Recently our whole family—eleven of us—attended the Perugina Scuola del Cioccolato (Perugina School of Chocolate) for a hands-on cooking class. It was a memorable experience, and while I’ll share more about the visit soon, I wanted to give you the simple Chocolate Truffles recipe we all made together.

I hadn’t made truffles in years and had forgotten how quick and easy they are. Even our four- and five-year-old grandsons helped shape some lovely truffles, which shows how approachable this recipe is. We made classic truffles from chocolate ganache, then rolled them in unsweetened cocoa for a traditional finish.

There was plenty of spoon-licking (Perugina chocolate is delicious), and a few sticky fingers, but every family member walked away with a tray of truffles to take home.

If you like, you can roll these smooth, rich truffles in chopped nuts, powdered sugar, or dip them in tempered chocolate for a glossy coating. The ganache itself is easily flavored: add a tablespoon or two of your favorite liqueur, extract, or fold in finely chopped nuts or citrus zest for variation.

This recipe is based on what we learned at the Perugina school. While they taught us how to temper chocolate at the class (a fun—if messy—activity for the kids), tempering isn’t necessary for making these truffles. I used Perugina dark chocolate after our visit to their factory, but any high-quality dark chocolate will yield excellent results.

Rolling the truffle in cocoa.

Four year old Matthew takes his chocolate tempering VERY seriously!

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Yield:
Makes 12 to 18

Prep Time:
20 minutes

Cook Time:
15 minutes

An easy basic recipe for chocolate truffles that you can adapt with different flavors and coatings.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tablespoons flavoring of your choice (liqueur, extract, or finely chopped nuts)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling

Instructions

1. Place the chopped chocolate, heavy cream, and your chosen flavoring in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water (double boiler). Stir gently until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
2. Remove the bowl from the heat and chill the ganache in the refrigerator until it is slightly firm but still scoopable.
3. Use a pastry bag with a large tip to pipe 1½-inch mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment, or form mounds using two spoons. For a uniform shape, scoop with a small cookie scoop and quickly roll between your palms.
4. Return the truffle mounds to the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, until firm enough to handle without losing shape.
5. Spread the cocoa powder on a plate. Quickly and gently shape each truffle into a round ball, then roll it in the cocoa to coat. Avoid overhandling to keep the truffles neat.
6. Arrange the finished truffles on a baking sheet lined with clean parchment and refrigerate for 10–15 minutes before serving.
7. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature for a few minutes before serving for the best texture and flavor.

Did you make this recipe?

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