Chocolate Truffles Ganache Balls (Printable)

Smooth dark chocolate ganache rolled in cocoa, nuts, or colorful sprinkles for a luscious bite.

# What You'll Need:

→ Ganache

01 - 7 oz good-quality dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa), finely chopped
02 - ½ cup heavy cream (35% fat)
03 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

→ Coating

04 - 3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
05 - 1¾ oz finely chopped toasted nuts (e.g., hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds)
06 - 3 tbsp chocolate or rainbow sprinkles

# How-To:

01 - Place chopped dark chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
02 - Warm heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer; avoid boiling.
03 - Pour hot cream over the chocolate; let stand for 1 minute. Add softened butter and stir gently until mixture is smooth and glossy.
04 - Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the ganache is firm enough to shape.
05 - Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop heaping teaspoons of ganache and quickly roll between palms to form balls, working swiftly to prevent melting.
06 - Roll each ball in cocoa powder, chopped nuts, or sprinkles until evenly coated.
07 - Place coated truffles on the prepared sheet and chill for 15 minutes to set before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They taste like luxury but require almost no baking skill or special equipment.
  • You can make them in your pajamas and still impress people who think you spent hours in the kitchen.
  • A batch of 24 means you can gift some, eat some, and pretend the rest are for later.
02 -
  • If your ganache looks broken or grainy after mixing, you likely overheated the cream or used chocolate that was too hot—next time, let the cream cool for 30 seconds after heating before pouring it over the chocolate.
  • Room temperature matters more than you'd think; if your kitchen is very warm, the ganache will take longer to set and your rolled balls might feel soft, so work in shorter batches or chill between rolling.
03 -
  • Chill your mellon baller or spoon in the freezer for a few minutes before scooping—this prevents the warm ganache from sticking and makes cleaner spheres.
  • If your truffles come out slightly irregular, that's actually charming and means they're homemade; if you want perfect spheres, a small ice cream scoop designed for cookies works better than a melon baller.
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