Chocolate truffles – those luscious little chocolate pralines that you can eat in a single bite – are easy to make. Once you get the hang of it, you can put your imagination to use and vary the flavors.
Here are five of our favorite recipes, plus check out the above gallery for some additional tips.
Orange Truffles
Ingredients:
To make orange truffles, you will need: 11 oz savoiardi biscuits (ladyfingers), 3 oz dark chocolate, 4 ½ oz powdered sugar, 9 oz ricotta cheese, 3 oz orange juice, grated rind of an untreated orange, cocoa to taste.
Method:
Take the savoiardi biscuits and chop them finely in a mixer. Then put them in a bowl with the powdered sugar and ricotta cheese and mix to combine. Grate the orange zest and add it to the mixture, along with the juice. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie, add it to the bowl and mix well.
Now, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put the mixture to rest for half an hour in the fridge. Remove it and take a small portion of the dough and work it with your hands until you get a ball. Do this process until you finish all the dough. Now brush the surface of each ball in the bowl with the cocoa powder. Put the truffles in the fridge to firm up but take them out at least half an hour before serving.
Pandoro Truffles
Ingredients:
To make pandoro truffles, you will need: 11 oz pandoro, 4 oz ricotta cheese, Nutella, cocoa, coconut flour and sugar sprinkles to taste.
Method:
In a mixer, finely chop the pandoro, previously cut into large pieces. In a bowl, add it to the ricotta cheese. Stir, so as to mix everything together well. Take a small portion of the dough and shape it as a ball, press in the center to create a hollow, in which you are going to deposit a teaspoon of Nutella. Then close on itself and form the ball. Now, at your leisure, decide whether to brush the surface in sprinkles, coconut flour or cocoa powder. Arrange them on a tray, put them in the fridge to firm up and take them out at least half an hour before serving.
Three chocolates truffles
Ingredients:
To make ricotta truffles, you will need: 7 oz cookies, 4 oz ricotta cheese, 4 oz white chocolate, 4 oz dark chocolate, 4 oz milk chocolate.
Method:
Crumble the cookies in a mixer, then transfer them into a bowl with the ricotta cheese, stir to mix well. With the mixture obtained, form small round and regular balls. While the balls rest in the refrigerator for half an hour, melt all the chocolate in separate bain-marie, to be distributed in three bowls. Now with the help of a pair of tongs, dip each truffle into one of the three bowls. Place them on the serving plate, ready to be put in the fridge to cool. Remove them from the fridge a few minutes before serving.
Tiramisu Truffles
Ingredients:
To make tiramisu truffles, you will need: 9 oz mascarpone cheese, 4 oz savoiardi biscuits, 2 oz sugar, 1 cup ristretto coffee, cocoa powder to taste.
Method:
First, work the mascarpone cheese with the sugar in a bowl until it becomes a cream. Then, in a mixer finely chop the ladyfingers and add them to the bowl with the mascarpone cream. Now add the coffee and mix well to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for half an hour. Take it out of the fridge and start working the mixture, forming small balls. Now dip the surface of each ball in the bowl with the cocoa powder. Put the truffles in the fridge to firm up but take them out at least half an hour before serving.
Black cherry truffles
Ingredients:
To make black cherry truffles, you will need: 1 lb dark chocolate, 1 cup whipping cream already sweetened, 20 black cherries, cocoa powder to taste.
Method:
With a half moon knife chop the dark chocolate. Meanwhile, heat the cream in a saucepan, bringing it almost to a boil. Turning off the heat, pour the chopped chocolate into the hot cream and stir quickly until it melts, obtaining a homogeneous mixture. Let it cool and place it in the fridge to rest for at least three hours. In the meantime, drain the black cherries from the syrup. Take the dough out of the fridge, take a small portion, shape it into a hollow shape and place a black cherry in the center. Close the dough in the shape of a ball and dip it in the cocoa powder. Place the balls in the refrigerator to firm up, remove them a few minutes before serving.