Jasmine Tea Truffles

Hello! Welcome to this Instructable on how to make Jasmine Tea truffles. This process will show how to make the centers of truffles, also known as ganache and the process for tempering chocolate in order to dip them. Instead of using Jasmine tea, you could also substitute it with a different tea.  It may require experimenting to choose a tea that can stand out from the chocolate. Enjoy!

For more information about Socola Chocolates, the author of this Instructable, check out our website www.socolachocolates.com. You can also buy our chocolates online here.

Step 1: Mis en place: Gathering Ingredients and Equipment

The basic truffle is comprised of a few main ingredients: chocolate, cream, butter and invert sugar.  Together these ingredients form the center of the truffle or ganache.  You can choose to infuse your ganache with wide range of flavors.  For example, at Socola we infuse our ganaches with Vietnamese espresso (ca phe sua), fruits and even beer! For this recipe we will do use weight measures since they are more accurate

For the centers (makes about 50 truffles):

• 6 ounces of whipping cream
• 1/4 cup invert sugar*
• 1/4 cup jasmine pearl tea
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
• 10 ounces of chocolate finely chopped (70% dark recommended)

For Tempering or Rolling:

• 16 ounces of chocolate for dipping (6 ounces as seed chocolate)
• or unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling truffles

Equipment:

• parchment paper
• 8-inch square pan
• medium saucepan
• medium stainless steel bowl
• rubber spatula
• offset spatula (if you have it)
• plastic wrap
• mesh sieve
• cheese cloth
• dipping fork if dipping (regular fork will do)

*The main purpose of adding invert sugar is to make the ganache smooth and rich. It also helps the stabilize the form of the ganache. You can find invert sugar at your local candy/baking supply store.

Comments

[JoeFriday517]

Hello,

I have a question as to the type of tea you use. Can we use any kind (flavor) of tea, just as long as it blends in with the chocolate? If so, what kind of tea can be used?

[pyroninja999]

This recipe was very helpful for my global project :) got me extra credit and brought me a huge reputation at school thank you.

[Kintri]

hi, i live in the tropics and i've been trying to make chocolates, but they dont really set at room temp. even after tempering, the chocolate coats are sticky to the touch. Is it the choc I use? I know an additive is added to chocolates sold in the tropics to keep them from melting. Does that make a difference?

[socolachocolates]

Hi Kintri,

Making chocolates in tropical weather is definitely tough, especially with humidity.  You have to ensure that your working environment is between 60 to 70 degrees so that the chocolate will set correctly,

I have seen this done before in Vietnam though. The chocolatier had a special room that was highly air conditioned in order to keep the environment cool enough.  In addition, I've found most of the chocolates need to be stored in the refrigeration in warmer climates as opposed to being stable at room temperature. 

Good luck!

[stephenhightower]

Excellent instructions. One question: How should the dipped truffles be stored?

[socolachocolates]

You should store them at room temperature. If you put them in the refrigerator they might crack or sweat when you take them put and bring them to room temperature. Tempering will allow for them to keep at room temperature.

[Batness]

First photo, second row from the right (round truffles): are these covered with luster dust or something else?

[socolachocolates]

They are covered with luster dust.

[socolachocolates]

Hi there, if you wanted to infuse coffee, I would make the coffee seperate so that the coffee could steep with water and add some instant espresso powder so that the coffee flavor is stronger. I would add it in step 3 after adding in the butter. The recipe would change a little bit since you would not be adding in cream again since you would not be steeping the coffee in the cream.  Hope that helps...

[seriph13]

 water and fats do not mix too well... thats why its says to infuse with the cream

[maryalice318]

I have have question about using loose tea.  When I am steeping tea for drinking use an infuser.  If I used loose tea in this recipe, how would I contain the tea leaves for removal?

[tappan]

I believe she covered that in step 2, last paragraph. 'Strain the cream through a sieve lined with cheesecloth to remove any residual tea.'

Since you are filtering through the cheesecloth, I believe you could even use coffee/espresso grounds to flavor the chocolate as well.

[nehmah]

I have two questions:  1.  What is invert sugar?  and 2.  Are there any flavorings that you find do not work well with this recipe?  I mean from a confectionery standpoint, not personal taste.  Cordially, Nehmah

[Dzakovich000]

lmgtfy.com/

[merijnvw]

 Thanks a lot for posting this, I'll remember it for valentines day next year! I know it's not valentines day yet, but I already made my chocolate present for this year yesterday... I wanted to make a box with things like these but was afraid it would fail so I just made a big chocolate heart with her face in in in white/ brown.
Now can I ask you something? When I melt brown chocolate and let it dry, I get lighter stains on it. How does this happen and how can I prevent it? Thanks a lot.

[noahw]

That's because you've got to temper the chocolate appropriately before you cast it, or dip anything in it.  What you're getting is most likely a sugar or fat bloom.

Check out the chocolate manufacturers website for details on proper tempering instructions, but the basic idea is to heat the chocolate, cool it, then heat it up again before you do the casting and dipping.

Read more on tempering here:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/155/Tempering-Chocolate

[merijnvw]

 okay thanks a lot!

[takco]

Tasty!