until set and make into balls.
Balls can be rolled in cocoa powder or chocolate can be melted to dipping temperature and can be used for coating.
For the other person who was asking about using 2% milk, I wouldn;t advise it. Milk has water in it, which cream does not. Chocolate and oil mix just fine, but unless you know what you are doing, water and chocolate will just cause the chocolate to seize and become a putty-like mass. There are a lot of chocolate sites out there which sell flavor oils for your candy making. These can be used to flavor your ganache. Do NOT use regular cooking extracts, somehow the chocolate doesn't take to the alcohol in the extracts very well and the flavors seem to go "off".
Just some thoughts.
Also, what causes "blooming" in the chocolate? My first attempt was a bit harried, and I think I rushed to the refrigeration and I got white blooms on the hardened shell. Any ideas on how to prevent this?
Thanks!!! And great forum, I have a lot of great advice going into my next attempt!
Can anyone give me the exact recipe to make them please?
And what sort of chocolate to use. Many thanks in advance.
Hello everyone! I am looking for a recipe for Viennese Truffles. I discovered them many years ago at Thorntons Chocolate Store(The English one).
HERE'S THE RECIPE I HAVE FOR THEM:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup powdered chocolate
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1. Put all ingredients in a solid sauce-pan, mix while bringing slowly to the boil.
2. Boil gently.
3. After two minutes you will have a wonderful icing for cakes, and a sauce for ice cream.
4. After six minutes (or a little longer if you want your truffles harder) take sauce-pan off heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. At this point you can add dark rum or any other liqueur if you wish. Cool in the refrigerator for about one hour.
5. Form into balls about the size of large marbles and roll them in powdered chocolate. Cool to room temperature, or chill.
Makes betwenn 24 and 30.
we were making dark choco truffles with bailey's.
as soon as we pour in the boiled cream,we found lumps undissovable.
after the attempt to melt the mixture in hot water bath, a layer of oil begins to float on top.
we thought we were desperate...
luckily,a really smart friend suggest to fold in some flour.
IT WORKS.
Flour does help bringing the oil back into the chocolate.
Now, the dark mixture appears shiny and consistent.
thanks to the flour. thanks to our chocolate saviour too @^.^@
I also noticed that the wiki cookbook: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Chocolate_Truffle has different proportions of chocolate to cream:
1 mL cream: 2.1 g Chocolate on wiki and
1 mL cream: 1.9 g chocolate here.
I know that this isn't the final thing or whatever, but it might explain problems people have had.
also, when I covered the truffles with cocoa powder I usually found that it was too bitter and astringent so this time I mixed cocoa powder + powdered sugar and found it much better, so others might like that too. (Not really sure of the proportions)
good luck and thanks!
Tried the truffles, but with half dark chocolate and the other milk. I cut back on the cream to compensate for the lower melting point associated with the milk chocolate addition. Turned out well and proved to be a hit.
Keep up the good work!
Check the ingredients on your chips. Sometimes they contain paraffin wax and other stabilizers and this can affect how they work. If it's just pure chocolate - cocoa (or cacao) solids, cocoa butter/fat, lecithin (as an emulsifier), and sugar - then you should be in good shape. Any other ingredients and you should probably keep looking for the real thing.
In dishes when there are only a few ingredients, you really have to use the best-possible ingredients that you can find because there's nothing for the inferior chocolate to hide behind.
- Jie
A bit too creamy for my taste, so if you've only got whipping cream, don't go overboard. Put in most of the hot cream, mix, taste, then add the rest if necessary.
Thank you for a great recipe!
I'm in Australia so it's best if only those who know what chocolate I'm talking about could answer the first question.
1.
I'm about to make these myself. Has anyone used Old Gold Chocolate? I have just read here that the chocolate needs to be 70%, I will look at the packets tonight to make sure they are 70%.
2.
I'm about to ice a cake with white chocolate ganache and need to know do I need to increase or reduce the amount of cream in ratio to the white chocolate to give a smooth firm but soft cutting texture for the top of the cake. I also do not want it to run (I have worked out a way to stop this by using alfoil folded over as a border and set at the right height for the thickness of the chocolate I want on top of the cake) down the side of the cake. I basically want the chocolate to be a soft pliable lump on the top of the cake that I can level out smoothly.
Thanks in advance.
:)
I will say though I did make a bunch of flavors & coats. And by far the coconut I find is the best.
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Last year, I made my friends truffles as Christmas presents. Since these are meant to be a gift, I would suggest one to two weeks in advance for preparation. I'm not sure if there is a better method between storing ganache or a completed truffle- I've only tried the latter. Storing the whole truffle seemed to work fine- the ganache didn't dry out, no smells permeated into the ganache, and the work was already completed by the time Christmas came around.
If you are making a large batch, you'll have to find enough room somewhere cool and dry to store them. Remember to keep them in an air-tight container, espescially if you keep them in the refridgerator, or else they will end up tasting like whatever smelly food you've kept in the back of the refridgerator.
I wish you the best of luck with your truffles!
i placed the chocolate in a simmer, then adding the double cream, after that i added the butter. after that i allowed it to cool and placed it in the fridge, but after 1 hour seeing it still runny, i placed it in the freezer. Did i do it wrongly?
advice needed! thanks thanks!(:
Regarding the direction to dip the melon baller in ice water, in my experiennce this is the opposite of what someone should do. They should dip it in water which is slightly warmer than the ganache, so the ganache ball comes out of the melon baller easily. If the baller is cold, the ganache will get nice and comfy in there and will be difficult to remove it from the baller, especially if you are making small truffles (< 1/4 inch in diameter). :)
Yes you can.
I made some chocolate truffles on Wednesday and stored them in the fridge in a container and it is now Sunday not a week as gone by and i have noticed little white speck on the chocolates. Could this be mould? I used Calleburt chocalate 53% dark, double cream(which i think is the wrong cream too) and butter. I am confused as different people say they should be stored in the fridge others say not, some say they last only a couple days others say a couple of weeks.
Please could you help me resolve this.
Thank you
Ann
the spots can happen when chocolate is refrigerated. it is not going bad and is perfectly safe - strictly a cosmetic issue.
shelf life on truffles is in the weeks category.
I do know that candy making - including chocolate - is a demanding art form in terms of proper ratios / ingredients / fat content / temperatures - so off handed substitutions may not work out.
I have personally never seen mold grow on chocolate before, so I'm going to guess (without examining your chocolate) that it's just blooming (I'm assuming you chocolate coated your truffles instead of just dusting them in cocoa powder since cocoa powder doesn't bloom). Cocoa butter (the fat in the cocoa) can rise to the surface causing white dots and white web patterns to form. This is a cosmetic change and doesn't affect taste or cause any problems (except that they don't look how you intended them to look). It doesn't mean the chocolate has "gone bad". The blooming (the rising of the fat to the surface) can be controlled by tempering the chocolate used to coat the truffles which will help "trap" the fat in the chocolate. If you're making chocolates in advance to give away to others, then you should probably take a look at the discussion on tempering chocolate. If you're just making truffles for yourself to consume over time, I'd say it's not worth the trouble for a purely cosmetic issue.
I've made them with dark chocolate and they were delicious! Great recipe and great site!
Many thanks.
Thanks, I can't wait to get started on these, they sounds so delish!
You'll will probably need to adjust the cream or else the ganache won't set properly. I would suggest not using milk chocolate - the flavor is already tempered with the cream so it won't taste like bitter dark chocolate.
I've used both sweetened and unsweetened cocoa powder. I personally prefer the unsweetened, but it's up to individual taste. Both taste good.
i had some problems making my ganache. when i used semi-sweet chocolate, everything worked out fine. when i used dark chocolate, i had separation and graininess and it was not smooth at all. i found this site which has some very useful information about working with chocolate, and talks about how to prevent the problems i had:
http://acselementsofchocolate.typepad.com/elements_of_chocolate/Chocolate.html
they suggest pouring the chopped chocolate into the cream (after letting it cool for a minute), instead of pouring the cream into the chocolate. i haven't tried it yet (since i already wasted enough nice dark chocolate today), but it sounds like it makes sense and would be worth doing.
If I were in the same situation as you, then what I would do would be make a batch of milk chocolate ganache suitable for truffle making (there is a recipe above), melt down the bittersweet ganache in the microwave in 30 second increments, and then incorporate the milk chocolate ganache into the bittersweet ganache, refreeze and then continue as planned.
I have made truffles several times and have always found that truffles are a surprisingly forgiving medium. I have never tried this technique but if for you the bittersweet truffles are unsalveagable on their own, I would give it a shot.
Alternatively, you could try the Viennese whipping technique as listed above.
I've made bittersweet, semi sweet and milk chocolate truffles for my family and the milk chocolate ones are always the most popular but dusted in powdered sugar, the children in my household are quite happy with bittersweet truffles.
First, getting the chocolate into even pieces is the hardest part. Cutting it with a serrated knife gets the most even results, but I find it sometimes takes too long to melt the larger pieces in. What I use is a cheese grater as an impromptu chocolate shaver. I have one that fits onto a container, so all the chocolate is mostly contained there. The bars I buy are 113g, so I normally have to shave 4 of them.
Second, scalding the cream can often turn bad for me if I heat it directly. Instead I use a quart jar in a pan of water. For half batches I use a jelly jar or a pyrex cup. I heat this over med-low heat until the cream reaches 90 or 95c. Sometimes I add herbs for flavor and simmer this for an hour or so (thanks to the guest who suggested that, they're great!)
When I'm ready to combine the cream and chocolate, I remove the cream from the water bath, turn off the heat under the water, put my chocolate into a pyrex bowl, place the chocolate bowl into the water, and pour the cream. Wait 4 minutes and stir until smooth.
The water bath ensures that the chocolate will melt, and the residual heat of the water keeps it from setting before it's consistently mixed. It's normally 1-2 minutes between turning off the stove and putting the chocolate on the water, so I'm not sure if it's had time to cool significantly.
I just put my latest batch into the fridge to cool, after coming back here yet again to refresh myself on the process. This time I thought I'd offer my own modifications in the hope that someone will find them useful. Thanks for the great recipe.
Here's another question, which may sound strange. Is there such a thing as a savory truffle? Some of my friends are diabetic and others just don't eat sugar. I would love to treat them to something they would like that is still similar to the truffles I am giving to others. Anyone have any ideas?? I told my chiropractor I was going to come up with a carrot ganache wrapped in spinach :D
Next time I am going to try replacing 1/2 the soymilk with espresso for a mocha version.
I have been making truffles but sometimes I note that when I mix cream and chocolate, there are lumps in the chocolate. On the double boiler there is curdling of the chocolate which leads to the oil coming out and the texture is not smooth and velvety. I am using semi sweet Selbourne chocolate. I have not been able to isolate the cause and hope that I will get some help.
Thx
If you are curdling the chocolate in the double boiler, then it sounds like either the chocolate has been overheated or steam has gotten into the chocolate causing it to seize. Try to just heat the chocolate until part of it begins to melt, lift it off of the bottom pot and stir, if you need more heat put it back onto the bottom pot. I also prefer to work with the burners off once the water begins to simmer.
Thanks once again.
Pretty much, but it may be easier to work in batches when making the ganache (melting the chocolate with the cream).
however, the ganache i had made yesterday and after the white chocolate batch came out fluffy and in small clumps and was not sticky at all. those batches were made with milk chocolate chips and some with dark chocolate bakers chocolate added in as well.
i used cream cheese and my ratio was 1:1.5 (cream to chocolate)
any suggestions?
Use double cream.
I made white chocolate ganache last night using ordinary white chocolate- candy section and plain cream, i added macademia nuts and now after being in the fridge the whole night (the ganache not me) it's still very soft. I don't think i'll be able to form balls, is there anything i can add to harden the ganache a little bit?
For the oreo truffle, it sounds interesting and worth trying - but I haven't done this before. Make sure you let me know how it went - I'm sure even if it doesn't work out on the first try, it'll still be delicious.
Bols do a superb range of liquers (Parfait D'Amour is my favourite). Also amazing flavours to try are Malibu, Grand Marnier (or cointreau), Baileys, fruit liquers (see the Bols range), and Toffoc (toffee flavour vodka made here in Wales, UK )
I add between 40ml - 60ml of whichever alchohol I'm using to each 333g of chocolate - added after the cream and glucose, chocolate & butter have been stirred together & then refrigerate. It looks like a lot of alcohol when its added, but it will stir in nicely.
4 oz 54% dark chocolate (Trader Joe's Pound Plus)
4 oz 72% chocolate (Trader Joe's bittersweet Pound Plus)
4 oz unsalted butter
1 good pinch sea salt -- this is essential!
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp evaporated cane sugar
2 fl oz water (or strong coffee, if you like mocha truffles)
Flavorings: vanilla or almond essence, 2 oz liqueurs to taste, zest of one medium orange, or whatever you fancy.
I melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler. While that's heating, I separately heat the water and sugar in the microwave to make a syrup. I immediately pour this very hot syrup into the egg yolks, whisking all the while. When the chocolate is melted and smooth, I add the salt, eggs, and flavorings, stirring gently all the while. I spoon into heart-shaped ice cube trays, chill for four hours, pop them out and toss each truffle in a mixture of cocoa, sugar, and spices (especially cardamom).
I find this recipe is very forgiving -- I never have texture problems with it, and can use various flavorings. Notice there is no cream, so it's adaptable for lactose-intolerant diets.
Great thread, everyone -- keep up the good work!
I absolutely love your illustrated truffle recipe. It makes the whole process so "doable" for anyone who is willing to give it a try.
The amazing discussion that follows with all the input of your guests is really inspirational, too. So many mouth watering ideas for variations.
I've just had to add a link to this page from my site http://www.chocolate-candy-mall.com because I feel the information found here is invaluable to chocolate truffle lovers.
I'm really looking forward to enjoying more of your recipes in future. Excellent work!!!
Blessings,
Angie
If double cream is available try that. You're looking for something with high milk fat concentration. It is possible to whip regular cream, but it takes a long time.
but would redi whip work?
just checking because their in the fridge now.
and i have other things to use a different reicpie.
because just eating the ganache would be fine with me :D.
please tell aanchal.sodhani@gmail.com
I love Cooking for Engineers. I wanted to know more about tempered chocolate (not just the how-to, I wanted to know what was really happening to the chocolate), and I knew just where to look! Thanks for the great site.
& I saw the previous comment you said using regular whipping cream will do too but takes a longer time, what do you mean by a longer time?
Thank you(:
Unfortunatly I realised (whilst staring at the heap i just finished) that I'm not actually a big fan of dark chocolate...major d'oh moment there...
I might try making some milk chocolate ones next time :)
Thank you!
Amy
-taking these into work-
I will be making the truffles for this Christmas for family and friends, using more chocolate to cream than I use for my cake ganache filling.
One question I have is: When I have added alcohol to ganache in the past (rum or brandy) it makes the ganache seize up immediately. Is the adding of alcohol in the timing - should I add it to the cream as it heats to stop this from happening?
Thank you
Rebecca
Need more info - brand and type of chocolate used (ingredients) and cream (ingredients and fat content - believe it or not many creams have a additives)
Using semi-sweet chocolate should work. Make sure the only ingredients in the chips are: sugar, cocoa solids, cocoa butter, milk or milk fat, lecithin, and natural and artificial flavorings. In chocolates where cocoa butter has been replaced with vegetable oil, this will not work. Also, the use of waxes or binders will cause this to not work.
My truffle story this season is long and sad - taking up about a week of evenings. I started out wanting to make molded truffles and cherry cordials. Bought a couple of molds, and tried. Didn't work out too well for the cherries (my center was too soft - my fault) so I moved on to truffles. Your ganache recipe worked great. Rolled up lots of balls and put them in the freezer. I have been having a hard time with making my chocolate shell. I can't seem to make it an even thickness all the way around by just brushing the chocolate up the sides like I'm supposed to - i was getting cracks and leaks when I unmolded them. So I tried putting a puddle of chocolate into the bottom of the mold, letting it harden, then centering my ganache ball on top and pouring more chocolate on top - hoping it would flow around the sides. But, 90 degree chocolate is a bit too thick to flow around the ball entirely, and I got big gaps, even after whacking it on the counter. My last resort was to put a spoonful of chocolate into my mold, then press my other mold down to imprint the inside and make the cavity. It worked great! Except that my shell stuck to the top mold, not the bottom one, and shattered when I tried to remove it.
So, I gave up on molds and just decided to roll them between my hands in chocolate. My ganache began to melt instantly upon contact with the chocolate - even straight from the freezer. This is the whipped viennese center - maybe that's why. Anyway, I now have a tray full of ugly, half covered, ganache-oozing balls.
I know that my temper is right, because all my mistakes have been really shiny and have a good snap. I start working with the chocolate at around 91 degrees, and try to use it all before it hits 88.
I'm not really sure about any question... if you have any comments about my technique, or if you know anything about using chocolate molds, I'd be grateful. For now, my white/almond ganache and my dark/orange ganache are being saved in the freezer for New Year's Chocolate fondue.
Merry Christmas everyone, and I hope you have better luck than me!!
Also I was wondering if you can add orange juice to the cream mixture along with orange zest?
Has anyone tried the flavors of coffee, orange zest and cinnamon together? Would this be too many flavors in a truffle? I am debating on those 3 flavors together or maybe a combination of 2.. i.e. orange zest and cinnamon, but would like to know if I would use cinnamon stick or powder? And do I need to strain out the zest or can I leave it in? I prefer the non-alcoholic truffle so am not using the typical liqueur.
Thanks for your help!
The milk ganache is quite sticky even out of the freezer, which I suspect may be due to the brand I'm using (high cocoa butter content), but I just enrobed them to avoid them being too squishy if rolled in cocoa powder.
Pro-tip for those of you failing at tempering or who feel intimidated: Ghiradelli makes a candy chocolate specifically made to harden quickly, to stay shiny, and to snap. Microvave, mix, roll the truffles, bam. Done. Might be a good baby step for some of you. I bought some awhile ago due to time constraints and failing at tempering, but now I've got my training wheels off and I'm tackling it much better now. :)
I also read that in the event that your ganache turns into an oily mess, a few good pulses in the food processor will re-emulsify. Can't testify to it, but it's worth a shot for anyone with that problem.
Awesome instructions. Love it.
Melting it in a double boiler will cause some separation.
I've re-melted my ganache a few times and have a lump of fat-studded chocolate that I've scraped off the top of my bowl. Still trying to figure out what to do with it. Anyone have any ideas on how to cause the fat to re-emulsify?
Thanks
I have a question about rolling coated ganache...
Today I tried rolling my coated ganache on the powder but somehow part of the powder on the truffles just got wet and became darker. It looked pretty inconsistent..
Therefore I'm wondering how I can avoid getting the cocoa powder wet when I try to coating the truffles with powder? And after coating them, if I put the truffles into fridge to get hardened, will the powder on the truffles get wet again after I take them out from the fridge (to put them into the gift box)?
Thank you!
In love with choc truffles..and rum truffles :P
never tried it so can't say for sure but a 20% difference could make a difference.
[edit (Michael): I disabled the url because we found the same exact comment on other cooking websites regarding truffle. I left the link since the boxes could actually be of use to someone planning on gifting these truffles]
I tried making choc truffles with dark compound and all that i had was a pasty chocolate ganache that just didnt thicken up. Can you please suggest the solution?
Thanks
Meenu :(
Next, slowly pour the cream in while gentle whisking the chocolate, and make sure not to over stir, meaning not too fast or too long to make air bubbles. If all the chocolate isn't melted after 2 minutes, simply fill that pot with hot water, about an inch to 2 inches and place the bowl you're stirring the chocolate in on *top* of the water filled pot. This is a process of double boiling. Turned the heat on the stove and turn it to low/medium low. This may take about 4-5 minutes but continually stir and soon the chunks will all be melted.
At this point, I like to spread my ganache onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet at ROOM TEMPERATURE for about 2 HOURS. This allows for more even cooling and formation. It doesn't need to look perfect, just evenly spread. I will then pop the ganache in the refrigerator for about an hour to 2 hours, depending on how thick I've made the spread. After that, cut into squares and roll. I recommend cocoa powder to help keep it from sticking, then you can dunk it in chocolate. Just remember, chocolate is very tempermental! Be patient with it, you cannot go too fast and if you do, the result will be a fast, improper product.
It's truly a trial and error process, but you'll learn quickly. I recommend watching videos of people making truffles so you can see the speed and process more visually of what it takes to be gentle with the chocolate. I hope this helps!
Thank you
I've just made my ganache but would like to coat them then freeze them; as long as I defrost them gently, will they be ok or will they bloom?
Thank you :)