Easy 3 Ingredient Dark Chocolate Truffles

An easy recipe for creamy, dark chocolate truffles, made from just three simple ingredients. You can roll them in cocoa powder, coat them sparkling orange vanilla sugar, or dip them in melted chocolate for a delicious treat!

You might also love these white chocolate coconut truffles, chocolate chip cookie dough truffles, and chocolate truffle cake.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Just Three Ingredients. You only need chocolate, heavy whipping cream and cocoa powder to make these elegant dark chocolate truffles.

Not Too Sweet. In spite of the fact that I bake desserts almost every day, I don’t care for sweets that are tooth-achingly sugary. And I’m a big fan of dark chocolate, so these dark, not-too-sweet truffles made from chocolate ganache are of of my favorite treats.

Versatile. See the recipe variations section in the post below for how to finish your truffles with a variety of melted chocolate, sparkling sugar, or even crushed nuts.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Chocolate. The chocolate is the star ingredient when it comes to making ganache, which is the heart of a classic chocolate truffle. When chopped chocolate is melted into hot cream, it forms a smooth, silky, rich chocolate ganache. Once the ganache is chilled, you can scoop it and roll it into balls to make the soft, creamy center of your truffles. I prefer to use dark chocolate, around 55% cacao. I find that this is just sweet enough, without being so dark that the truffles taste bitter.
• Cream. Use heavy whipping cream for the best, richest tasting ganache.
• Cocoa Powder. Choose a good quality, Dutch processed cocoa powder for the best flavor. If you don’t like the taste of the cocoa powder when you taste a little out of the bag, then you won’t like it covering your chocolate truffles. If you think unsweetened cocoa powder is too bitter on its own, then you can add a tablespoon of powdered sugar to it, before coating the truffles.

Instructions

• Roughly chop the chocolate and scrape it into a bowl.
• Pour the cream into a saucepan. Over medium low heat, warm the cream just until hot and beginning to simmer around the edges. Remove from the heat.
• Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for 3 minutes, then stir until it smooths out into a creamy ganache.

• Let the ganache cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then cover and refrigerate until firm enough to scoop into balls, at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Use a small cookie scoop with a release lever (about 1 tablespoon) to scoop the ganache into 2 dozen balls. Freeze the scooped balls for 10 minutes, then roll them smooth between your hands.

• Place the cocoa powder in a bowl, and roll the chilled ganache in the cocoa powder.
• Place your finished truffles in an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.

Recipe Variations

Dip in Melted Chocolate.

The coating of cocoa powder is quick and easy, but I also love a snappy shell of chocolate surrounding the creamy ganache filling.

• Simply melt more chocolate (either in a double boiler, or at 50% power in the microwave). You could use dark chocolate, milk chocolate or even white chocolate. I don’t recommend using chocolate candy melts, which are made of oil, sugar and chemicals, and they’ll ruin the pure chocolate flavor of the filling.
• Dip the chilled ganache balls in the melted chocolate with a fork, letting the excess drip back into the bowl.
• Set the dipped truffles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper. If you like, you can sprinkle the top of the truffles with flaky salt, before the chocolate hardens again.
• Chill in the refrigerator to quickly set the chocolate.

Coat in Crushed Nuts or Chopped Chocolate.

Another easy option is to roll the truffles in chopped nuts or chocolate, for a crunchy coating.

• You’ll need to start by finely chopping some nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts or pistachios would all work well) or some chocolate.
• Roll the chilled ganache balls in the nuts or chocolate until evenly coated.

Roll in Sugar.

For a sweet coating, try rolling your truffles in orange flavored sugar. Note that the sugar can melt and become sticky when exposed to humidity, and even from the moisture of the ganache. I recommend rolling them in sugar right before serving.

• Start by zesting about a teaspoon of fresh orange zest into a bowl of 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Add a pinch of ground vanilla bean powder.
• Use your fingers to rub the orange zest and vanilla into the sugar until it’s moist and fragrant.
• Roll the chilled ganache balls in the sugar until evenly coated.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make chocolate truffles with chocolate chips?

I don’t recommend using chocolate chips to make truffles. Chocolate chips contain stabilizers, which prevents them from melting smoothly, so they won’t make a smooth, creamy ganache like a good quality bar of chocolate will.

Why aren’t my truffles sweet enough?

Since there’s no added sugar, your truffles will only be as sweet as the chocolate you use. I like to use dark chocolate with 55% cacao for the perfect balance of chocolate and sugar. You can use a darker chocolate, up to 65-70% cacao if you really, really love dark, bitter chocolate. For a sweeter truffle, choose a chocolate between 45-50% cacao. Note that with darker chocolate, you may need slightly more cream for the ganache. With sweeter chocolate, you’ll need slightly less cream.

What brand of chocolate and cocoa powder did you use?

For the ganache, I used Chocolove Dark Chocolate 55%. For the cocoa powder, I used Cacao Barry Extra Brute, but I also love Rodelle and Drost cocoa powders.

How should I store leftover truffles?

You should keep your truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.

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