Homemade Dark Chocolate Truffles

Perfect for any special occasion, homemade chocolate truffles taste delicious and are very easy to make. Learn how to make my budget-friendly homemade chocolates using baking chocolate, chocolate chips, and heavy cream. Alternatively, you could use gourmet Lindt and Ghirardelli chocolate to take these truffles to the next level. Either way, you will delight your friends and family by making these homemade chocolate truffles.

Homemade chocolate truffles have two parts, the rich and indulgent chocolate center and the hard exterior chocolate shell. First I make the soft truffle centers, which I then dip into melted chocolate to create the shells.

Ingredients for the Truffle Centers

• 8 oz. (1 cups) bitter unsweetened baking chocolate
• 24 oz. (3 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tbsp. prepared coffee
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla, orange or peppermint extract (optional)

Ingredients for the Chocolate Coating (Shells)

• 8 oz. (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• sprinkles or cocoa powder (optional)

First, gather your ingredients together. You will need unsweetened chocolate, chocolate chips, heavy cream, liquid coffee and a flavoring of your choice. If you want to make dark chocolate truffles, use vanilla extract as the flavoring. Otherwise you can experiment with orange extract, peppermint extract, or raspberry extract to make flavored truffles.

Coarsely chop up the unsweetened chocolate with a knife so it will more easily melt.

Heat the Heavy Cream & Melt the Chocolate

Heat the heavy cream in a sauce pan just until it boils. Once the cream is hot, remove it from the heat. In another bowl, pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips and unsweetened baking chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Mix in the 1 tbsp. coffee and vanilla (or flavoring of your choice).

Heat the heavy cream until bubbly.

Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate while the cream is still hot and stir until fully melted.

Add 1 tbsp. liquid coffee or espresso and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract to the melted chocolate mixture. Stir until fully combined.

Make the Truffle Centers – 3 Methods

The next step depends on which of these 3 methods you choose to form the chocolate truffle centers.

1. Roll the centers: Allow the chocolate mixture to cool for 1 hour at room temperature. It should become a soft solid. If it’s still too liquid, you can chill the chocolate mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. To roll each truffle center, dig out a small scoop of soft chocolate and roll it between your hands to form 1″ balls. Place each ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to fully cool for 30 minutes.

2. Pipe the centers: To pipe the truffle centers, allow the chocolate mixture to cool to a thick liquid. Fit a piping bag with a large tip and fill the bag with the thick chocolate. Pipe each truffle center onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, to create even mounds. Allow the centers to fully cool to room temperature. Finally, roll each truffle center between your hands to create balls of chocolate. Allow the truffle centers to fully cool for 30 minutes before dipping.

3. Use a chocolate mold: My preferred method to make homemade truffle centers is to use a candy mold. You can get one of these half-sphere candy molds on Amazon. It’s super easy to fill each candy mold cavity with the slightly cooled chocolate mixture. Use a spatula to scrape off any extra chocolate. Finally, allow the chocolate to fully cool in the refrigerator before popping each chocolate half out of the mold. Use a dab of melted chocolate to attach each half together to make the finished truffle centers.

Awesome Homemade Chocolate Truffles

You can make these chocolate truffle centers in advance and store them in the refrigerator for weeks until you are ready to dip them in melted chocolate.

Dip the Truffles

Create the hard shells around each chocolate truffle by dipping the truffle centers in melted chocolate.

First, melt chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring between intervals. If you’d rather, you can also melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Mix 1 tbsp. vegetable oil into the melted chocolate to make the melted chocolate flow better.

Next, dip each truffle center into the melted chocolate chips and place each truffle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to dry. I melt the chocolate chips in a glass measuring cup and use a spoon to dip each truffle center. When placing each truffle on the baking sheet, I also use the spoon to create a drizzled swirl pattern on the top of each truffle.

Finally, you can accent the truffles with sprinkles, powdered cocoa powder, or drizzled chocolate. Allow your homemade chocolate truffles to fully dry or set before handling them.

You can speed up the chocolate setting process by placing a baking sheet of dipped truffles in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Homemade chocolate truffles are a delicious dessert for any celebration! Hand-crafted truffles are also great treats for your neighbors, friends and family. Additionally, you can tuck a few dark chocolate truffles into a cute box to give as a gift.

I hope you try making these delicious truffles yourself! Let me know how it goes by leaving a comment below.