Milk, dark and white chocolate truffles

I think the universe is trying to tell me something: I’ve been putting off writing about chocolate truffles all month and then when I finally do, Word decides to unexpectedly shut down and lose my entire post. And yes, I do know that technically it’s my fault for not clicking on that stupid little ‘save’ button even once, but I’m still going to blame the technology, OK?

Now I have that off my chest…



There really is no reason for my chocolate truffle related writers block, as they are my absolute favourite chocolate thing to make. Like filing or envelope stuffing, I find the simple and repetitive actions therapeutic and will use any excuse to make them.



There are endless flavour combinations you can create with the basic truffle recipe, but I have found the simplest ones to be the most successful. You can add flavours by infusing the cream with herbs, spices or teas before adding it to the chocolate, by mixing ingredients such as liqueurs directly into the ganache, or by rolling the truffles in dry ingredients like chopped nuts, seeds or dried fruit after coating in melted chocolate.

Now, I could really do with some of that truffle-induced zen like calm before I throw this bloody computer out the window!



Things I have learnt from making chocolate truffles:

It is easier to heat the chocolate and the cream together when making the ganache, but this leads to a higher risk of the mixture splitting. If you find that there are still lumps of chocolate after you have mixed in the hot cream you can zap it for 20 seconds or so in the microwave before stirring again.

Allow the ganache to cool to room temperature before covering with clingfilm and placing in the fridge, otherwise condensation will form and could drip into the ganache and chocolate and water do not get along.

When shaping the truffles it is much less messy if you scoop the ganache into teaspoon size lumps before beginning the hand rolling process, otherwise you end up with chocolate and cocoa absolutely everywhere!

I use cocktails sticks for dipping round truffles in the melted chocolate. Use one to skewer the truffle and second one to ease it off onto the tray to dry. A fork works best for square truffles.



Chocolate truffles:
Each batch makes about 20 truffles depending on how big you make them

White chocolate truffles:
200g white chocolate
50ml double cream

Milk chocolate truffles:
200g milk chocolate
50ml double cream

Dark chocolate truffles:
100g dark chocolate
150ml double cream

• Finely chop the chocolate and place in a heat proof bowl
• Bring the cream to a simmer over a medium heat and immediately pour over the chopped chocolate
• Leave for about 30 seconds then whisk until fully combined and then whisk again
• Either leave the ganache to set in the bowl if you are making round truffles or pour into a foil lined tray for square ones
• Once cooled to room temperature, cover the bowl/tray in clingfilm and leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight

Shaping the truffles:

• Scoop out heaped teaspoons of the ganache and place on a plate until all the has been used up
• Roll the lumps of ganache into balls with your hands
• You can dust your hands with cocoa to prevent it sticking when rolling milk or dark chocolate truffles, but for white chocolate ones you just have to work quickly and keep your hands cool
• If making square truffles, remove the set ganache from the tray and slice into even squares, then roll in cocoa

Coating the truffles:
For each batch you will need 200g of chocolate for coating the truffles and 100g of chopped nuts or seeds (if using)

• Melt the chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, until completely smooth
• Dip the truffles in the chocolate until evenly coated, using either two forks or two cocktail skewers to do this (you will work out which method works best for you with practice)
• Roll in the chopped nuts or seeds then place the chocolates on a tray lined with greaseproof paper to set before serving

My favourite truffle flavours:

White chocolate truffles rolled in a mixture of finely chopped pistachios and crushed up freeze-dried raspberries

Milk chocolate truffles with a good pinch of sea salt added to the ganache and coated in well toasted chopped almonds

Dark chocolate and red wine truffles: add 35ml of red wine to the ganache – it doesn’t taste strongly of wine but somehow adds an extra dimension to the dark chocolate flavour