Desserts
Dark chocolate truffles with cocoa
Dark chocolate, cream and butter ganache with a thin cocoa coating: twenty pieces and complete chilling times.
- Total time
- 202 min
- Servings
- 20
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Cuisine
- French-inspired
Ingredients
Ganache
Coating
Method
Prepare and weigh
Wash your hands and prepare scales, knife, heatproof bowl, small saucepan, spatula, shallow lidded container and tray lined with baking parchment. Weigh 200 g plain dark chocolate bar with 70 % cocoa, without filling or compound coating, and finely chop into the dry bowl. Weigh 100 g pasteurized liquid whipping cream with 36 % fat, 20 g unsalted butter and 10 g natural unsweetened cocoa. Cut butter into small cubes and soften for about 20 minutes; weigh and chop during the first 5 of that interval. Keep cream refrigerated until heating. Do not add sugar, vanilla, liqueur, nuts or extra chocolate.
Heat the cream without reducing it
Put the 100 g cream in the saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes until steam and small bubbles appear around the edge. Remove before a vigorous boil: the aim is heating, not reducing or boiling for several minutes. Carefully pour all hot cream over the chopped chocolate, avoiding burns. If heating takes longer, add actual time; watch the saucepan throughout heating.
Emulsify with butter
Leave chocolate covered by cream for about 2 minutes without stirring. Then stir from the center with a spatula for about 3 minutes, incorporating the 20 g soft butter until ganache is uniform, without visible pieces or separated oil. Do not whip or add unweighed liquid. If pieces remain, gently warm the bowl over barely hot water without letting its base touch the water, stir gently and add extra time; keep water out. If not homogeneous, review chocolate type and temperature before continuing.
Chill the ganache covered
Transfer all ganache to a shallow container, cover and refrigerate at 4 °C or below for about 120 minutes until firm but scoopable. Chill this small quantity promptly rather than leaving it lukewarm outside. Perishables must be refrigerated within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32 °C. If too soft, extend chilling and add actual time.
Shape and coat the truffles
Use clean dry hands and utensils. Weigh the actual chilled ganache and divide by 20 for similar portions; the initial 320 g ganache would suggest about 16 g per center, but is not a measured final yield. Shape slightly irregular balls without warming them too much with your hands. Use the reserved 10 g cocoa in a small dish for a thin coating, without additional melted chocolate. Allow about 20 minutes. If ganache is too hard, wait about 5 minutes before shaping and add them; if softening, chill again. The estimate includes all weighed cocoa; if some remains, weigh the retained amount before confirming nutrition and do not force its incorporation.
Firm up in the refrigerator
Place all truffles in one layer on baking parchment inside a clean container, cover and refrigerate at 4 °C or below for about 30 minutes until they hold their shape. Do not freeze to shorten the process or add more cocoa. Add actual extra chilling time if needed. Twenty pieces; keep covered until serving.
Serve and store
Allow about 2 minutes to serve only the pieces needed; serve 1 truffle per serving, twenty pieces. The 330 g is the initial sum of ingredients. The total is 202 minutes: softening and preparation 20, heating 5, resting and mixing 5, first chill 120, shaping and coating 20, second chill 30 and serving 2. Store covered at 4 °C or below. Eat within 24 hours. Do not reuse plate leftovers or judge safety by smell; count all time outside refrigeration.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Nutrition facts
One truffle; 20 pieces
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 5 g
- Fat
- 6.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 4.1 g
- Fiber
- 1.3 g
- Sugars
- 2.6 g
- Sodium
- 3.6 mg
Nutrition information estimated from the ingredients (USDA FoodData Central). Brands may vary.
Reference source: USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
Ganache truffles made with dark chocolate, pasteurized cream, butter and natural cocoa. 20 individual pieces in 202 complete minutes including both chilling periods.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use milk chocolate, white chocolate or chips?
Not as a direct substitution. The recipe uses a plain dark chocolate bar with 70 % cocoa; changing chocolate requires reviewing the cream and butter ratio. Chips may contain ingredients affecting melting. The USDA calculation is generic for 70–85 %, not analysis of the chosen brand.
What if ganache is too soft or hard?
Chill soft ganache longer until scoopable and add actual time. If very hard, let it soften briefly before shaping while observing storage limits. Review brand, fat and emulsion; do not improvise unmeasured additions. Include additional pauses.
How long does it take and how is it stored?
It takes 202 minutes, including preparation, heating, resting, both chills, shaping and serving. Add extra actual time. Store at 4 °C or below and refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32 °C. Eat within 24 hours; room-temperature storage is not guaranteed.
