Recipe: chocolate truffles your way

Recipe: chocolate truffles your way

1h prep | 30m cook

Last updated

Few things in life elicit the kind of universally joyful reactions that chocolate does. Whether it’s in cake form, devoured as a bar, savoured as a hot drink or poured as a rich fudge sauce over chocolate ice cream, there’s something at-once comforting and exciting about chocolate.

When it comes to cooking with chocolate, there’s one guiding principle we cling to: the better the chocolate you use, the better the dish you make.

Using couverture chocolate in your homemade confectionary, for example, not only imparts a richer chocolate flavour, but makes the chocolate far easier to work with. Thanks to the higher percentage of cocoa butter, you’ll find even the tricky art of tempering chocolate is made much easier.

Of course, it’s not just about the chocolate itself; the art of cooking with chocolate is also about the delicious things you choose to add to it. This chocolate truffle recipe is endlessly modifiable, so you can create the exact sweet treat you and your friends would most enjoy.

Roll the chocolate ganache around a whole hazelnut, then cover in crushed hazelnuts

Add a more complex chocolate flavour by rolling the truffles in our hand-picked, organic, single-origin cocoa nibs from the Solomon Islands

Temper milk or white chocolate to create a crisp shell surrounding the soft ganache

Dust the rolled ganache in good quality dutch-process cocoa powder for a little acidity and a big extra chocolate hit

Love chocolate orange? Add a few drops of orange oil to the ganache mix for that incredible, nostalgic flavour combination. Mint oil is a great addition too!

Make things a little more adult by adding a splash of rum, bourbon or peated whisky to the ganache

Customise your truffles to suit how you most like to enjoy chocolate, or create a plate full of all your favourites and share it with people you love.

For the finest quality couverture chocolate produced locally and around the world, as well as cocoa powder, cocoa nibs and all the other chocolatey must-haves, visit your nearest The Essential Ingredient store, or buy online for delivery to anywhere in Australia.


Ingredients (Serves 20)

  • 300g bittersweet couverture chocolate (58%)
  • 2/3 cup cream (full-fat is best)
  • 1 tbsp butter 
OPTIONAL ADDITIONS:
  • Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • Cocoa nibs
  • Whole and crushed hazelnuts
  • A few drops of orange oil
  • A few drops of mint oil
  • 1 tbsp bourbon, rum or peated whisky
  • Milk chocolate couverture for tempering

Set up a double-boiler by placing a clean and dry metal or ceramic bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.

Place the chocolate, cream and butter in the bowl, and stir frequently with a rubber spatula until all ingredients have melted and combined. If using orange oil, mint oil or liquor, mix it in now.

Cover bowl and leave in fridge overnight to set.

Scoop a spoonful of chilled ganache and roll into a ball (incorporating a hazelnut inside the bowl if you choose). Leave the balls to sit for an hour, allowing the external chocolate to re-harden from the contact with your warm hands. Roll again with clean hands to smooth out the balls.

Cover the balls in your chosen coating, or dip into tempered couverture chocolate to give each truffle a hard shell.

Allow melted chocolate to cool before serving.

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