Christmas Truffles 

Why You’ll Love This Christmas Truffle Recipe:

• Fudgy and Rich: Chocolate lovers will rejoice in these indulgent truffles! Made with a ganache base, they’re as delicious as you would find at your favorite chocolate shop!
• Surprisingly Simple: If making homemade Christmas chocolate recipes conjures up intimidating thoughts of complicated baking techniques, candy thermometers, and messy kitchens, this holiday truffle recipe will be a refreshing surprise! It’s made in just a handful of easy steps with everyday ingredients. 
• Merry & Bright: With nearly endless decorating options, these holiday treats will add a special festive touch to holiday dessert tables, gift boxes, and cookie trays.

Ingredients

Semi-Sweet Chocolate - The best chocolate for this recipe is the 4-ounce bars of chocolate found in the baking aisle of the grocery store. The higher the quality of chocolate you use, the richer and more indulgent the truffles will be. Good brands are Bakers, Ghiradelli, and (if you want to splurge) Guittard and Scharfen Berger.

Heavy Cream - Also known as heavy whipping cream, this is heated and added to the chopped chocolate to help it melt. It adds moisture and fat, giving the Chocolate Christmas truffles a melt-in-your-mouth texture. You will need ½ cup.

Melting Wafers - These are formulated to melt easily and firm up quickly, making them ideal for coating homemade truffles. Use one or a mixture of colored candy melts or just white or chocolate-flavored. To color candy melts yourself, use vanilla-flavored wafers and add food coloring as desired.

Sprinkles - These optional ingredients add a festive touch, making the extra cheery chocolate for Christmas. Red, white, and green colored sprinkles, nonpareils, sanding sugar, or other holiday-themed sprinkles are all great picks.

Equipment: 

Cutting Board & Sharp Knife - Use a sharp knife, such as a serrated or chef’s, to chop the chocolate bars into fine pieces. 

Measuring Cups & Spoons - These are used to measure the ingredients. If needed, you can also scoop the truffle mixture with the tablespoon.

Heat-Safe Bowl - Such as a glass or ceramic mixing bowl. Though this won’t go in the microwave, it will come in contact with hot cream, so it needs to be heat-resistant.

Silicone Spatula - This is used to stir the melted chocolate and the candy wafers. If needed, you can also use a spoon.

Melon Baller and dipping tool - Optional tools for easier scooping and dipping. Otherwise, just use a measuring spoon or dinner spoon and a fork or two. I made the batch shown with neither specialty tool, so rest assured they're optional.

Baking Sheet or Cookie Sheet - Once rolled and decorated, the Christmas chocolate balls will cool and set on a medium or large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If needed, they can also set on a dinner plate.

Chop Chocolate.

Using a sharp knife, chop the chocolate bars into small pieces so they melt easily. Place the chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl.

Make Ganache.

Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave on medium until just simmering. Add the hot cream to the bowl of chopped chocolate. Stir the cream and chocolate until it is smooth and melted. 

Chill Ganache.

Cover the bowl of ganache and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm but scoopable.

Roll Truffles.

Wash your hands, they're about to get messy. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the ganache mixture, roll it into a ball, and place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the ganache.

Melt Wafers.

Add the melting wafers to a microwave-safe bowl. Melt them in the microwave in 30-second increments or per the package directions, and stir until smooth and melted.

Decorate Holiday Truffles.

Using the melted wafers, decorate the truffles as desired. You can dip, drizzle, roll directly in sprinkles, dip and drizzle, or add sprinkles to dipped and/or drizzled truffles. If drizzling the topping, place the melted wafers in a zip-top bag and cut a small hole in the corner to drizzle.

Allow the wafer coating to set, and enjoy!

Recipe Success Tips

• Use chocolate bars, not chips. Many brands of chocolate chips have added stabilizers that can inhibit the melting process. For the smoothest melting, use a chocolate bar.
• Chop the chocolate finely. Small pieces of chocolate melt the fastest when they come in contact with the hot cream. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and add to the heat-safe mixing bowl. Give the mixing bowl a few good shakes; thanks to the Brazil nut effect, any large pieces of chocolate will rise to the surface for further chopping. 
• Don’t boil the cream. It needs to be hot enough to melt the chocolate. Boiling it can risk thickening the cream or separating the chocolate, so remove it from heat as soon as steam rises from its surface.
• Use a double boiler if needed. If the chocolate doesn’t melt from the heat of the cream alone, you can also heat and stir it over a double boiler until smooth. Make a double boiler by placing the heat-safe bowl over a pan of 1-2 inches of simmering water, being careful not to let the bow of chocolate come in contact with the water.
• For smoother truffles, use a melon baller. This helps to make smoother ganache scoops and makes them more uniform. 
• Prevent the truffles from sticking. If the truffles stick to your hands, wear plastic gloves or coat your hands in cocoa powder. 
• Work quickly with the candy coating. It can set quickly, sometimes in as little as 5 minutes, so work briskly, especially if topping the truffles with sprinkles.

Recipe Variations

• Use different chocolate. For more mild truffles, use milk chocolate. To make them deeper and richer, use dark chocolate or part semi-sweet and part bitter-sweet chocolate.
• Add extracts, spices, or liqueur. Add flavor to the Christmas chocolate truffles by adding peppermint, almond, raspberry, brandy, coconut, coffee, rum, orange, or vanilla extract to taste after melting the chocolate. For a spicy kick, stir in a pinch or two of cayenne pepper. Make Mexican chocolate truffles by whisking in ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Or, add a boozy finish with a splash of liqueur! 
• Roll in other toppings. Cocoa powder, chopped nuts, dried coconut, chopped dried cherries or cranberries, shaved chocolate, chocolate sprinkles, crushed candy canes, and candied citrus are all beautiful and tasty options.
• Use multiple wafer colors. Dip the Christmas chocolates in one color and drizzle them in a second, or vary the colors you use to dip or drizzle. When it comes to decorating, the sky is the limit, so have fun with it!

Storage Directions

• Refrigeration: Store the Christmas truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Keep them away from fragrant foods, such as spices, onions, or garlic, as the chocolate can absorb their flavors.
• Freezing: You can also freeze the truffles in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost them in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until thawed.

FAQs

More Christmas Recipes 

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