Chocolate and cream make magic

“Handmade chocolate truffle, darling?”

“Yes, thank you, darling.”

“Another handmade chocolate truffle, dearest?”

“Absolutely, my little snugglebunny.”

“Generic lump of chocolate flavored candy confection from Sprawl-Mart, sweetness?”

“SAY WHAT?!”

Why, oh why should we buy tasteless truffles and bland bonbons when making them at home is so fast and so very easy?  Seriously, you can make mind-mellowing truffles with just 2 ingredients: chocolate and cream.

Let's make Truffles.

First, choose some really good chocolate. Truffles are meant to be a special treat, so use the best you can for this project.

Chocolates like a Merckens dark chocolate bar (back), Belcolade disks (l) and Peter's Burgundy Chunks (r) are all excellent for truffle making.

Put the chocolate in 8” or 9” round cake pans.

Measure equal amounts BY WEIGHT of chocolate and cream for each batch you intend to make. Here I used 12 ounces of each. That translates to a volume of 2 cups of chocolate (12 ounces) and 1 1/2 cups of cream (12 ounces).

This applies to dark and milk chocolates. White chocolate ganache is a beastie all its own, and we'll get into that another day.

Heat your cream on the stovetop or in the microwave. You want to bring it to just under the boiling point.

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and allow it to sit for 1 to 2 minutes to soften. If you're using vanilla or another extra-strong flavor (or espresso powder), now's the time to add it.

Stir the cream and chocolate mixture (now known as ganache) until it's smooth and creamy.

Here I have one pan of Mercken's dark ganache without vanilla, one Mercken's dark with vanilla , one of Belcolade, one of Peter's Burgundy. I *think* this may make enough truffles to keep the gang happy for a few days.

Place the pans in the fridge to firm up the ganache. This can take 1 to 2 hours. Be sure to label your pans if you're using different types of chocolates or different flavorings in different batches.

When the ganache is the consistency of soft clay, dip the bottom of the pan briefly in hot water to soften the bottom. It will slip right out of the pan.

You can certainly keep the ganache in the pan for scooping, but when your test kitchen buddies are grumbling about the lack of round pans in the kitchen, it's best to return them quickly!

Use a small scoop (a teaspoon cookie scoop works well here) to portion out 3/4” balls of ganache. Roll each briefly between your palms to round it. Remember, these are supposed to resemble truffle mushrooms, so there's no need to make perfect spheres.

Scoop, roll, repeat.

Once you've rolled several truffles, you can coat them in a variety of toppings. Pure chocolate sprinkles are my all-time favorite for the lovable hedgehog look they give.

So cute, so tempting.

Up close you can see that I used different toppings from the pantry, such as sprinkles and sea salt. Yes, those spikes sticking up from the truffle on the right are sea salt crystals.

Toasted ground nuts and fine shredded coconut are also among the classic toppings.  And peppermint crunch would make a lovely red-and-white minty truffle.

In this photo you can see the traditional cocoa coating on the far left and far right truffles. For the best cocoa coverage, coat twice. Dutch-process cocoa features a mild, rich flavor perfect for truffles.

The long white piece above the word “see” is large-flake coconut. And some of the truffles are covered in our long gone but fondly remembered chocolate flakes, and white chocolate sprinkles. Alas, we miss ye.

Cupcake papers make lovely holders. Go elegant with plain white, or go fun with colorful holiday patterns.

And there you have it. Truffles that will melt on the tongue, releasing the purest chocolate flavor straight to the heart. OH, my...

One batch of ganache will make 2 to 3 dozen truffles, depending on how large you make them. For a little time investment, you can have lots of hostess gifts, teacher presents, even a little something for yourself after a long day of online shopping.

The truffles keep well in the fridge for about 2 weeks, and are so rich just a few make a dynamite gift.

Please make, rate, and review our recipe for Truffles.