Chocolate Truffles for Christmas

It's up to you.

11 detailed steps, from preparation to service.

1. Make chocolate and butter

   Weigh 250 g of 60% dark chocolate, 150 ml of whipping cream, 30 g of butter and 40 g of unsweetened cocoa. Place the chocolate on a board and chop it with a knife into small regular pieces, then put them in a heat-resistant bowl. Cut the 30 g of butter into small dice and leave them aside. Prepare a shallow dish, a spatula, two small spoons and a plate for cocoa.

2. Heat the cream

   Pour the 150 ml of cream into a small saucepan. Heat on medium heat by monitoring the surface: small bubbles must appear around the perimeter and steam begins to rise. Remove the pan from the heat, before a strong boil. The cream should be warm enough to melt the chocolate, without reducing it for a long time in the saucepan.

3. Start the ganache in the center of the bowl

   Pour about a third of the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Wait about thirty seconds, then mix with a spatula by making small circles in the center of the bowl. The mixture may initially appear very thick or slightly grainy; continue gently until a smoother core appears. Avoid the whisk, which would add a lot of bubbles.

4. Fold in the rest of the cream

   Pour the second third of the cream and resume the small circles in the center, gradually widening the movement. Finally, add the last third and scrape the walls of the bowl to gather all the chocolate. You have to get a thick, shiny, uniform cream. If there are a few small pieces left, put the bowl on a very soft bain-marie for a few seconds, then remove it and mix again.

5. Add butter when ganache is lukewarm

   Leave the ganache to cool for a few minutes: it must no longer release steam. Add the 30 g of diced butter and mix slowly until the pieces disappear completely. Squeeze the bottom and walls well with the spatula. The final preparation should be flexible and homogeneous, without a small puddle of separate butter on the surface.

6. Spread the ganache and put it in the refrigerator

   Pour the ganache into the shallow dish and spread it in a regular layer of about 2 to 3 cm. Cover the dish, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. A spreading layer cools more regularly than a deep bowl. It is ready when a spoon takes a firm portion that keeps its shape, without letting chocolate cream flow.

7. Prepare the shaping position

   Cover a tray of baking paper and pour the 40 g of cocoa into a hollow plate. Get the ganache dish out of the fridge. If it is too hard to easily remove portions, wait 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature. Keep hands clean, fresh and dry to avoid melting or wetting the chocolate.

8. Divided into 24 servings

   Using the two small spoons, take about 24 18 g servings and place them on the baking paper. A balance makes it possible to obtain truffles of regular size, but a few grams of difference do not pose a problem. Spread the leftover ganache between the last servings. If they sag or stick heavily to the spoons, put the dish back in the refrigerator 15 minutes.

9. Roll the truffles without warming them

   Take a portion and roll it briefly between the palms, with two or three small circular movements. A slightly irregular ball is suitable; do not insist on a perfect sphere. Put it immediately in the cocoa plate and move on to the next one. If the ganache starts to melt in the hands, interrupt the shaping and cool the portions before continuing.

10. Wrap each cocoa ball

    Roll each ball into the cocoa using a spoon to cover all its faces. Lift it up, then very gently tap the spoon on the edge of the plate to bring down the surplus. Place the coated truffles on the clean tray, spaced from each other. The remaining cocoa on the plate is a coating surplus; it does not have to be absorbed entirely by the truffles.

11. Refrigerate before service

    Place truffles in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes to firm their surface after shaping. Then store them in a closed box, separating the layers with baking paper. Take out only the amount to be served about 10 minutes before tasting: the ganache will be less hard while keeping its hold.