Chocolate Truffles – Easy Recipe with Cacao or Chocolate… Decadent & Delicious (2024)

Super-decadent easy-to-make Chocolate Truffles. Made with cacao and cream and with alternative instructions for using chocolate or making dairy free/vegan.

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Real Chocolate Truffles – They don’t come better than this

Chocolate Truffles. Rich, dark, smooth, intense… They’ve got to be the height of chocolate decadence. Right? But these Chocolate Truffles are serious. They aren’t for the faint hearted. In fact, they may be the closest you’ll come to a full-on chocolate injection. Who’s in?

Who remembers Willie Harcourt-Cooze?

Back in 2009, there was a TV series on Channel 4 about a guy called Willie Harcourt-Cooze called ‘Willie’s Wonky Chocolate Factory’. Willie (handy name for a chocolate entrepreneur) had sold up everything and bought a cacao farm in the Venezuelan mountains. And, he was on a mission to produce his own 100% cacao bars.

He succeeded of course (otherwise there wouldn’t have been a story or TV series) and his cacao bars are now sold across the UK. They have wonderfully exotic names reflecting their origins and serotonin-inducing drug-like qualities – Venezuelan, Indonesian, Colombian and Madagascan ‘Black’. All packaged to reflect their potent simplicity.

The book which inevitably comes with any food-related TV series (‘Willies Chocolate Factory Cookbook’), was definitely worth the money. Not only does it tell the story of this ‘eccentric entrepreneur’, but it contains a wonderful set of recipes (including the original version of these chocolate truffles), which educate into the use and versatility of cacao.

Cacao as a natural ingredient for homemade Chocolate Truffles

As a self-confessed chocolate addict, I’ve bought 100% cacao previously, usually on trips to the Caribbean. However, finding it in the UK had not been so easy. So, when Willie’s Cacao Cylinders became a thing, I was first in the queue to nab some. Tip: Buy it at Waitrose/Ocado (it’s cheaper than Amazon).

If you’ve not used cacao before, I recommend trying it. 100% cacao has a depth and flavour notes which are pure and are hard to find with such intensity in a bar of chocolate. And that makes cacao incredible when turned into chocolate truffles.

Although there are many recipes for homemade Chocolate Truffles on the internet, the cacao-based recipe has to be one of the best. Very slightly adapted from Willie’s original chocolate truffle recipe, the recipe I have shared offers a chocolate hit of serious magnitude. As each bite melts across the tongue… slightly bitter, slightly sweet and unmistakably pure, it sends a chocolate ‘high’ through the body. Incredible decadence that satisfies the soul.

Changes made to the original Chocolate Truffle recipe

For the sake of clarity, the recipe shared here has only been slightly changed from Willie’s original. I have added a fraction more sugar. And for balance, a tad more cream, mainly because I found this gave the recipe a slightly better equilibrium for my taste buds. And it just tempered away from over-bitterness.

Are these Chocolate Truffles easy to make?

Absolutely, yes! These Chocolate Truffles are incredibly simple to make. The basic mix can be created in less than 10 minutes. And then it just needs to be left in the fridge to harden, before finding a spare moment to scoop and roll.

If you want to ‘enhance’ them, these Chocolate Truffles can also be flavoured in any number of ways. Simply mix either liqueurs or fruit/nut oils into the main truffle mixture. Or, dust and coat with anything from nuts and cocoa to coconut, fruit powder, chocolate or sprinkles. The truffles photographed include two batches… One plain and coated with finely chopped milk chocolate. The other flavoured with a teaspoon of orange oil and covered with a mixture of ground hazelnuts and chopped milk chocolate. Both are delicious.

I don’t have any cacao. Can I use chocolate instead?

Although this recipe for chocolate truffles has been created using cacao (and is totally incredible for its inclusion), I understand that not everyone will have or want to source it. As such, the truffles can be made as a ganache, with straight dark chocolate and cream… I have provided a separate recipe card below should you choose to substitute.

If you do go down the chocolate route however, make sure the chocolate used is pure (not bakers chips or chunks) and opt for something dark and preferably with a minimum 70% cocoa solids for best results.

I would also suggest that you leave out adding any sugar to the truffle mix, as the chocolate will probably already have been sweetened.

Can I use this recipe to make dairy free and vegan Chocolate Truffles?

Yes. To make these chocolate truffles both dairy free and vegan, simply substitute the dairy cream for a vegan alternative. Coconut cream (canned full-fat coconut milk) or similar, should work just as well.

And don’t forget to ensure that if you use chocolate instead of cacao, it also needs to be dairy free.

Tips for rolling ‘sticky’ ganache truffles

Because these truffles are made with a ganache base, they can be quite ‘sticky’ to roll. Warm hands will quickly cause melting and with it, frustration… So, here’s a few tips to help you.

• Make sure the truffle mixture is super-cold and super-firm before rolling.
• Spoon out all the truffle mixture into equal pieces using a spoon or scoop and place aside on baking paper before you start rolling.
• Place the pieces back in the fridge (or freezer) for 10 to 20 minutes just before rolling.
• It helps to wash your hands in really cold water before rolling.
• Wear food gloves to avoid getting sticky chocolate hands.
• Dust your hands in cocoa before rolling to give a better ‘grip’.
• Work as quickly as possible, handling each ball for minimum time.

Ready to make decadent Chocolate Truffles?

These chocolate truffles are a perfect, special ‘at home’ treat, as well as a deliciously decadent foodie gift. But whoever they are for, don’t forget to let me know if you make them. Leave a comment, tag me on social media and rate the recipe.

And for everything else, head over to our totally drool-worthy Gluten Free Recipe Book Index and browse for lots of inspiration. Enjoy.

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