Easy Truffles

This is the fastest and easiest recipe for making delicious, perfectly flavored chocolate truffles.  Customize the flavors and toppings to suit your exact tastes.  You'll get hooked on trying to come up with the perfect combinations, and your friends and family will be more than happy to help judge their favorites! 

Today I share with you my experience making a recipe from the Martha Stewart website.  I offer the original recipe, and suggestions on how to make it even simpler and faster.  I hope you have as much fun making these delightful little treats as I did.  I can't wait to experiment with more daring flavor fusions.  Hot peppers, here I come. . .

A small box or bag of truffles makes a great gift.  With this recipe, you'll be able to whip out a batch in no time that your last-minute recipient will be convinced you spent hours on.  No one needs to know!

Step 1: Supplies

The ingredients Martha suggests are as follows:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Five strips 1-inch-wide orange peel, pith removed
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup sifted cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup finely chopped assorted nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, and pistachios

To simplify I suggest replacing orange rind with a splash of juice, if you have it around, and cardamom for your favorite seasoning that you also happen to have around.  I found those to be the two ingredients that left me with stuff I had to figure out how to use up.  (Yes,  in the end, I just ate the orange.  But I prefer Satsumas.)  In the end though, I admit, the cardamom added a killer flavor, and I'm excited to find ways to use it up. 

Also the heavy cream can be replaced with evaporated milk, giving you the ability to replace some of the fat as well!

Comments

[NetNed]

I commend you for a fast way to make truffles. Traditionally the truffles are rolled in chocolate before coating which makes them more manageable to get the coating to stick and easier to handle when eating. Also for flavor alcohol in the form of brandy, amaretto (almond) , cointreau (orange) or cognac is often used and it imparts flavor in a much easier way. If children are eating, then you might not want to use it, but really you don't use that much.

If you go to hulu and look for a video from Alton Brown's good eats show it might be a little more informative then the Martha Stewart one was. Although his recipe takes more time he does break down how and why things are done plus has some really good tips to make the whole process go as smooth as possible. They could be easily incorporated in to yours if you see fit.

[HSLINKS]

 I have been making a truffle for years (I called it fudge the first few years cause they didn't know what I was talking about). I use the small muffin tins and papers and its easier than even doing the balls with scoop

I get bored and make up various combos and let others come up with some too. The recipients have been more and more adventuresome as time goes by. My fav is german choc with carmel yummm 

Two years ago I had a request for white choc, lime and halenpeno. I thought he was nuts but actually had 5 others that wanted it.

Last year the conf sugar (short cut) had higher than normal amount of corn starch and it ruined the texture - gave a thin coating - sorta like a pastille. So no white choc last year.

New neighbor plowed me out and loves white choc hopefully the conf sugar is good this year or I will be grinding from scratch

Ria

[scoochmaroo]

Those sound awesome.
So you melted white chocolate with cream that was infused with lime + jalapeno?

I too have been having bad luck with 'off' batches of white chocolate.  I'm switching back to Merkens brand.

[scoochmaroo]

Great suggestion!  I <3 AB so will definitely have to check it out!

[HSLINKS]

 first batch I didnt have lime flavoring so I cooked it down till I had what I needed (watch out for water content it makes it grainy) ..

I also cooked down the peppers and made it from scratch .. I did try a cheater batch using powdered chipolte - liked the flavor but it was harder to taste test for amount

I usually use Ghiredelli (sp) choc but have noticed that it is harder to melt evenly .. I seriously wonder if they changed their formula and are either using more wax or different type .. I found some from 3 yrs ago and it melts fine so think something else has changed

use a silicon spatula and work the white choc, I found if I pour off the well melted into a double boiler then work the stuff that doesn't want to melt right

I picked up new conf sugar will check it later for consistency
Ria

[nycdesigner]

 Only the white or milk chocolate will seize when some watery substance is added. Dark chocolate is fine.

One of my fave recipes for cream cheese frosting uses a few ounces of dark chocolate melted with 3T of strong, brewed coffee. Once melted and whisked, it then is mixed into the cream cheese/butter/sugar part.

What you're essentially making with the cream/chocolate is ganache. Different ratios produce different "softnesses" of the original chocolate.

You can make white/milk versions of the filling by only using the cream (spice/rind ok) and no watery liquids.

One tip is to have the cream boiling, and then pour over the chips, or coarsely-chopped chocolate, then cover with a plate and rest for 10 minutes. Then when you whisk it together, it forms very well into that chocolatey goodness.

[fannyperwata]

Hey, I'm from Indonesia and we don't really have cardamom here. Could you suggest something else to replace it? and what's the effect on the taste? (by not adding cardamom) THANKS!! :D

[valkgurl]

In case anyone ventures here looking for holiday inspiration: For a plain Ganache you can just boil--bring it to a boil don't boil the crap outta it!--Heavy Cream (whipping cream NOT the Ultra Paseurized stuff if you can avoid it) and pour it over your chopped chocolate; cover with a heavy plate or a folded up tea towel and use a pot lid --this is to hold in the heat--and let sit for about 10 mins and blend. Will look "chunky" when you take the lid off but will blend smooth.

If your choc "seizes" ie becomes grainy and hard and funky looking DO NOT PANIC. Stir in a few teaspoons--you might need more but start with this--of either soft (if the cho mix is still HOT--or melted butter or shortening or coconut oil. Stir until it all melts AGAIN. If you don't have any butter etc use HOT CREAM.

I have read that you can add in some HOT coffee or other HOT liquid and if you keep doing this and stirring it might relax. I have not done this.

You can infuse almost anything into your cream and let it sit as long as it is not something that will go bitter or funky.

You can also use ganache--the melted choc-cream infusion--to FILL and FROST cakes or cookies. Just do it before it gets to the firm -scoop -for -truffles stage-

Buche De Noel recipes sometimes do this and then add a cream layer on top of the ganache for the "log" effect.

You can also melt dark chocs in a double boiler and add some corn syrup and spread it out on a sheet of wax paper and chill---if you "scramble" the top of it you can use for bark decorations.

Can see we are working towards holiday cooking here!!!!!

Great recipe tho! And I don't even LIKE Martha!

[tigerbomb8]

these are nice with honeycomb

[bowow0807]

i made a variation the first time i made this and it was delicious, although i need to work on a formula similar to pro bakers percentages like chocolate 100%, cream 40%, and so on. . . because my truffles anded up too soft that drooped at room temp aka 80F or 27C

[Madeline1992]

does this step influence the flavour? I don't like a chocolate-and-orange flavour so should I choose something else than orange or could I just skip the entire step?

[scoochmaroo]

I say skip it!

[joforestqueen]

I grind them in a heavy marble mortar and pestle and it works really well. These look delicious by the way!

[LilithAvalon]

Try raspberry extract instead of orange rind. It's so good with the chocolate.

[minderbinder]

The truffles were delicious. I didn't have any cardamom so I did one batch with cayenne and one with cinnamon. They were both good, but I think if you choose to add orange juice instead of the peel, you need to add more chocolate than this recipe calls for. In the first batch I used the 8oz and they sort of don't want to stay in their ball formation, but want to sort of deflate... The second I added more chocolate. They stay better, but still not well enough.

[SugarTeen52]

 Hi! I have a somewhat important question. How much does this recipe make? How many truffles of the size you made them? Thanks!

[scoochmaroo]

About 2 dozen

[SugarTeen52]

 Thanks!

[maxman]

Do you use the seeds or the pods?  

[scoochmaroo]

Just the seeds.

[batgerl]

I use this SCOOP to make my truffle balls more "magically" round! :)

[scoochmaroo]

Yeah, I need a scoop.

[Foaly7]

Hehe. A little Alliteration there. Scooch needz a Scoop.

[scoochmaroo]

I got one! I went out yesterday and got me a scoop.  Now I just have to find a way to justify how expensive it was. . .
I will label it Scooch's Scoop in every I'ble I use it for, in honor of you!

[Foaly7]

That -----Is----- Awesome-----. :]

[rustyjack]

 OH wow i have 1 already. Sweet

[colmstead2008]

 Cardamom is an essential flavor ingredient in "Chai" recipes.
Here is a "recipe" (proportions only) for a combination of dry, finely ground spices.  The units are carefully unlabeled. I use 1/8 teaspoon measures.  You can use any amount from "pinch" to "pound" and store your mix.  I then use a "big pinch" of this mix in a single cup of tea to make my own Chai. 
8 cardamom
8 cinnamon
6 ginger
3 black pepper
2 cloves
1 nutmeg
1 chinese 5 spice
1/2 allspice
1/2 mace
1/2 white pepper

[stroncium]

I live in Russia. And "Chai" is Russian word which translates as tea. And it's just a tea. I never seen such strange mixes of spices.

[colmstead2008]

The "Chai" I mean comes from the term "Chai Masala" or "Masala Chai."  That is a beverage that uses black tea as a base, and then adds a huge amount of tea and some sort of heavy milk.  It is supposed to be from India.  Here in the US, most people who favor the drink have no idea how to make it, and every recipe is someone else's best guess, as is mine.  Most drinkers just buy a carton of very expensive "secret formula" concentrate to take home and dilute.  The term for it has been shortened to  "Chai" and it is treated as a very romantic, exotic beverage.  If one means to order plain tea, then that's the word we use for it.  You are right, it is a strange mix--meant to recapture the pepper and body of the tea that I only find in an Indian restaurant. 

[mantticore]

 Chai Masala has more than one flavors, depending on the spices you use. But the basics are always the same: fat milk, sugar, ginger and  black tea. As for spices, you can add whatever you like. 

[mikelz]

@NetNed: You can use liquor without worrying about the kids. The alcohol boils off at around 140 degrees.

[jack ruby]

 Scooch! You devilish vixen of vicey victuals! 
I tried out your recipe, mashed up with Alton Brown's. Good stuff. I was very popular on valentine's day :)
I used champagne and frozen mixed berries, orange & clove (because I hate cardamom), and mint. 

All turned out beautifully. 
Thanks for the inspiration

[scoochmaroo]

Why thank you!
I'm glad it came out well ;)

[piratethekissingrain]

 I found that if I took the pod and squished it with the side of a knife it popped open and was easier for me to get the seeds.

[betaj]

 I found it sooooo hard to make the truffles into balls.  I tried rolling them in my hands but the chocolate was far too sticky.

I finally found a tip on the net, to just keep a bowl of cold water next to you, and always dip your hand in it before rolling the chocolate....this keep the chocolate from sticking to your hands and makes the truffles really nice and smooth :))

[adapt]

 i was going to make mexican hot chocolate truffles (chili powder, cinnamon and a tiny bit of cayenne), but then wussed out at the last minute! drat!

[karlpinturr]

Them Truffles sure look good, Scooch! My Dad likes Rum Truffles, so I might see if I can get some flavouring (he's petrified about drink-driving, so won't touch them if he thinks there's ANY alcohol) ready for Father's Day - whenever that is this year.
Now, about yours not being as easy to roll as you thought - perhaps the freezer was a bit too much? Or you just left them a little too long? I'd suggest you take them out a couple of minutes earlier and/or leave them to warm back up for a couple...
Finally, does anyone know if 'heavy cream' is what we Brits call 'double' (or 'whipping') cream? - if not, then what? Thanks.

[duck_tape_]

I'm pretty sure double cream is heavier than heavy cream.

[karlpinturr]

Thanks all! - I've done a bit of trawling, and found the following on epicurious.com:
cream
n.  Upon standing, unhomogenized milk naturally separates into two layers — a MILK FAT-rich cream on top and almost fat-free (or skimmed) milk on the bottom. Commercially, the cream is separated from the milk by centrifugal force. Almost all cream that reaches the market today has been pasteurized. There are many varieties of cream, all categorized according to the amount of milk fat in the mixture. Light cream, also called coffee or table cream, can contain anywhere from 18 to 30 percent fat, but commonly contains 20 percent. Light whipping cream, the form most commonly available, contains 30 to 36 percent milk fat and sometimes stabilizers and emulsifiers. Heavy cream, also called heavy whipping cream, is whipping cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent. It's usually only available in specialty or gourmet markets. Whipping cream will double in volume when whipped. Half-and-half is a mixture of equal parts milk and cream, and is 10 to 12 percent milk fat. Neither half-and-half nor light cream can be whipped.

The site gives a copyright nod to Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/tools/fooddictionary/entry?id=2121#ixzz0fKanhfpD

 So, it seems I need to look for as high a fat content as I can, rather than being blinkered by our different terminologies...

Thanks again!

[mr_eand1der]

Over here in the 'States, whipping cream and heavy cream are basically the same thing, but things can get quite confusing since mainstream dairies will sometimes add things like carrageenan, polysorbate-80, di-glicerides and tri-glicerides to both-- all of which are thickeners that (they think) make it easier to whip cream.

Basically double-cream sounds about right, since I'm assuming "regular" (or single?) cream might be what we call "light cream" here.  If you whip heavy cream long enough, you'll get butter, but if you whip light cream, you'll get butter in watery clumps.  Or at least I did.  :^o