Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate mixture (ganache)

1. Toast and grind the hazelnuts. Toast the peeled hazelnuts in a dry hot skillet over medium heat, stirring, until they smell pleasantly of roasted nuts. Grind the nuts in a blender into coarse crumbs. Set aside 1 tbsp of ground nuts (8 g) for one of the coating options.

   

2. Set up a double boiler. I use a large pot with a big glass salad bowl set on top. I pour in water almost up to the bottom of the bowl, leaving about 10 mm of space. It works perfectly, and the chocolate melts gently, without lumps or bubbles.

   

3. Melt the chocolate. When the water is hot, break the dark and milk chocolate into the bowl. Turn the heat under the pot down so the water barely simmers, that is enough. Stir the chocolate with a silicone or wooden spatula until it is completely melted and glossy. The mixture is slightly stretchy and smooth.

   By the way, if you were “lucky” enough to buy fake chocolate, it will separate when melted, with a layer of translucent fat floating on top. Real chocolate is smooth and uniform, with no sign of separation.

   

4. Pour the cream into the melted chocolate. I use 33% natural cream. By trial and error I found that 50-60 ml of cream is enough. With less, the ganache will be too firm, and with more, you will have trouble shaping the candies. Stir the mixture with the spatula until it is perfectly smooth and slightly lighter than the original chocolate.

   

5. Add the liqueur and hazelnuts. For truffles with a rich aroma and a delicate flavor, add 1 tbsp of Grand Marnier or Cointreau liqueur and mix thoroughly once more. After that, take the bowl of chocolate mixture off the double boiler. Add the rest of the ground nuts to the hot chocolate mixture and mix well.

   

6. Chill the mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate and put it in the fridge. The mixture should cool completely and become semi-firm, firm enough to shape into candies. Usually 2 or 3 hours is enough.

   Don’t worry, it will not become completely hard. Its consistency will be close to thick mashed potatoes, or even firmer. But it will still be pliable.

   

Shaping and coating

7. Roll the balls. Prepare a flat plate for the shaped candies. A single candy usually weighs 10-12 g, and the listed ingredients make about 30 pieces. A teaspoon helps you portion the chocolate mixture roughly. With dry hands, roll balls from the chocolate, about the size of a small walnut, and place them on the plate.

   

   One way to finish such candies is to dip them in melted chocolate or glaze, which, once set, is rolled in cocoa powder, or they are left in the glaze alone. It’s up to you. I like it better, and it’s simpler, to just roll the candies in a coating.

8. Roll the candies in cocoa. Put 1-2 tbsp of dark cocoa (7–14 g) powder in a bowl and add a few candies. Rocking the bowl, roll the truffles in the cocoa so the coating on the surface is even and velvety.

   

9. Or roll them in nut or chocolate crumbs. Option one: roll the candies in the reserved crumbs of toasted, ground hazelnuts. You get “white” truffles, and they are very tasty. Option two: grate a piece of dark chocolate on a fine grater, add 1 tsp of cocoa (2 g) powder and roll the candies in this mixture. The surface will be slightly “shaggy” and looks very beautiful.

   

Serving

10. Place the candies in paper cups. Candies are usually placed in individual paper cups with fluted sides. You can buy them in a shop, in various colors, in packs of 10-100. The bottom of the cup fits a candy of normal size. Put all the finished candies in the cups and transfer them to a plate, box or serving tray, however you like.

    

11. Put the candies in the fridge for at least an hour so they set completely. After that they are fully ready. They keep for a while in the cold. But since there aren’t many of them, they get eaten in a day or two. Ah, how good black morning coffee is with a truffle!!!