Chocolate Truffles

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2004

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Art of Darkness III

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (128)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(128)

Cook Time:
5 min
Level:
Intermediate
Yield:
30 to 35 truffles

Times:

Prep: 50 min
Inactive Prep: 2 hr 30 min
Cook: 5 min
Total:: 3 hr 25 min

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Ingredients

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, and/or toasted coconut, for coating truffles
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine

Directions

Place the 10 ounces of chocolate and butter in a medium size glass mixing bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir, and repeat this process 1 more time. Set aside.

Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the melted chocolate mixture; let stand for 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir gently, starting in the middle of bowl and working in concentric circles until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. Gently stir in the brandy. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Using a melon baller, scoop chocolate onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Place the cocoa powder, nuts, and/or toasted coconut each in its own pie pan and set aside.

In the meantime, place the 8 ounces of chocolate into a medium mixing bowl which is sitting on top of a heating pad lined bowl, with the heating pad set to medium. Depending on the heating pad, you may need to adjust the heat up or down. Stirring the chocolate occasionally, test the temperature of the chocolate and continue heating until it reaches 90 to 92 degrees F; do not allow the chocolate to go above 94 degrees F. If you do, the coating will not have a nice snap to it when you bite into the chocolate. Once you have reached the optimal temperature, adjust the heat to maintain it.

Remove the truffles from the refrigerator and shape into balls by rolling between the palms of your hands. Use powder-free vinyl or latex gloves, if desired.

Dip an ice cream scoop into the chocolate and turn upside down to remove excess chocolate. Place truffles 1 at time into the scoop and roll around until coated. Then place the truffle into the dish with either the cocoa powder, nuts or coconut. Move the truffle around to coat; leave truffle in the coating for 10 to 15 seconds before removing. In the meantime, continue placing the chocolate-coated truffles in the cocoa or other secondary coating. After 10 to 15 seconds, remove the truffle to a parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat until all truffles are coated. Allow to set in a cool dry place for at least 1 hour; or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Truffles are best when served at room temperature.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Chocolate Truffles
a n, NJ 07-26-2010
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Delicious & Easy!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

These truffles are delicious and super easy! I like to make them for Christmas gifts. You can put them in decorative tins and... customize what you roll them in for each person you give them too. The brandy is especially great in the winter but you can substitute extracts (for kids/summer) or other liquors (like Bailey's). Using gloves definitely helps! I put my truffles in the freezer to harden. Then, I roll them into shape and use the heat from my hands to melt that outer layer. Then I roll it directly in the toasted coconut, nuts, or coco. I don't think you need the extra layer of chocolate and it saves some time and chocolate.Read more
recipe Chocolate Truffles
Meg Chicago, IL 06-22-2010
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Not a fan of Booze!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Do you think instead of brandy that you can use coffee??? i dont see why not, im sure it would be good to.
recipe Chocolate Truffles
sebastian league city, TX 05-19-2010
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Great Doing This for School
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

we are soing a variation of this recipie in one of my classes and my group split the simi sweet with white chocolate so it is... a swirl it taste soooooo good try it out this way Read more
recipe Chocolate Truffles
Vicki Norfolk, VA 04-12-2010
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A Huge Success!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

These are a wonderful little treat! Thanks to Alton for such a wonderful recipe! Who would have thought that these little... pieces of heaven were so easy to make?! I am just glad that my first batch was being taken to work for my guinea pigs to taste test or else I would have eaten them all myself! I split the recipe into 4 and used amaretto in one portion, Bailey's in another and Creme de Menthe in another. The last portion was left plain but got a cocoa poweder coating. I also tried a batch using Alton's chocolate ganache recipe...those ones got cashews, pistachios, coconut and peanut butter coatings. My husband and I made do without a melon baller (so some were smaller than others), but using the heating pad worked well to keep the coating melted. I would suggest having a helper when you make these...it'll go much more smoothly with another set of hands.Read more
recipe Chocolate Truffles
Annie Menomonie, WI 03-17-2010
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so good!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I made these using a cheap bottle of amaretto, and they were incredibly amazing. I used bittersweet chocolate for the inside... and rolled them in semisweet for the outside. I need to learn to somehow make the outer chocolate more smooth though, then people would surely think they are professionally made.Read more
recipe Chocolate Truffles
Marysia Escazu, SJ, AL 03-17-2010
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Excelent!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Ive made it a couple of times and it always turns out incredible...everybody loooves these truffles. I've made alterations to... the recipe though...instead of brandy you can use Baileys, or Grand Marnier, or even mint extract...probably any kind of extract that tastes good with chocolate will do the trick.Read more