French Chocolate Truffles: rich, buttery and oh so chocolatey, these easy chocolate truffles are an authentic French recipe and perfect for a romantic Valentine’s Day treat!
If you really want to impress your loved one this Valentine’s Day, remember to avoid all the usual clichés : you don’t need to buy the gigantic bunch of roses, the enormous box of mass-produced chocolates, or the 3-feet high teddy bear. You don’t even need to book a table at that over-priced and over-stuffed restaurant. Just make these elegant French Chocolate Truffles with your own two hands, present them to your love and watch their face light up!
These truffles actually come courtesy of my fiancé who is from France, and this is the family recipe his mother and grandmother have been using for many years. When he first made them for me, quite early on in our relationship, I remember how impressed I was with his culinary skills. I mean, how many men will make you fresh chocolate truffles? Little did I know, they not only look incredibly classy, but they are also super easy to make! 😉
As with most French chocolate desserts, the chocolate here is dark and pleasantly bitter. The ingredient list is also pleasingly short – eggs, butter, chocolate and sugar combine to form a rich, squidgy, fudgy mixture which can be shaped by hand into roughly shaped little nuggets. Remember, we are not looking for perfection here.
The little balls of deliciousness can then be rolled in a variety of toppings. In the photo at the top of this post I have shown three different coatings: 100% cocoa powder (the most bitter); Nesquik hot chocolate powder (our favourite); and granulated sugar (which gives a nice litttle crunch).
Just in case you are thinking “oh, but I can just buy a box of truffles from the shop”, stop right there: once you have tried freshly made chocolate truffles you will never go back to store-bought again. They just do not compare.
This recipe will make about 12 truffles but, being greedy little piglets, we usually double the amount as twelve never seems like quite enough 😉
Please note: these truffles contain raw eggs, so please use the best quality, freshest eggs you can find. Products made with raw eggs should be avoided by pregnant women.
French Chocolate Truffles
Prep
Total
Yield 12 truffles
French Chocolate Truffles: rich, buttery and oh so chocolatey, these easy chocolate truffles are an authentic French recipe and perfect for a romantic Valentine's Day treat!
Ingredients
- 250g good quality dark chocolate (about 70% cocoa)
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 raw egg yolks
- 75g butter
- 60g (or as much as needed) cocoa powder (for coating the truffles)
Instructions
- Cut the butter into small pieces so it will melt more easily and set aside.
- Seperate the egg yolks from the whites and set them aside.
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces to ensure even melting.
- Place the chocolate in a pan with the two spoons of milk and melt slowly at the lowest temperature your cooker can manage. Do not be tempted to turn up the heat to hurry the process - the chocolate will seize and turn thick and gritty, ruining the flavour and texture. Stir slowly and gently with a rubber or plastic spatula. Keep the pan uncovered, as condensation will cause the chocolate to spoil. You may also use a bain-marie instead of cooking directly on the hob.
- When the molten chocolate has formed a very smooth paste, remove from the heat and add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each yolk.
- Add the spoon of sugar and mix (70% cocoa is quite bitter!).
- Add the butter and stir until it is melted into the chocolate mixture.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge for several hours to firm up.
- Remove from the fridge, take a spoon of the chocolate mixture and roll with your hands to form a rough ball, about the size of a walnut. Repeat until you have used all the mixture.
- Shake some cocoa powder onto a plate and roll the balls in the mixture until thoroughly coated. If you like bitter chocolate, you may use a 100% cocoa powder. Alternatively, for a sweeter taste, you can use something like Nesquik Hot Chocolate powder, or similar. Granulated sugar is also an option.
- The truffles will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
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