Dipped Chocolate Truffles Recipes

Steps:

• Place the 10 ounces of chocolate and butter in a medium size glass mixing bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Remove and stir, and repeat this process 1 more time. Set aside.
• Heat the heavy cream and corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture over the melted chocolate mixture; let stand for 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir gently, starting in the middle of bowl and working in concentric circles until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. Gently stir in the brandy. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Using a melon baller, scoop chocolate onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Place the cocoa powder, nuts, and/or toasted coconut each in its own pie pan and set aside.
• In the meantime, place the 8 ounces of chocolate into a medium mixing bowl which is sitting on top of a heating pad lined bowl, with the heating pad set to medium. Depending on the heating pad, you may need to adjust the heat up or down. Stirring the chocolate occasionally, test the temperature of the chocolate and continue heating until it reaches 90 to 92 degrees F; do not allow the chocolate to go above 94 degrees F. If you do, the coating will not have a nice snap to it when you bite into the chocolate. Once you have reached the optimal temperature, adjust the heat to maintain it.
• Remove the truffles from the refrigerator and shape into balls by rolling between the palms of your hands. Use powder-free vinyl or latex gloves, if desired.
• Dip an ice cream scoop into the chocolate and turn upside down to remove excess chocolate. Place truffles 1 at time into the scoop and roll around until coated. Then place the truffle into the dish with either the cocoa powder, nuts or coconut. Move the truffle around to coat; leave truffle in the coating for 10 to 15 seconds before removing. In the meantime, continue placing the chocolate-coated truffles in the cocoa or other secondary coating. After 10 to 15 seconds, remove the truffle to a parchment lined sheet pan. Repeat until all truffles are coated. Allow to set in a cool dry place for at least 1 hour; or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Truffles are best when served at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and milk; stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours or until firm enough to roll. , Shape into 1-in. balls. Roll in coatings as desired.

Steps:

• Butter an 8-inch square pan; line bottom with parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch pieces; place in a large heat-proof bowl.
• Bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat; pour directly over chopped chocolate. Allow to sit for 10 minutes; use a rubber spatula to stir chocolate and cream until totally combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap; chill until mixture is cold and set, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Turn ganache onto a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife, trim edges to form right angles. Cut into 7 strips about 7/8 inch wide. Cut strips crosswise to form cubes. Place on a parchment-lined tray; chill for 5 minutes if soft, otherwise proceed to next step.
• Once chocolate is tempered, use it immediately. Drop truffles into tempered chocolate one at a time; turn over to completely cover. Use a chocolate-dipping fork to lift truffle out. Tap fork; allow excess to drip back into bowl. With a second dipping fork, slide truffle onto a parchment-lined tray. Working as quickly as possible, repeat with remaining truffles (if tempered chocolate cools too much, it goes out of temper). When all truffles are dipped, you may drizzle with excess tempered chocolate.
• Allow truffles to sit for at least an hour or overnight to fully set. Store at room temperature in a cool dry place.

Steps:

• For the chocolate coating: Heat the dark chocolate and butter in a double boiler until completely melted and smooth. Pour into a small ramekin.
• Press a skewer or toothpick into the top end of each strawberry. Dip one strawberry into the chocolate, swirling it around until coated. Gently shake off the excess. Place the skewer on the edge of a table and weigh down the end of the skewer with a heavy object. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off onto the floor (place some parchment paper on the floor to catch the drips!). Repeat with the remaining strawberries. They should take about 15 minutes to set at room temperature. If it is a hot day, set up a little drip station in the fridge and allow them to cool in there!
• For the decorations: Once the chocolate has set, put the strawberries on a wire cooling rack. Melt the milk chocolate and white chocolate in separate bowls in the microwave until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to 2 separate piping bags and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
• Drizzle the melted chocolate over the strawberries to decorate. Spray a few with the gold luster dust spray to coat, if using. Place the strawberries in the fridge until the coating has set (about 5 minutes), then serve.

Steps:

• In a microwave, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Set aside. , In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa and melted chocolate. Gradually beat in 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar. Lightly coat hands with confectioners' sugar; roll chocolate mixture into 1-in. balls. Roll in remaining cocoa or confectioners' sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Steps:

• Line a tray with wax paper.
• Bring cream just to a simmer in a 1- to 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Remove from heat, then add chocolate and stir gently with a heatproof rubber spatula until ganache is smooth. Stir in framboise.
• Pat raspberries dry if necessary. Add 6 to 8 raspberries to ganache and gently fold in to coat using rubber spatula. Remove each chocolate-covered raspberry with 2 forks, shifting it from one fork to the other to let excess ganache drip off, then transfer to tray. Coat remaining raspberries in same manner, working in batches of 6 to 8.
• Chill truffles on tray until firm, at least 1 hour, then loosen from wax paper.
• Put cocoa in a sealable bag and add all of truffles. Seal bag, leaving some air in, and shake to coat. Empty bag into a shallow bowl. Transfer coated truffles to a platter with your fingers, shaking off excess cocoa. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Place 1/2 pound chocolate in a metal bowl. Bring a saucepan with 2 inches of water to a simmer, and then turn off heat. Set bowl with chocolate over saucepan, and let melt, stirring gently with a rubber spatula until chocolate registers 118 degrees on a candy thermometer. (Watch the chocolate carefully, as heating and cooling times can vary.) Remove bowl from saucepan.
• Add 1/4 pound unmelted chocolate to bowl and stir until chocolate cools to 84 degrees. (Remove any unmelted pieces with spatula.) Return bowl to saucepan, and let stand, and stir until chocolate registers 88 to 90 degrees. Use immediately. Repeat with remaining chocolate.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
• Combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract in a bowl and whip using an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 hour; refrigerate for at least 3 hours more.
• Scoop cheesecake into small balls using a melon baller or a tablespoon-sized scoop. Place on a wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Freeze cheesecake balls, 8 hours to overnight.
• Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Stir in shortening until consistency is smooth and easy to work with.
• Dip each cheesecake ball into chocolate to coat; replace on the cookie sheet. Garnish with sliced almonds while chocolate is still warm.
• Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Steps:

• Heat the heavy cream in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Make sure that you have chopped the chocolate as finely as possible to allow it to melt quickly and easily. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-size mixing bowl. Make a ganache by pouring about half of the hot cream over the chocolate and letting it sit for 30 seconds to melt the chocolate. Then slowly whisk until smooth and homogenous. Do not add all of the hot cream to the cold chocolate at once; the shock of the temperature extremes would cause the fat in the chocolate to separate. As the chocolate melts, you will see some elasticity if there is no fat separation. This means the chocolate still has an emulsion; the fat molecules are still holding together. If the ganache separates, it loses its elasticity, collapses, and becomes very liquid. I use a hand-held immersion blender to ensure a smooth ganache and to keep the emulsion of the chocolate. Add the remaining cream gradually and mix until all of the hot cream is incorporated and the ganache is smooth and homogenous.
• If the ganache separates, it is very easy to fix. Simply add a small amount of cold cream and whisk well. This will bring the ganache back together. The ganache should be thick, shiny, and smooth. Add the desired flavoring and mix until fully incorporated. Pour the ganache onto a plastic wrap-covered baking sheet and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Cover the ganache with plastic wrap and allow it to cool for at least 4 hours at room temperature. I usually make the ganache at the end of the day and let it cool overnight. As it cools, it will thicken and set.
• When the ganache has cooled to the consistency of toothpaste, scrape it into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Do not stir the ganache when you do this. Incorporating air by stirring will cause the ganache to harden. Pipe 1-inch-diameter mounds spaced 1 inch apart on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. To pipe the mounds, hold the pastry bag at a slight angle and allow the tip to touch the parchment as you begin to pipe. Once you have formed the mound, stop squeezing and lift the tip straight up, leaving a small tail on the top of each mound. You can also use a spoon and drop small mounds of ganache onto the baking sheet. Let the truffles harden at room temperature for a couple of hours (or in the refrigerator for 15 minutes), until they are hard enough to roll with your hands.
• When I roll the truffles, I usually wear surgical gloves. The gloves are not mandatory but if you do not use them, be sure your hands are very clean. To roll the mound into a ball, place a truffle between both palms, squeeze slightly, and roll between your hands. The truffles will look nicer if they are as round as possible. When all the truffles are rolled into balls, they are ready to be coated. If they have become too soft, place them in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours until they are firm enough to dip.
• You can use either a dipping fork or your hands to dip the truffles in chocolate. To use the fork, drop the truffle into the bowl of tempered chocolate and then retrieve it with the dipping fork. Hold the fork over the bowl for several seconds to allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Gently scrape the bottom of the fork against the side of the bowl to remove any excess chocolate and roll the dipped truffle in the desired garnish. Place on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet. If you use your hands, dab some chocolate in the palm of one hand. Roll the truffle in that palm to completely coat it with chocolate. Place the enrobed truffle on the baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining truffles. This method is very quick but it can also be extremely messy.
• When all of the truffles have been coated once, repeat the enrobing procedure. This is necessary only when you enrobe the truffles by hand rather than with a fork. The truffles are usually more evenly coated when dipped with a fork. As soon as each truffle gets a second coating, immediately roll it in the desired garnish. You need to do this before the chocolate sets or the topping will not adhere. At this stage, it is good to have a friend help because it is hard to dip and roll at the same time. Place the truffles on a clean parchment paper-covered baking sheet and allow them to set, about 5 minutes.
• The truffles will keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature, when stored in an airtight container.
• To toast coconut: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir to keep the sugar in the coconut from burning. Return to the oven and toast until golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
• To toast nuts: Preheat oven to 300°F (148°C). Spread the nuts evenly on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Toast for about 30 minutes, until they are golden brown. You will be able to smell the nuts when they are ready. A good test is to break a nut in half and check to see if it is light brown on the inside. Toasting nuts brings out their natural flavor. Remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Line cookie sheet with foil. In 2-quart saucepan, melt baking chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly; stir in butter until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream. Pour mixture into small bowl. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, just until thick enough to hold a shape.
• Drop mixture by rounded measuring teaspoonfuls onto lined cookie sheet. Return to refrigerator 5 to 10 minutes or until firm enough to shape. Shape into balls. Freeze uncovered 30 minutes.
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips and shortening over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth; remove from heat. Using 2 forks, dip and roll chocolate balls, one at a time, into melted chocolate; tap off excess chocolate. Place on lined cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle with nuts. If chocolate has cooled too much, reheat. Repeat with remaining chocolate balls.
• Refrigerate truffles about 10 minutes or until chocolate is set. Store in covered container in refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices; cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the mixture reduces by half and the pumpkin looks dry. Set aside.
• In another saucepan over high heat, add the cream; remove from heat when it boils.
• In a heatproof bowl, pour the hot cream over the dark chocolate; let mixture sit for 1 minute, then slowly begin to stir, starting from the center of the bowl and working outwards.
• Once the chocolate and cream are evenly mixed, add the pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine. Add the butter and liqueur, if using.
• Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour.
• On a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, scoop the chilled mixture into small balls using a melon baller. Place in refrigerator for another 60 minutes, or until well chilled.
• Remove truffles from refrigerator and dip each in the melted white chocolate; roll in cocoa powder.
• Chill again until chocolate sets; bring to room temperature before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine brownie mix, oil, water and eggs. Mix well and pour into a greased 13 x 9 inch cake pan.
• Bake for 24-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool completely. Cooling overnight is best, but be sure to cover them securely.
• Once cool, cut brownies into 1-inch squares. Remove each brownie from the pan and roll in the palms of your hands until rounded. If desired, trim the chewy outside edge from the brownies before cutting into 1-inch squares. Spear each brownie ball with a toothpick.
• On a large cookie sheet, lay a sheet of waxed paper.
• Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe glass mixing bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Carefully dip the bottom of each brownie ball into the chocolate. Hold sideways and spoon chocolate over the ball until completely covered. Allow excess chocolate to drip off into the bowl. Place each ball on the waxed paper 1 inch apart. If the chocolate mixture thickens, re-microwave for 15-20 seconds at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
• If desired, garnish each truffle with a dusting of cocoa & powdered sugar: In a small mixing bowl, combine cocoa and powdered sugar. Sprinkle lightly over truffles. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens. Store at room temperature in a tightly covered container for up to one week.
• Pour a tall glass of ice-cold milk, sit back and enjoy!