These homemade chocolate truffles are extra creamy with the addition of butter. After mixing the 4 ingredients together, let the mixture set in the refrigerator, then roll into balls. Follow this homemade truffles recipe and the helpful video tutorial below!
Making homemade chocolate truffles couldn’t be easier and after watching the video tutorial below, you’ll agree with excitement! They come together faster then even homemade peanut butter eggs. Homemade truffles are the perfect quick & easy treat for holidays and I’m right here to guide you along. Ditch the boxed chocolates!
Chocolate lovers, rejoice. 🙂
Chocolate truffles are a deeply indulgent chocolate treat made from chocolate and cream. They’re essentially balls of chocolate ganache. And great news: they sound so much fancier than they are to make!
If you’re making these around Valentine’s Day, I love coating them in pink and red sprinkles. Pair with Valentine’s Day cookies and Valentine’s Day cupcakes for a trio of epic February 14 treats!
Only 2 Ingredients in Chocolate Truffles
Chocolate and heavy cream are the only ingredients in homemade chocolate truffles. However, I add 2 extra ingredients for texture and flavor. These extras will turn your regular truffles into the BEST CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES. And after writing an entire cookbook on truffles and candy recipes, I know that’s a fact!
- Chocolate: 8 ounces of pure chocolate is the base of chocolate truffles. Do not use chocolate chips because they will not melt into truffle consistency. Chocolate chips are great for recipes like chocolate chip cookies where we want the chips to stay mostly intact, but here want to reach for pure chocolate. Pure chocolate is sold in 4 ounce bars in the baking aisle. Use milk chocolate for sweeter truffles or semi-sweet/dark chocolate for extra rich truffles. If using milk chocolate, reduce the cream to 1/2 cup as milk chocolate is much softer than dark chocolate.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream is also a base ingredient. Do not use half-and-half or any other liquid because the truffles won’t set up properly. See recipe note for a non-dairy alternative.
- Butter: 1 scant Tablespoon of softened butter transform these into the creamiest truffles you will ever taste. You will never go back!
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla extract adds exceptional flavor to your chocolate truffles.
With so few ingredients, it’s imperative to follow the recipe. After years of candy making, I find the ratio of 8 ounces of chocolate to 2/3 cup heavy cream is the most favorable. Truffles are too firm with less liquid. Stick to this recipe for truffle success!
How to Make Chocolate Truffles in 5 Steps
- Warm Cream: Pour warm cream over chopped chocolate.
- Do Nothing: Before stirring, let the warm cream and chocolate sit in the bowl for a few minutes. Don’t touch it!
- Stir: Stir until the chocolate is melted.
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate until the mixture is set, about 1-2 hours.
- Roll: Roll into balls and coat in toppings like sprinkles, cocoa powder, or crushed nuts. You can also dip the truffles in melted or tempered chocolate. See my dark chocolate coconut rum truffles post for a video on how to do so. And I have an in-depth explanation for tempered chocolate in Sally’s Candy Addiction if you have a copy.
Sticky Situation: These are extra creamy truffles, which are the most delicious variety. The downside to creamy truffles is that they’re sticky to roll. You can wear rubber gloves or coat your hands in cocoa powder, but here is my #1 trick and it makes rolling SO MUCH EASIER. Scoop the truffle mixture into mounds on a lined baking sheet. (Pictured above.) Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes so the mounds “dry out.” After that, they are a little less sticky to roll. You can watch me do this in the video tutorial.
Troubleshooting Truffles
Even though there are so few ingredients and steps, a couple mishaps can happen. Let me help you troubleshoot through the chocolate truffle recipe.
- The chocolate won’t melt: One trick for successful truffles is to chop the chocolate into very small pieces. The finer the chocolate chunks, the quicker they’ll melt. Additionally, the chocolate might not melt because the cream is not hot enough. Make sure it is simmering warm before pouring over the chocolate. If the chocolate still isn’t melting, place the heat-proof bowl over a pot of 1 inch of simmering water and stir until melted. I usually do this.
- The ganache won’t thicken: Make sure you are using pure chocolate, not chocolate chips, and heavy cream. You can also pour the mixture into a shallow dish so it thickens quicker. And finally, keep it in the refrigerator until thickened.
- The chocolate is greasy and separating: If the truffle mixture is greasy or separating, the heavy cream was too hot.
- The truffle mixture is too sticky: See “Sticky Situation” above.
- Rolled truffles are too dry for toppings: Mash the truffle between your palms and re-roll so it’s sticky enough for the toppings.
By the way, if you love chocolate truffles, you will flip for these peanut butter balls and Oreo balls.
See Your Recipe Success!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge!
Homemade Chocolate Truffles Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 20-24 truffles
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Shaping
- Cuisine: American
Description
These homemade chocolate truffles are extra creamy with the addition of butter. After mixing the ingredients together, let the mixture set in the refrigerator, then roll into balls. You can coat in your favorite toppings and add lots of fun flavors, too! The mixture gets a little sticky, so refer back to my tips in the blog post above.
Ingredients
- two 4-ounce quality chocolate bars (226g), very finely chopped*
- 2/3 cup (160ml) heavy cream*
- optional: 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- optional: 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- toppings: unsweetened cocoa powder, sprinkles, crushed nuts, melted or tempered chocolate
Instructions
- Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the heavy cream until it is simmering. You can heat it on the stove or in the microwave.
- Add the butter, if using, to the chocolate and pour the heavy cream evenly on top. Let the warm cream and chocolate sit for 5 minutes minutes. Add the vanilla extract then stir until the chocolate has completely melted. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface (to avoid condensation) and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Tip: Pour into a flat shallow dish, such as a 8×8 inch baking pan, so the mixture evenly and quickly sets.
- Scoop the set truffle mixture into 2 teaspoon-sized mounds. This cookie scoop is the perfect size. For larger truffles, 1 Tablespoon size mounds. Roll each into balls. This gets a little sticky, so see my tips above.
- Roll each into toppings, if desired. Truffles taste best at room temperature!
- Cover tightly and store truffles at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze up to 3 months with or without toppings. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature, if desired, before enjoying.
- Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare the truffle mixture through step 3. The mixture must chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours or up to 3 days. If chilling for longer than 4ish hours, let the mixture sit on the counter for several minutes to soften into scoop-able consistency.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Small Cookie Scoop | 8×8 Pan (optional but helpful when chilling the chocolate mixture)
- Chocolate: Use pure chocolate, the kind sold in 4 ounce bars in the baking aisle. Do not use chocolate chips. The higher quality chocolate you purchase, the better your truffles will taste. I love Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands. If you want to splurge, Scharffen Berger is exceptional! Semi-sweet or dark chocolate make a very intense chocolate truffle and milk chocolate yields a sweeter truffle. If using milk chocolate, reduce the cream to 1/2 cup as milk chocolate is much softer than dark chocolate. Do not use white chocolate in this recipe because it’s too thin. Here is a white chocolate truffles recipe to use instead. You can leave out the lime flavoring.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream or heavy whipping cream is the only liquid that will melt the chocolate into the proper truffle consistency. Do not use half-and-half or milk. The only non-dairy substitute is canned full-fat coconut milk (not the refrigerated kind). Shake it up and use in the recipe as you would heavy cream.
- Butter and Vanilla Extract: Both are optional, but butter makes truffles extra creamy and vanilla extract adds wonderful flavor.
- Flavors: Instead of vanilla extract, use 1/2 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon (depending how strong of a flavor you want) raspberry, coconut, orange, peppermint, or strawberry extract. Or leave out the extract and add 1-2 Tablespoons of your favorite liqueur. I also have hazelnut truffles and key lime truffles recipes too!
- Halved/Doubled: Recipe can easily be halved, but I do not recommend doubling. Instead, make 2 separate batches.
Keywords: chocolate truffles
Hi I am looking to make some truffles for Christmas and I would love to make these ahead of time, could you advise how long they will last?
Thank you
You can store truffles at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage see the freezing instructions in the recipe notes.
Any suggestions of brands for the chocolate? I know good quality but Id love to know some favorites! Thank you!
Hi Patty, we love Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands. If you want to splurge, Scharffen Berger is exceptional!
Hi,
Can’t wait to try making these truffles!
What is the pretty pink coating you have on some of them, please?
Thank you!
Harriet
Hi Harriet, They are pink sprinkles 🙂
Excellent recipe, thank you! I would like to add raspberry jam along with an extract. How much would you suggest adding to this recipe? I don’t want them to be too soft or liquidy. Thanks!
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Hi Carol, While you can certainly try, I fear that the truffles won’t set with the addition of jam.
Could flavour extracts be added to these for various flavours? Such as cherry, mint, strawberry, etc. If yes how much would you add for this recipe?
Yes! See recipe note #6 for details.
Love the recipe! Made them today and the consistency was great! Only issue I’m having is they are melting super fast in my hand when I try to roll them. I even put them in the fridge to help with the stickiness snd it didn’t do anything. Any ideas??
Hi Megan, See the above paragraph “Sticky Situation.” You can leave them in the refrigerator longer before rolling and I recommend working in batches and taking a few out of the refrigerator at a time to roll!
Do these set up well enough to package for gifts? Do they need to remain refrigerated due to the cream?
Hi Denise, They make wonderful gifts! They can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. For longer storage see recipe notes.
Hi Sally. I have tried making truffles before but they were too soft so couldn’t get them to roll into balls. Now I have seen your recipe, I will try again but have couple of questions if you don’t mind. I used Belgium chocolate chips, would you say not to use these chips even though it’s good chocolate. Also, at what point do you add flavouring as I tried whiskey into the ganache but could hardly taste it once Chocolates were set. ( I used moulds for the whiskey chocolates). Thank you for your time. Carol xx
Hi Carol, Chocolate chips usually contain a stabilizer that helps them maintain their shape when heated – perfect for in cookies and cakes but it prevents them from melting smoothly together here. For flavors you would add them in step 3 of the recipe when you add the vanilla. See the recipe notes for details.
Hi, we made it but accidently forgot to halve the cream(as we were halving everything else). It is way too liquidy and we dont have any more chocolate,we tried putting it in the freezer but i do not know if that will help.
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Hi Mimi, Unfortunately with two times as much cream there isn’t really a way to get them to set properly. Let us know if you try it again!
Explanation of recipes is too goo.. thanks a lot for sharing…i made chocolate truffle..its so yummy n mouthwatering.. thank you…
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Greetings from Brazil!
These truffles are absolutely delicious!
By the way, the one covered in sprinkles reminds me of a very popular Brazilian treat named brigadeiro. It’s made of condensed milk (one can or 395 g), cocoa powder (2 tbps) and optionally milk (300 mL) and butter (25g). Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat and keep steering until the mixture is thick enough so you can see the bottom of the pan (it takes about 15 minutes if the optional milk is added, otherwise it’s ready quickly). We then let it cool and and roll into chocolate sprinkles, just like the truffle. The end result is a very rich, chocolate-y and sweet confection. Give it a try, you’ll love it!
Hi Sally,
Really loved your post on truffles and the way you have explained it’s really amazing. I am thinking of making truffles but wanted to ask you if I can use compound chocolate to make them as it is easily available where I stay.
Keep it up…. Love from India
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Hi Pooja, We haven’t tested it but some readers have and reported back great results. Let us know if you try!
So easy and quick to make and taste yummy!
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Hi Sally, thank you for your recipe. Can I use coconut cream instead of coconut milk? Do I need any adjustments?
Some readers have successfully replaced heavy cream with coconut cream with no other adjustments!
Hi Sally! I would just like to ask how much is the fat content of the heavy cream you used? I can’t choose between 35% and 36% :/ can you tell me which is better? Thank you!
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Hi! Heavy cream is usually around 36%. Either the 35 or 36% would be fine here.
I made these because I had a leftover potato. Except, I made the fatal mistake of not mashing it well. Just popped it in the microwave, mashed for 1 minute, and it turned out terrible. Please don’t make the same mistake I did. Had to revive it with heavy cream, but then they were delicious after that!
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I love this recipe! It’s simple, quick, and very delicious.
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These turned out lovely! I used Scharffen Berger semisweet dark chocolate (62%) and the dreamy, creamy texture of the finished product was outstanding. I added the optional vanilla and burst and I think it really boosts the flavor. I used salted butter because I salt enhances the other ingredients and will give a dessert more depth of flavor. I rolled half in hazelnuts that I chopped up and then toasted in a pan, and the other half got dipped into melted Ghirardelli vanilla coasting candy (tastes kinda like white chocolate). I will make again!
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I made these for my grandma’s birthday. She could not have been more impressed, saying they were better than other truffles she’d had and asking me to make them every year for her! I was worried the recipe wouldn’t turn out right, because I accidentally used less chocolate than was required, but it turned out fine after all. You will not regret making these!!
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Hi! I just made this with Baker’s Semi sweet chocolate but with coconut milk and butter but it turned out so soft and unrollable. Can you help me with this?
I would try reheating it all over a double boiler then stir in more chocolate so it’s a little sturdier.
Is there any difference on heating it on a double broiler and reheating it in a microwave on a 10sec interval?
I made these truffles. I rolled them out and put on a lined cookie sheet and put in the fridge. They are still very soft and sticky. I’m afraid if I let them sit out they spread and flatten. Any tips?
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Hi Beth, What type of chocolate are you using? Milk chocolate is much softer so if you are using milk chocolate see the recipe notes about reducing the cream.
Hi!! I just try to make your recipe and the batter is sooo sticky, I left it in the refrigerator all night and is so soft i used guittard chocolate and heavy cream, I can’t make the balls, can you help me?
Hi Estefania, See the paragraph called “Sticky Situation” above in the post for my best tips. Also note that if you are using milk chocolate you need to reduce the cream – see recipe notes.
I am using dark compound chocolate with 35% fat. In fact even when kept in the freezer they don’t turn completely hard. Can still be pressed out of shape by hand.. I love how easy and delicious these truffles are and hope to male a lot of them. Hope you can help!
These taste awesome! I just made a batch but the truffles seem to soften up almost immediately out of the fridge, by the time I have rolled them into balls and coated them. How do I get them to stay firm at room temperature?
I’m so glad you enjoyed the taste, Anu. What type of chocolate are you using? If using milk chocolate, reduce the cream to 1/2 cup as milk chocolate is much softer than dark chocolate.
I just tried this recipe today…it is great!! I rolled mine in red sugar. YUMMY! Thanks!
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Have you ever added protein powder to these? My son is a runner and underweight and I wanted to add almond flour or protein powder. Do you think that would work? Do you think I should modify any other ingredients if I do?
Hi Cathy, I don’t recommend adding extra ingredients to these truffles. But your son might be interested in these healthy truffles which use whole almonds (or almond flour works since it’s all going into a food processor) and you can try subbing in some protein powder for the cocoa powder although I haven’t tried it.
Great recipe! Not at all fussy. I coated mine with crushed freeze dried strawberries for Valentine’s Day. Thank you for sharing your expertise.
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Wondering if I can use half semi sweet chocolate and half bittersweet chocolate to make the truffles?
Thank you !
Absolutely!
Hi! I plan on making these for Valentine’s Day. I only have 6 oz of baking chocolate. I was planning on using coconut milk, as well. How much coconut milk should I use with the reduced chocolate amount? I want to make sure I get the ratio just right.
Hi Lauren, Sounds like you want to use 75% of the amount of chocolate so use only 75% of the milk also! Or you can simply use 4oz of chocolate and simply cut the recipe in half 🙂
Hey Sally,
Love your recipes. I’m trying to make white chocolate truffles. When I go to white chocolate truffles that is with your chocolate truffle recipe it takes me to key lime truffles. What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance.
Hi Susan, For white chocolate truffles follow the instructions for the Key Lime Truffles but leave out the lime flavoring.