Truffles are awesome. Valentine's Day and Christmas are such great excuses to make them. I would make them much more often then that because they are yummy and super easy, but I'd rather not keep something that tempting in the house. I like making them and giving them out instead.
Butter! Okay, this picture is kind of scary, but all my photos depict a DOUBLE batch of truffles, and a single batch is plenty for a normal person. I often make a double batch of truffles (because I'm crazy), which makes at least 100 truffles, plus more to keep in a bowl in the fridge for Jeff to eat with a spoon for the next few months. Oh, does no one else do that? So yes, you will get plenty of truffles, and they last for a long time.
Grab a double boiler. If you don't have one then do what I do and fake it. Find a metal bowl that completely covers the pot beneath it (you DO NOT want any water boiling up and hitting the contents of the bowl or your truffles will be ruined. Seriously though, this recipe is very easy. If heat weren't an issue, I'd let my 3 year old make them.
Make sure to only fill up your bottom pot 1/2 full with water. Enough to boil quickly and stay boiling without worrying about evaporation, but low enough to keep the water from spilling out.
Put the butter and heavy cream in the double boiler and stir occasionally until fully liquefied and incorporated. I don't usually keep the butter in one block like this, it is quicker to cut the butter into dice sized cubes before adding, I just wanted to better illustrate the crazy amount of butter here. This is a Costco sized stick btw. Crazy. Can you see why I don't eat these everyday? :)
Once the butter and cream have mixed keep stirring, turn the heat off and slowly stir in the chocolate chips. Make sure you keep stirring until every chip has melted.
I'm always amazed how lightly colored the chocolate starts out. This is with about half the chocolate stirred in. The filling doesn't look like chocolate syrup until all the chocolate is mixed in.
Perfect. Getting to this step only takes a few minutes. What a big difference.
Stir briefly to make sure all the chocolate is fully melted. Then cover the bowl (or top half of your double boiler. If you have a huge double boiler then pour the chocolate into a smaller bowl.) tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
There is no rush moving to the next step. If you want to do the next step tomorrow or later, or just keep some of this filling in the bowl in the fridge, that's fine. It lasts a long time. We still have some in our fridge that Jeff snacks on a spoonful at a time.
This is where you can go two ways.
- roll truffles in cocoa powder, crushed nuts, coconut shavings, etc. in store in a very cool place like the fridge.
- roll truffles into balls and dip them in melted chocolate. Store in dry, cool place like the counter.
Either way, they taste great and last for a while. You can easily make them a week or so in advance and give them out on Valentine's Day, Christmas, etc. Perfect for if you're totally swamped the day before.
I prefer to dip the truffles in chocolate. If I'm giving these as gifts I don't want to worry about them melting. Jeff is our resident chocolate dipper (seriously), and we use a little candy melting pot that I got on amazon. They seriously do sell everything. I love it because it's the perfect size for this. No waste. I know most people probably don't own one of these, so other good options include a small double boiler, a fondue pot, or the tricky melting chocolate to the perfect temperature in the microwave many times.
In addition to a bouble boiler, fondue pot, etc. you'll need a plate or parchment paper to set the finished truffles on, a spatula to stir the chocolate, a fork for dipping the chocolate, and a toothpick.
Start the whole process by melting chocolate chips, stirring often to help regulate the temperature and melt quicker. Have a plate of pre-balled truffles waiting in the fridge. You can roll the truffles into any size, but I prefer large bite size. Bring the plate out and one at a time place a truffle on your fork and drop it into the melted chocolate. Immediately scoop it up and check to make sure it is entirely coated in chocolate. Use the toothppick to help nudge the truffle off teh fork and onto the waiting plate or parchment paper. Allow the truffle to dry and move on the the next ball. Try to do this quickly. The un-dipped balls of truffle filling will melt out of the fridge, so start by only bringing out a few at a time. Once the truffles have been dipped in chocolate DO NOT put them in the fridge! If you do they will sweat and become sticky. Let them sit out on the counter until they have dried. It shouldn't take long.
This process is very simple, especially if you are making truffles in a cool, dry environment. Humidity, moisture, water drops, heat, none of these are good when working with chocolate. Try to make sure your kitchen is dry and cool please.
Quick note: when you've removed the chocolate from the pot give the truffles on the fork a firm tap or two on hte edge of the pot to get rid of any extra chocolate. Otherwise you might have some chocolate dripping off.
That's it! You've made truffles. Good thing you'll have a lot, because you'll want to eat them all. I like to decorate mine with chocolate jimmies. If you want to as well, sprinkle them on immediately after dipping them in chocolate. The truffles dry quickly and you want the jimmies to stick. Another decorating option is drizzling chocolate (either lighter or darker) over top.
Once the truffles dry you can break off any excess chocolate drips attached to the bottoms. Place the truffles in mini muffin wrappers and store in an airtight container on the counter. The truffles will last for several months.
Chocolate Truffles:
ingredients:
- 16 oz. chocolate chips (extra if dipping)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 lb. unsalted butter
- cocoa powder (optional, for rolling)
directions:
1. In a double boiler melt butter and heavy cream, stirring occasionally until fully mixed. Turn heat off and slowly stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Pour mixture into bowl and seal with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm.
2. Roll chocolate mixture into large bite sized ball and place on a plate. Store the plate in the fridge.
3. Roll the chocolate balls around in cocoa powder, crushed nuts, coconut shavings, etc. OR
4. In a candy melting pot, small double boiler, fondue pot, etc. melt chocolate chips until they fill the pot at least 2" deep. Prep by setting out a fork, toothpick, and sheet of parchment paper, or a large plate.
5. One at a time drop a chocolate ball into the pot. Quickly scoop up the the fork, making sure ball is coated fully. Tap the fork firmly once or twice on the edge of the pot to remove any excess chocolate. Use the toothpick to help nudge the truffle off the fork and onto the parchment or plate. Sprinkle with jimmies immediately (if using). Continue until the chocolate in the pot needs to be filled more and melted, or until you run out of chocolate balls.
6. Allow truffles to dry on the counter. Do not put them in the the fridge once dipped. Once dry they should be shiny and firm. Break off any excess chocolate attached the the base and place in a mini muffin wrapper. Store in an airtight container on the container in a cool, dry spot. The truffles will last for several months.
