The Chocolate Gourmand

Gianduja Truffles
Close Window

Truffle Centers
24 oz. gianduja
8 oz. dark chocolate
2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup Frangelico liqueur

1 cup cocoa powder (for rolling centers)
3 pounds dark chocolate (for dipping)

Prepare the truffle centers.
Be sure to check out the truffle centers technique for more detailed instructions on making truffle centers. Break the chocolate and gianduja into small pieces and place in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently until melted. Heat the cream over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat and slowly add to the melted chocolate. Stir until completely blended and smooth. Add the Frangelico and stir until blended. Wipe the bottom of the double boiler with a towel and pour ganache into another container to cool. It's best to let it cool slowly, but the refrigerator is ok. I place it in the garage overnight, where the temperature drops to the mid 40s ° F

Once the ganache has cooled sufficiently, pipe or scoop into balls using a pastry bag or melon baller, depending on the method you choose. Set up workspace with a drop cloth and roll truffle centers using cocoa covered hands until round. Place in airtight container until ready to enrobe or consume.

Dip the truffle centers.
Be sure to check out the chocolate tempering technique page for more details about tempering chocolate. Let the chilled truffle centers approach room temperature since centers that are too cold will pull your chocolate out of temper more quickly and are more likely to crack the chocolate shells or ooze through holes. You can use a drop of chocolate under each corner of the wax paper to keep it sliding on the cookie sheet. Dip in chocolate and place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper to harden. If any truffles to crack or have other holes, you can just partially dip the offending portion by hand.

Decorating
Decorating is optional, but is actually done very quickly and adds more "wow" factor to your candies. If can also aid in distinguishing between different truffle centers dipped in the same kind of chocolate. I prefer to decorate in a contrasting color of chocolate, so that usually means white or milk chocolate, but you can also add coloring to white chocolate to come up with your own colors. Whatever you do, don't think you can skimp on tempering the chocolate for decorating.

Once the chocolate has been tempered, I usually just spoon some in a small plastic bag (one with sharp corners) and snip off a corner and start piping. You can do intricate designs, but I find that you get better results by not taking your time and working quickly rather than slowly and deliberatly. My favorite decoration is also the fastest—repeated stripes in one or two directions across all the truffles.

chocolategourmand.com/recipes/candies/gianduja_truffles.cfm