Dark Chocolate

Easier Chocolate Truffles

by:
December 10, 2021
4.7
6 Ratings
Easier Chocolate Truffles
Photo by MJ Kroeger. Prop Stylist: Molly Fitzsimons. Food Stylist: Lauren Lapenna.
  • Prep time 2 hours 10 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • makes About 18 truffles
Author Notes

All chocolate truffles are easy, but these are easier. There’s no butter or shortening or vanilla. There’s no rolling by hand either. Albeit a given step in most recipes, all this has ever gotten me was spheres that aren’t actually spheres and chocolate washed down the sink. And so we’ll skip it. Thanks to a trusty cookie scoop, you get less mess, even portions, and neat-as-a-pin domes, which remind me of a fancy chocolate shop, except I get to stay in my pajamas and don’t have to leave the house. Spoons won’t do the trick here.

Make sure you get a chocolate that is at least 60 percent cacao, ideally higher, for a boldly bitter flavor. This is a dessert that’s perfect for when you forgot to save room for dessert, so the less sweet, the more satisfying. Likewise, crème fraîche replaces the usual heavy cream, for a funkier, tangier, just-better flavor. When it comes to toppings, go nuts. As in literal nuts (toasted hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, what have you, blitzed until powdery). Or sesame seeds, cocoa powder, matcha powder, malted milk powder (my favorite), freeze-dried fruit powder, shredded coconut, crushed potato chips, smashed pretzels, or sprinkles.
—Emma Laperruque

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces (1 cup) crème fraîche
  • 8 ounces dark chocolate (at least 60% cacao), chips or chopped
  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Your pick of toppings (optional, see Author Notes)
Directions
  1. Add the crème fraîche to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Once it’s melted and hot, turn off the heat and add the chocolate and salt, shaking the pan so the chocolate is evened out. Let sit for a couple minutes, then stir to combine and melt the chocolate.
  2. Transfer the chocolate mixture to a baking dish (a brownie pan works well), spread into an even layer, and cover. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until the chocolate is scoopable, like ready-to-eat ice cream.
  3. Use a 1-tablespoon–size cookie scoop (or similar) to portion the chocolate mixture into truffles on a parchment-lined plate; use the side of the dish to create level scoops, so they’re evenly sized and flat on the bottom. If you’d like, roll in your pick of toppings, then serve immediately or refrigerate for later. (If you are eating them later, make sure to let them come to room temperature first.)
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Emma Laperruque
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

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4 Reviews

rikomatic
rikomatic December 9, 2022
Super easy and a crowd pleaser. I found a tablespoon scoop to make ones that were too large. A half-tablespoon seemed to do the trick.

I didn't use a scooper, just a measuring spoon and another spoon to shape it. It was a little fiddly and not perfect, but no one seemed to mind!
 
lerkes
lerkes December 25, 2021
I made my own creme fraiche with sour cream and buttermilk. My truffles are delicious but they get soft quickly once out of the frig.
 
Sharon A.
Sharon A. December 23, 2021
These are unbelievable! So easy to make and delicious. I made a double batch to share as gifts. I found the creme fraische at a bargain price at the Fresh Market. Half the price of the other supermarkets in my area. My granddaughter loved adding the sprinkles and chopped pretzels. This is a winner!
 
gpabill
gpabill December 19, 2021
Heating any kind of dairy spooks me a bit, so I used a double boiler to stay out of trouble. Warming the creme fraiche and melting the chocolate ( I used 70% bits) was easy, scooping the chilled mixture was easy, and the popular add-on with my granddaughters was toasted sesame seeds. So far, so good. But the price tag on the creme fraiche was almost a non-starter. First, the only store I could find (N**S**, like W**F**) is miles away and the stuff costs three times as much as sour cream, which I can buy at my local market. So I did a parallel batch, changing only the dairy item.

The testers either preferred the sour cream or couldn't tell the difference. Using the double boiler and a thermometer kept me out of curdling trouble.

I'll make more for the holidays, but I'll use sour cream. It's otherwise a pretty wonderful recipe.