Pure, ultimate chocolate indulgence and sinfully delicious! That’s how I describe this Almond Truffles. Although this is basically just a melted chocolate, it’s still 100% better than a regular block chocolate.

What is Chocolate Truffles?

Truffle is a type of chocolate confectionery (candy dessert) usually made with chocolate ganache and coated with chocolate, cocoa powder, nuts, or coconuts. The chocolate is melted with heavy cream and left to harden for easy rolling and shaping. It is a pure chocolate indulgent confectionery dessert that do not require baking. Because this tends to be a very decadent pure chocolate dessert, they usually come is small bite size pieces, shape like a ball. The name ‘truffles’ is derived from the edible fungi ‘Truffles’ .

First, the texture of Truffles are a lot softer and smooth and decadent as compare to a block chocolate. It looks more fancy and elegant too, which makes it a great give away for any occasions.  It looks beautiful, but believe me when I tell you it is very simple to make. I am quite picky when it comes to Truffles, I don’t just get any Truffle I see. In fact, I sometimes avoided buying it because most of the time, I was overwhelmed by the creaminess of the commercialize Truffles.

Tips in Making Chocolate Truffles

1. Use the Right Chocolate and use a good quality that you would love to enjoy eating on it’s own. 50% (and sometimes more) of the chocolate truffle is chocolate ganache which is basically cream and melted chocolate. Having said this, spending few more dollars to get a good quality chocolate is worth it, and in my opinion, is a MUST. Avoid chocolate chips that can have hardening agents. Reserve your chips for making Chocolate Chip Cookie. Look for high quality chocolate 60 – 70% range baking bar chocolate. You can find it in baking aisle, usually mark as Baking chocolate. Chocolate truffles are pure chocolate, so for me a little bitterness is nice, but not too much. You can use milk, dark or white chocolate to make Chocolate Truffles, but you have to take in consideration that semi sweet and white chocolate will be sweeter in taste. When using either of this, it is good to add salt, chopped nuts or chopped dried fruits to lessen the sweetness.
2. Chopped the Chocolate as Fine as Possible, this is a MUST to achieve a smooth texture. Finely chopped chocolate also melts faster when mix with warm cream
3. Warm the Cream, do NOT bring it to a boil. You can warm it up in microwave or on stove top. It should be warm to the touch, it shouldn’t burn your skin. If you warm it on stove top, you should see bubbles from the side and a steam coming out, but not boiling. Too cold and it will not melt the chocolate resulting to clump chocolate. Too hot and it will scald/burn the cream.
4. Chill It, you cannot rush the process. You MUST chill the chocolate ganache to give it enough time to harden and for easy shaping. I personally prefer leaving it on the counter overnight rather than putting it in the fridge. Letting it set on the counter produces smooth texture that is easy to scoop and shape. When you refrigerate it and you forget to take it out, you will end up with a solid hard ganache that is difficult o scoop.
5. Coat It – You can serve it as is, but coating it with cocoa powder, shredded coconuts or chopped nuts make the chocolate truffle even more enjoyable to it. More than that, the layer of coating protects the truffles from bumps, bruises, and moisture in the fridge.

How to Handle Sticky Situation

Do not be surprised that even after chilling the chocolate it will still be sticky when you roll it with your bear hands. That is why, we are not going to roll it with our bear hands. I had made truffles before and I had tried few tricks to get away with sticky situation and this one that I am going to share with you is so far the easiest and cleanest way to roll a truffle. The simple trick .. plastic wrap!. Yes, a simple plastic wrap will make the process easier and cleaner. Say goodbye to sticky wet hands. So here is how you do it. You are going to use the plastic wrap to wrap each portion. Then twist the plastic wrap to help shape the chocolate into a ball size. This way, your hands is not in direct contact with the chocolate, only with the plastic wrap. That is it! Super easy clean way of shaping chocolate truffles without getting your hands dirty. I find this method way better than scooping each portion, letting it chill to dry before rolling.

While other people prefer smooth and plain, I prefer my Truffles with texture. This is why I decided to add chopped Almonds to give it the crunch, and also add the nutty flavor which I like in my chocolate. For me, the Almonds and chocolate is a match made in heaven, they go so well together. Also, by adding chopped Almonds, I don’t feel like I am eating a pure melted chocolate (although this is actually a pure melted chocolate).

Storage

Store truffles in the fridge for up to two weeks. Bring them to room temperature before serving. If making a large batch, use a large container to store the chocolate truffle and put a layer of parchment paper on top before adding the rest of the truffles. Please note that although it can be stored in the refrigerator, keeping it too long there could alter the taste as the days go by. The chocolate will start to form ‘sweats’ thus building moisture on the surface making it sticky. As long as you do not store them longer than 1-2 weeks, it should still be in good condition that is enjoyable to eat.

The addition of Almond made a lot of difference not only to the texture, but most especially to taste and flavor. I also added Almond meal, again to give it slightly grainy texture and more Almond flavor. This is very easy and simple to make, but a sure crowd pleaser. Take your chocolate into a higher level with this Almond Truffles, you will not regret it. Let’s get started!

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces Semi-Sweet chocolate, very finely chopped
• 4 ounces Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate – melted for coating
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted Butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 cup whole Almonds (approximately 50g) – toasted and chopped – set aside 2 tablespoon for toppings
• 4 tablespoon Almond Meal or Almond Flour (ground almond) – If you do not have this, add 3 tbsp finely chopped Almonds instead.

Instructions:

Toast Almonds: To toast them, spread them out on a lined baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes at 300°F (149°C). Let them slightly cool. Manually chop the nuts into small pieces. You can also use a food chopper if you have one. Pay close attention to the texture if you are using a food chopper. You do not want it t be powder fine.

Make Truffle Base:

1. Warm the Cream: Transfer the cream in pan and heat the heavy cream until it is simmering, but NOT boiling. If you start to see bubble on the side of the pan and steam coming out of the cream, that should be good enough. You can also do this in the microwave, 30 – 45 seconds. The cream should be warm to the touch. Turn off the heat and add vanilla extract and butter. Stir until the butter is fully melted.
2. Melt the Chocolate: Place 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate in a bowl. Pour the warm cream. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes without stirring. After 5 minutes, slowly stir until the chocolate has melted. Do NOT stir too fast to avoid bubbles forming. Add Almond flour and chopped Almonds. Cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic wrap touches the surface of the chocolate. This is to avoid a “film” or “skin” forming on top.
3. Chill: Place in the refrigerator until it reaches “scoopable” consistency, about 1-2 hours. Check at 1 hour time. If it becomes to hard (fridge settings could vary), take it out and leave at room temperature until “scoopable” and manageable.
4. Roll: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside. Remove mixture from the refrigerator. Divide the chocolate into 8 portions, scoop it and transfer it in a plate lined with parchment paper.
   • A rolling tip:  Cut a plastic wrap and lay it out in a flat surface. Get 1 portion of chocolate and put it in the center of the plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to wrap and shape the portion into a ball. This way, you do not get direct contact with the chocolate and you do not get your hands sticky. Transfer each ball of chocolate onto the plate lined with parchment paper. Chill in the freezer while you melt the chocolate for coating.

Coat with Chocolate:

1. Melt the remaining 4 ounces of chocolate in the microwave. Place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 15 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Use a deeper bowl, or a measuring glass for easier dipping and coating.
2. Dip each truffle completely into the chocolate using a fork. When lifting the ball out of the chocolate, remember to tap the fork gently on the side of the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Place balls back onto the baking sheet after you dip each one. Sprinkle with remaining Almonds. Drizzle with any leftover chocolate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until chocolate has completely set before serving.

Variations

The beauty of making your own chocolate truffles at home is that you can decide what you want to add to it. You can totally skip the dipping in melted chocolate and go with the classic truffles rolled in finely chopped nuts, crushed cookies, finely chopped candies, shredded coconut, finely chopped dried fruit, sprinkles, cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, or even colored coarse or fine sugar. Instead of using dark or semi-sweet chocolate to coat the truffles, you can use white chocolate for a more sweeter truffles. Chocolate dipped truffles are harder than traditional truffles. So if you are more into soft truffles, skip the melted chocolate dipping and just go for the other options I mentioned earlier. My personal favorite is to roll it in chopped nuts

Makes 8 pieces

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