Dark Chocolate Truffles
Yield: 30 Truffles
Ingredients:
- 2 cup(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/3 cup(s) Unsweetened Cocoa
- 1/3 cup(s) heavy whipping cream
- 6 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the chocolate chips. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and pour into a shallow bowl.
- Cool, cover, and refrigerate the mixture until firm, at least 2 hours.
- Using a melon baller or small spoon, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the cocoa. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Ghirardelli Truffles & Baking Chocolate FAQs
Why are Truffles your favorite chocolate recipe to prepare?
- Easy recipe with an extremely sophisticated result
- Truffles are an incredibly easy to prepare recipe, but result in a delicious and visually appealing dessert that you can customize to your guests' flavor preference (with various toppings).
- Indirect heat
- Using a double boiler melts the chocolate using indirect heat, which prevents the chocolate from burning as easily. Ensure that water does not splash into the top of the double boiler, which could potentially result in the chocolate not solidifying.
- Medium heat
- The water beneath should NOT be boiling, but at a simmer.
- Bring it to room temperature
- Allow the ganache to cool for 30 minutes while it comes to room temperature prior to refrigerating it.
- Cover the ganache in plastic wrap. If you place the wrap directly on the ganache, it will help to prevent the fat from separating to the top.
- Refrigerate until firm, for at least 2 hours.
- The ganache can be made in advance and stay in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- Approximately 90 minutes before working with the chocolate.
- Allowing the ganache to sit out for approximately 90 minutes will create an optimal temperature for working with the chocolate. If you find that the chocolate is too soft, return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes before continuing to work with it. If it is too hard, allow it to sit for a few additional minutes before rolling.
- Specialty Food Stores
- Truffle Scoops can be found online or at select specialty food stores. They retail for approximately $10-12 for the one I'm using and come in a few different sizes. You can also use a melon baller.
- Toppings are based on personal preference
- Choose from Coconut, Crushed Almonds, Crushed Pistachios, Fleur de Sel (just a dash), Powdered Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Espresso.
- Be creative with your garnish -- try Edible Gold Flakes, Whole Almonds, Candied Fruit like Orange Rinds, an Espresso Bean, Ground Candy Cane at the Holidays.
- My personal favorites are Dark Chocolate with Crushed Almonds, Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Powder, Vanilla White Chocolate with Coconut, and Vanilla White Chocolate with Espresso.
- Cover truffles tightly and store in the refrigerator.
- Keep truffles cold prior to serving as the chocolate will melt if exposed to warm temperatures.
- Truffles may be frozen for up to 3 months if you wish.
- Baked goods are only as good as the ingredients that go into them. Using premium quality chocolate, along with the freshest of ingredients, will ensure the best taste and texture to any baked treat.
- Bean blend and high cacao content
- We hand-select the highest quality beans from around the world and provide a range of high cacao content products to offer the most intense chocolate experience.
- High-quality, all natural ingredients
- Ghirardelli baking chocolate uses only high-quality, pure and all-natural ingredients such as real vanilla.
- Smooth texture and balanced flavor
- Through our extensive conching process, we refine our chocolate to deliver perfectly balanced flavor and velvety smooth texture.
- A proper balance of cocoa and sugar gives the ideal rich, intense flavor. In Cook's Illustrated's 2004 taste test, Ghirardelli was voted the favorite dark chocolate.
- Conching is a flavor development process, essential to an even blend of ingredients and smoothness of texture. The conche grinds chocolate particles into extremely fine particles, smoothes the chocolate and rounds out the flavor. The length of the conching process determines the final smoothness and overall quality of the chocolate, and Ghirardelli has a longer conching process and finer grind than the competition.
- Ghirardelli was the first and only nationally available baking brand to include cacao percentage information on its dark chocolate packaging.
- By knowing the cacao percentage, consumers can precisely match product to recipe, and personal taste.
- Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips are one of the highest cacao content chips on the market.
- Chips & Bars
- Ghirardelli Chips: Semisweet, 60% Cacao Bittersweet, Milk Chocolate, and Classic White
- Ghirardelli Bars: Semisweet, 60% Cacao Bittersweet, 70% Cacao Bittersweet, 100% Cacao Unsweetened, Milk Chocolate, and White Chocolate
- Consumers buy Ghirardelli baking products for their premium quality and taste
- 94% of consumers who were shown our chips bag considered it premium.
- 79% said Ghirardelli chips were "much better" or "somewhat better" compared to other chocolate baking chips.
- Baking Cocoa
- Ghirardelli products: Unsweetened Cocoa and Sweet Ground Cocoa
- More than twice the cocoa butter content of Hershey's and Nestle
- A natural cocoa powder that is ideal for baking
- Hand selected unique cocoa bean blend that brings out the best chocolate taste
Is cacao percentage the main indicator of quality?
While cocoa percentage will determine the intensity of chocolate, the quality of chocolate is also affected by many other factors including:
- Quality and selection of cocoa beans
- Roasting Process
- Grinding, blending and conching process
- Quality and purity of other ingredients (e.g. real vanilla vs. vanillin)
- Ghirardelli's process of selecting the world's finest cocoa beans and roasting them to perfection combined with its 150 years of chocolate making ensures an intense, smooth-melting chocolate.
- It's important to remember that not all baking chocolate is created equal when it comes to quality. Check the ingredients list for pure ingredients like real vanilla and no artificial flavoring or preservatives.
- Look for premium brands such as Ghirardelli, which have a fine grind. This allows for easy melting of the chocolate into a noticeably glossy smooth texture.
- Consider chocolate that is offered in quantities consistent with recipe requirements. Chocolate formed in smaller, easily breakable squares is not only easier to work with, but allows bakers to add the exact amount necessary for the best results.
- Choose baking chocolate based upon quality and intensity. Premium quality chocolate will perform and taste better in recipes and chocolate offered in various cacao percentages allows you to select the precise balance of sweetness and chocolate intensity for your taste.
- Experiment with chocolate intensity. Baking chocolate can range from unsweetened to extra bittersweet to bittersweet to semi-sweet. Use a higher cocoa content chocolate to really bring out the chocolate intensity in your dessert or use a lower cocoa content to highlight and complement another ingredient.
