Hand-Dipped Chocolate Truffles
Making truffles at home requires patience, specifically regarding temperature. You are essentially working with the physics of cocoa butter, ensuring it moves from a stable emulsion to a solid, glossy finish.
Patience is your primary ingredient.
Do not rush the setting time of the ganache. If the center is too soft, you will end up with chocolate-covered puddles instead of spheres.
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Fine mesh sieve
- Digital thermometer
- Baking sheet with parchment paper
- Dipping fork or two-pronged kitchen fork
What goes in.
- 8 ozbittersweet chocolate (60-70% cocoa), finely chopped
- 1/2 cupheavy cream
- 1 tbspunsalted butter, room temperature
- 12 ozsemi-sweet chocolate for coating
Heat, rest, stir
Pour your simmering cream over the chocolate and let it sit for two minutes undisturbed before you begin stirring from the center outward to create a glossy, stable emulsion.
The method.
Prepare the ganache
Place 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a glass bowl. Heat cream in a saucepan until it just begins to steam, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for two minutes, then stir gently until smooth.
Incorporate butter
Stir in the butter until fully melted. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours until the mixture is firm but malleable.
Form the spheres
Use a small melon baller or a teaspoon to scoop uniform amounts of ganache. Roll them quickly between your palms to shape into rounds. Place on parchment and chill for another 30 minutes.
Temper the coating
Melt the coating chocolate slowly over a double boiler until it reaches 115°F. Remove from heat and stir until it cools to 88°F; this creates the crystalline structure necessary for a crisp snap.
Dip
Drop a chilled ganache sphere into the tempered chocolate, lift it out with your fork, tap the fork against the side of the bowl to remove excess, and slide onto parchment to set.
Other turns to take.
Infused Ganache
Steep loose-leaf tea or crushed coffee beans in the hot cream for five minutes before straining it over the chocolate.
Textured Exterior
Roll the finished, set truffles in cocoa powder, finely crushed toasted nuts, or sea salt.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a thermometer for the coating chocolate; if it exceeds 120°F, you have to start the tempering process over.
Keep your dipping room cool; high humidity or heat will ruin the finish of the chocolate.
If the ganache sticks to your hands while rolling, chill your palms with ice water and dry them thoroughly before handling.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why did my ganache split?
Usually because the cream was too hot or the chocolate was added too quickly. Stir in a teaspoon of warm cream to bring it back together.
Can I use chocolate chips for the coating?
Avoid them. They contain stabilizers that prevent them from melting smoothly or tempering into a crisp shell.