So you probably have chocolates in mind when you set out to get some Valentines Day gifts for the loved ones in your life. However, have you thought about making a Valentines gift? Chocolate truffles are quite easy to make and require at the very basic only two ingredients for the truffle base, heavy cream, and chocolate. Added flavorings can be incorporated as well as long as the ratio of fat to liquid is kept the same. This truffle base recipe yields a ½-gallon of truffle base, which equates to about 64 1-ounce truffles, or 128 ½-ounce truffles. If other liquids and fats are incorporated, the yield will increase accordingly.
This is a professional recipe that was handed down to the pastry apprentices in our classes circa 1984, by our Master Baker Instructor Chef Mark Fitch. Mark was trained early at the age of 12 as a baker and worked through several hotels as Chef Patissier in the U. K., before making his move to the U.S., and is now he is a Master Chef and principal technologist for food service product development with Pepperidge Farm. Thank you again Chef Mark for a perfectly wonderful recipe that has stood the test of time.
| Ingredients | ||
| 1 | Quart | Heavy cream |
| 1 | Quart | Chocolate, dark, milk, or semi-sweet |
| Optional fillings | ||
| Eggs, whipped* | ||
| Butter, softened* | ||
| Hazelnut oil* | ||
| Rum, brandy, Frangelico, any alcohol* | ||
| Optional decorations | ||
| Cocoa powder | ||
| Crushed nuts | ||
| Chocolate shavings | ||
| Melted white chocolate | ||
| Crushed mints | ||
| Tinted sugars | ||
*Liquids and liquors can be mixed in as long as the liquid to fat ratio is constant or a 1:1 volume ratio as with the chocolate and heavy cream. For example, if you add 4 ounces (½ cup) of softened butter to the mixture then you should add 4 ounces (½ cup) of liquor or other liquid.
Remember: Use equal portions in a 1:1 volume ratio of heavy cream to chocolate, the optional ingredients can be added as long as the liquids to fat ratio is kept constant.
| Procedure Steps | |
| 1. | In a large saucepan with a wire whip bring the heavy cream to a boil then add this to the chocolate in a large stainless steel bowl and stir well until chocolate melts. |
| 2. | Refrigerate mixture until room temperature or below is reached. This will cause the mixture to react the same as if it were whipped, and if left long enough it will eventually break. |
| 3. | The mixture becomes lighter in color and firmer in texture and will solidify as it cools, and taking a wire whip to the mixture with a few strokes of the whip will make it soft again. It can be warmed again to offset the solidifying issue if it becomes too thick. |
| 4. | Scoop ½-ounce or 1-ounce balls of the mixture and roll in cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles, chocolate shavings, crushed nuts, or tinted sugars for variety and place on parchment lined sheet pans and refrigerate until solid again. In addition, truffles can be drizzled with melted white chocolate when the truffles are placed onto a wire rack. Then transfer wire rack to a sheet pan and allow the drizzled truffles to set up in refrigerator as well. Also, the truffles once cooled can be dipped in other chocolates to form an outside shell as seen in the image below. |
28 responses so far ↓
1 Mags // Feb 12, 2010 at 11:14 am
Gorgeous truffles and perfect for Valentine’s Day!
2 The Hungry Mouse // Feb 12, 2010 at 11:35 am
Y-U-M!
+Jessie
3 Dawn@CocinaSavant // Feb 12, 2010 at 12:28 pm
just perfect! these look delicious and just right for this time of year.
4 5 Star Foodie // Feb 12, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Gorgeous gorgeous truffles! Have a great Valentine’s Day!
5 MaryMoh // Feb 12, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Wow….fabulous!! Perfect for Valentine’s Day 🙂
6 ninni // Feb 12, 2010 at 2:16 pm
Very good recipe,i will try it/but i dont like this particular holiday so i will try it for my daughter birthday at 17 of February!I Wish You life full of love/not only on Valentine Day,but always!/
7 Meg // Feb 12, 2010 at 2:26 pm
These look soooooo good! I never thought of making chocolate myself. There has to be more ways to infuse marketing at chocolate. Thanks for commenting on kitestring.ca!
8 Roti n Rice // Feb 12, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Gorgeous truffles! Happy Valentines Day!
9 Dimitry Mishchuk // Feb 12, 2010 at 2:52 pm
They look great, but I cant build up my guts to try making them.
10 Beth // Feb 12, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Perfect!! thanks for the recipe
11 Emily // Feb 12, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Yes, please!! These are wonderful. Love the ingredients- especially since there is boozie in them! I could eat a pound of those right now!
12 Vaishali Sharma // Feb 12, 2010 at 4:06 pm
Lovely Truffles!! I must try to make these soon!
13 Tania // Feb 12, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Wonderful!
14 Jessie // Feb 12, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Truffles are my weakness, seriously anytime I get them they are gone within a day lol these look wonderful!
15 pegasuslegend // Feb 12, 2010 at 5:32 pm
these look fantastic, like out of the factory, you are so very talented they are absolutely perfect, and I am so ready to eat them all~
16 eliza // Feb 12, 2010 at 6:21 pm
great truffles! now I wish I could have some of yours 🙂
17 Trix // Feb 12, 2010 at 6:45 pm
I LOVE a recipe like this, that gives you the basic parameters and then lets you be creative within a certain set of culinary rules. Thank you for this, you’ve inspired me to make some truffles for V-day!
18 wine cellar // Feb 12, 2010 at 9:57 pm
Ahhh yes Truffles, just in time for Valentines. Thanks for the recipe…I hope I do well! Cheers~
19 redkathy // Feb 13, 2010 at 1:45 am
Beautiful truffles. Wishing you a Happy Valentines day!
20 Bec // Feb 13, 2010 at 3:54 pm
wow the truffles look so good!
21 Bernie Kasper // Feb 13, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Very nice..I will try to talk my wife into making these !!
22 Shree B. // Feb 13, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve been wanting to try out making truffles and this is a great 101.
23 Drick // Feb 14, 2010 at 9:26 am
very nice lesson on candy – something we all need to know and something everyone enoys … we can always count on you to provide the breakdown of proper instructions and know-how….
24 Conor @ HoldtheBeef // Feb 14, 2010 at 11:12 am
Making chocolates for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day sounds much more lovely than buying them. I’m sure you would end up with many more for your dollar, so everyone will be happy to share, so there won’t be any Valentine’s Day fights over the last chocolate either 😉
25 Sook @ My Fabulous Recipes // Feb 15, 2010 at 1:56 am
Truffles are my weakness…. They look so tempting!
26 Zibi // Feb 15, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Thanks for sharing this recipe … now I just need to find someone to make them for me! Happy Valentine’s Day 🙂
27 Divina // Feb 16, 2010 at 9:18 am
Chocolate truffles are always welcome. That photo above is a real winner. Hope you had a great Valentine’s Day.
28 Catherine // Mar 7, 2010 at 8:44 am
These truffles sound wonderful! Wonderful recipe to share.
Have a great day~