Jewel Box Chocolate Truffles

Do you remember my Jewel Box Labneh Balls? They were so much fun I knew I had to try my hand at ‘jeweling’ something else, and chocolate truffles were an obvious choice. Instead of the savory coatings I used for the yogurt cheese, I’m using sweet ingredients to create my little gems.

These are just perfect for holiday giving, and just as perfect for setting out on the dessert table. I guarantee they’ll cause a stir as everyone hunts and pecks for just the right one.

What is a chocolate truffle?

• Truffles are little balls made from chilled chocolate ganache. Ganache is a combination of heavy cream and chocolate that starts out liquid but becomes a deliciously firm and silky when chilled. Among chocolate lovers it’s pretty much the ultimate chocolate experience.
• The ganache used to make truffles can be left plain or flavored with extracts or liquors.
• Truffles must be rolled or coated because the ganache is too soft and sticky to be left bare. They can be simply rolled in cocoa powder, they can be coated with melted chocolate, or they can be coated with any number of other toppings, like I’ve done.

There are lots of directions to go with these, and while I went for the glitz factor with sprinkles and sparkly sugars, you could definitely keep this more down to earth with chopped nuts, coconut, and that type of thing. You could go for all chocolate using different types of cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles, grated chocolate, and crushed chocolate candy like Heath Bars, Nestle Crunch, etc.

What can I coat my jewel box truffles with?

So many things! I bet you have a bunch of them in your kitchen right now:

• Classic coatings
  • cocoa powder
  • powdered sugar
  • finely chopped nuts
  • crushed peppermint
  • coconut
• sprinkle toppings (smaller shapes and sizes work best)
  • jimmies
  • non-pareils
  • drageés (little balls)
  • colored sugar
• other toppings
  • matcha powder
  • dehydrated raspberry powder
  • crushed cookies or gingersnaps
  • crushed toffee
  • espresso powder
  • cinnamon or cinnamon sugar
  • add a touch of chili powder or cayenne pepper to cocoa powder for a kick
  • sugar in the raw
  • chia seeds

Rolling truffles is really very easy (if a little bit messy) and when you roll them in your toppings they end up looking quite professional!

Tip: If you decide to go with a million different coatings like I did, do yourself a favor and use a muffin tin to coral all your supplies.

I like to keep my truffles in the refrigerator, I like the texture chilled, but you can also leave them at room temperature for an hour or so before serving if you like them softer. They’ll keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge.

supply links for truffle candies

• You’ll want some foil candy cups, like these or these.
  • These tiny foil cups are ideal for serving and displaying truffles, it keeps them protected and shows them off perfectly. The foil cups makes it easy for people to grab what they want and take it away with them for easy nibbling. If your grocery store doesn’t carry them, a craft store will, and you can always get them on Amazon.
• A candy gift box
  • Truffles are delicate and you can’t just throw them in a cellophane bag for gifting. Find a flat shallow box that can hold a selection. You can buy ones meant for homemade candy, above, or you can repurpose any small gift box you have at home. Just make sure you fit your truffles in snugly so they won’t shift around.