Chocolate Truffles

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2004

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Art of Darkness III

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (119)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(119)

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
Diana Cincinnati, OH 01-07-2010
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Brazilian Twist on Chocolate Truffles
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I tried this recipe, but it was much more difficult and required many more ingredients than Brazilian Chocolate Truffles... (called Brigaderio). This Recipe for Brigadeiro (Brazilian Chocolate Truffles) only needs three ingredients and is practically fool-proof (which is what busy mom's like I need!)Read more
recipe Chocolate Truffles
Mary Cumming, GA 01-03-2010
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A never fail recipe, made it many times. All ways great!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

One of my favorite recipes. Love Alton Brown!
recipe Chocolate Truffles
Amelie Edmonton, AB 12-30-2009
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the best thing you'll ever put in your mouth!!!!!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

OH MY GOD!!! BEST CHOCOLATES EVER, move over Lindt!!!! I have been wanting to make truffles since forever and as a big fan of... Alton's I thought, hey I'll give this recipe a shot. Well, as the only choco lover in my family I have been pigging out on these little chocolate JEWELS all on my own, hey it is the holidays after all!!! If you are looking for something easy and delish give it a go. What I did was put a little more cream and a little less liquor, I didn't have grand marnier so I used triple sec which was just as nice! Also, I didn't have a melon baller and mine are in odd shaped balls. I think the best thing to use would be a very small ice cream scoop that come in very small sizes and many chefs use it to form their cookie dough into balls when making cookies, you know the kind where you press on a lever and it releases the balls??? Yap, will be making these again and again!!!Read more
recipe Chocolate Truffles
Kailee Sarasota, FL 12-26-2009
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Extraordinarily Tasty... and Messy.
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

While making the ganache was EXTREMELY easy (like others, I used only 1 tbsp. of brandy), my melon baller did not work for... scooping the truffles. I couldn't get the ganache out of the melon baller! Luckily I had a small cookie scoop that has a handle release, so I used that, and they were a little bigger than I expected, but it worked. I'm sure Alton's melon baller was of a higher quality, maybe that would have made a difference. This was a minor speed bump. The biggest issue I had was the melted chocolate for the coating. I kept the chocolate coating at 92-93 degrees, but for some reason, the balls of ganache would just stick to the coating on the sides of the ice cream scoop! I couldn't get them to roll around, so I just ended up using my hands to cover them with chocolate... messy, but effective (and I had delicious fingers afterwards). I think I'll try some of the chocolate coating chips that you get at craft stores next time, perhaps they will work better. Overall, the taste was REALLY great, my husband and mother got them for Christmas presents and enjoyed them immensely! Read more
recipe Chocolate Truffles
sarah lexington park, MD 12-23-2009
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A bite of heaven
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

These truffles are easy to make and a great gift idea. I did make a few alterations to Alton's recipe. I used dark... chocolate for the truffle, milk chocolate for the outside coating and omitted the brandy. Truffles don?t need alcohol. It does get a little messy but worth the effort.Read more
recipe Chocolate Truffles
Jessica Lenexa, KS 12-21-2009
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VERY DISAPPOINTING - No Sweetness at ALL
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

Instead of the brandy, I substituted Kahlua, and these ended up tasting like bittersweet chocolate. and that's it. Like... plain cocoa with no sweetness WHAT so ever. VERY DISAPPOINTING, considering how long it took. Can't believe how bad they taste.Read more