Dark Chocolate Ganache Truffles Rolled in Bitter Cocoa

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A confectioner's truffle made with three real ingredients: good 70% chocolate, hot cream, and a knob of butter stirred in at the end for gloss and a melt that starts the second it hits your tongue. The ganache is emulsified like a sauce rather than just stirred, which is the whole difference between grainy homemade truffles and ones that taste like they came out of a glass case. Rolled in cocoa cut with a little powdered sugar so the bitterness reads as elegant, not harsh.

Ingredients

• 8 oz 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped (bar chocolate, not chips)
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup or honey
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened and cut into small cubes
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 1/3 cup toasted almonds or hazelnuts, very finely chopped
• 1/4 cup freeze-dried raspberries, crushed to powder
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder (stirred into the hot cream)
• flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

1. Chop the chocolate finely and evenly — pieces no bigger than a pea — and put it in a medium heatproof bowl. Uneven chunks are the number one cause of a broken ganache, so take the extra minute here. If you're making espresso truffles, have the espresso powder ready.
2. Combine the cream, corn syrup, and 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium until the cream is steaming hard and small bubbles ring the edge, about 3-4 minutes; it should reach roughly 190°F. Do not let it boil over. Stir in the espresso powder now if using.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate, making sure the chocolate is fully submerged. Let it sit undisturbed for 2 full minutes — no stirring — so the heat melts the chocolate evenly.
4. Using a small silicone spatula, begin stirring in tight little circles right in the center of the bowl. You'll see a dark, glossy core form; keep circling and gradually widen the circles outward until all the cream is pulled in. The finished ganache should look like thick, shiny chocolate pudding with no oily streaks.
5. Let the ganache cool for 3-4 minutes (to about 105°F), then add the butter a few cubes at a time and the vanilla, stirring gently until each addition disappears. The ganache will tighten slightly and turn distinctly glossier. If it ever looks greasy or split, whisk in 1 tablespoon of warm cream vigorously and it will come back together.
6. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours, until the ganache is firm but still gives when you press it — the texture of cold fudge frosting. If it goes rock hard, leave it at room temperature 20-30 minutes before scooping.
7. Whisk the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and pinch of salt together in a wide shallow bowl. Line a sheet pan with parchment.
8. Scoop level 2-teaspoon portions of ganache with a small cookie scoop or melon baller, dropping them onto the parchment. Work quickly and return the bowl to the fridge if the ganache softens. You should get 26-30 mounds.
9. Chill the scooped mounds 15 minutes, then roll each between your palms into a rough sphere — 5 seconds each, no more, or your hands will melt them. Truffles are supposed to look hand-made, so don't chase perfection. Rinsing your hands in cold water and drying them well helps.
10. Drop 3 or 4 truffles at a time into the cocoa mixture and swirl the bowl to coat them completely, then lift them out with a fork and tap off the excess. For nut or raspberry coatings, roll those truffles while still slightly tacky so the coating sticks; finish with a few flakes of sea salt if you like.
11. Let the truffles sit at cool room temperature for 20 minutes before serving — cold truffles taste flat and waxy, while ones at about 65°F melt properly and taste twice as chocolatey. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks, and always pull them out 20-30 minutes before eating.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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