Making your own truffles is surprisingly easy. The key, of course, is to start with the best ingredients and take your time. But the results are delicious, and they always impress. Here are the easiest truffles I know. They're quick and fool-proof. You still have time to whip them up before Valentine's Day, but they're perfect for any occasion, or no occasion at all.
Dark Chocolate Truffles
Start with the very best dark chocolate, with a high percentage of chocolate solids. Avoid chocolate chips: these are formulated for baking and do not melt well (note: the chocolate pictured here is in chip form, but it is restaurant-grade intended for melting). Use good-quality heavy cream, and the best cocoa you can find. I prefer extra Brute for its darker color and richer taste, and the texture is perfect for even coating and light dusting. Vegans can substitute vegan chocolate and coconut milk for a wonderful result that non-vegans love just as much. Adjust the quantities as noted, so you can use a whole can of coconut milk.
Ingredients
8 ounces best quality dark chocolate, roughly chopped (or 1 pound vegan chocolate)
1 cup heavy cream (or 15-ounce can coconut milk)
2 tablespoons sifted cocoa (more for larger vegan recipe)
NOTE: Scale quantities up as needed. I've made pounds and pounds of truffles using the same ratio.
Heat cream over medium heat until the edges bubble. Be careful not to boil over.
Pour hot cream over chocolate in a heat-safe, nonreactive bowl that is large enough to allow room for stirring. Wait about 5 minutes for the chocolate to melt. Don't skip the waiting period! You will be sorry.
Whisk until smooth and shiny. If you stop here, you have a wonderful ganache. Add about one tablespoon agave to increase the shine when covering cakes. Pour directly over fully chilled and prepared cakes while the ganache is still quite warm. I use this in my flourless chocolate torte, chocolate-raspberry torte, chocolate truffle cake, and chocolate caramel and turtle cakes. It also works on sandwich cookies and petit fours.
Refrigerate the ganache to chill fully. Accelerate chilling by pouring the chocolate into a flat pan, if needed. Spoon out the ganache and roll it into one-inch balls. The trick here is to start by curling the chocolate with the spoon a bit, so that you don’t have far to go into a ball. Roll very rapidly between your palms. Wear nitrile gloves, both to reduce the loss of chocolate on your hands and to slow melting. Work quickly: Smooth truffles as much as possible, but don’t linger or the chocolate will melt.
As you form each truffle, roll it in the cocoa. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. These will soften and start to melt in very hot weather, so keep them refrigerated until serving in the summer.
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