Though they may seem fancy, you can easily make truffles yourself. They can be as simple as three ingredients— chocolate, cream, and cocoa. Or they can include many more ingredients (chopped nuts, hazelnut flavor, Kahlua, candied cherries, toffee bars, etc.), but still follow a simple process. Trust me; you can do this.
First, make the truffle centers. Heat the heavy cream and chocolate till the cream is very hot; you'll see tiny bubbles beginning to form.
Stir with a spatula. At first you'll think, no way is this mess going together.
But then, magically, the chocolate starts to absorb the cream.
And before you know it, you have beautifully smooth chocolate ganache — what truffle centers are made out of.
Pour the ganache into a parchment- or waxed paper-lined 9” x 13” pan. Don't spread it out; just let it sit there. Put the pan in the fridge for 60 to 90 minutes, till the chocolate is cold and “scoopable.”
Meanwhile, sprinkle another parchment- or waxed paper-lined pan with cocoa powder. (We recommend our blend of Dutch and black cocoas, Double Dutch Dark Cocoa; its flavor is wonderfully smooth.) Use unsweetened baking cocoa if you want; but be aware the flavor of the truffles will be more biting, as unsweetened baking cocoa is higher in acid than Dutch-process. Make this layer of cocoa very thin; you're using it simply so the truffle centers don't stick to the parchment after scooping.
Scoop the cooled ganache into rough balls. A teaspoon cookie scoop works perfectly here. Or use a melon baller, or a couple of spoons, all of which will be much stickier to work with. But do-able.
As you scoop the balls of ganache, drop them onto the cocoa-sprinkled paper in the pan. Keep scooping until you've used all the ganache.
So now you have a panful of chocolate ganache balls. These are your truffle centers. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, so they're easier to handle. When they're chilled and stiff, first brush off any excess cocoa, then roll them between your palms to make nice, smooth balls. Yes, your palms will quickly become chocolate-covered. Wash your hands when they get too sticky to handle the ganache balls easily. As you roll, any of the cocoa from the parchment that's stuck to the centers will become incorporated.
If you want the truffles' final coat to be a simple layer of cocoa (not melted chocolate), put cocoa in a shallow pan, drop in the truffle centers...
...and gently shake to cover the centers with cocoa.
Now, if instead of coating your truffles with cocoa you want to coat them with melted chocolate and garnish them, here's what to do. Melt 2 cups of chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips) in a microwave-safe bowl till the chips start to droop from the heat. If you can't tell if they're ready, give ’em a stir; if they quickly and easily melt, keep stirring till the mixture is smooth. If they don't melt completely, reheat briefly.
When the melted chocolate is smooth, stir in an additional 2/3 cup unmelted chocolate.
Stir till smooth again. Melting the chocolate in stages like this keeps it from becoming too hot and potentially scorching. This is also a technique for tempering chocolate, e.g., heating it gently to a certain point so that it remains shiny as it cools. That's not exactly what you're doing here, since tempering chocolate takes a candy thermometer, a fine hand, some knowledge of technique, and more time, but this is a handy shortcut.
Next, you're going to dip the truffle centers in the melted chocolate. Remember, this is only if you haven't chosen to just simply coat them with cocoa.
Dip each truffle center in the melted chocolate, letting the excess run off. The chocolate won't be really runny; don't expect it to drip off on its own. You'll actually have to shake off the excess. Reheat very briefly if it thickens too much as you work.
Immediately place the truffles on parchment or waxed paper, and sprinkle with the garnishes of your choice. I used chopped pistachios, nonpareils, sugar decorations, and cocoa nibs (not shown). Let them harden at room temperature, or in the fridge. This will take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours.
And there you have it: lovely homemade truffles, with a beautifully creamy ganache center.
Want to see the whole process in action? Watch this video:
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