By Joanne Sasvari

Is there a more indulgent chocolate treat than a truffle? If you love chocolate, this is the pinnacle of perfection: rich, creamy, intensely chocolate-y, a masterpiece of simplicity. Sure, you can make it fancy and complicated, but a basic truffle is about an easy a candy as you can make – trust me, I am no expert in chocolate work, and even I can make a tasty truffle. But you can only do it if you have the right ingredients and the right tools.

The most important thing is the chocolate itself. You need a good quality, easy-melting dark chocolate that is labelled 60% or higher. That means that at least 60% of its weight comes from cocoa bean mass (a combination of cocoa solids and cocoa butter), and the rest is fillers such as sugar, dairy, oil or flavourings. The higher the percentage, the more bitter the chocolate. For instance, semisweet is at least 35% (but usually around 55%); milk chocolate has to be at least 10%; and unsweetened chocolate is 84% and up, the bitterest of all, and used only for baking.

But! That’s not all. Different chocolate has different flavours and different melting capacity. To make chocolate candy, you need a chocolate with good melting ability, which means you shouldn’t use chocolate chips from the baking aisle because they are designed to hold their shape as they bake. On the other end of the scale is something called couverture chocolate, which is especially finely ground and high in cocoa butter, making it super melty and ideal for tempering and dipping candies.

Unless you plan to dip your truffles (which is way too much work for me, so props to you for tackling it), you don’t need a couverture chocolate, just a good-quality, easy-melting one. There are several good brands out there – among them, Callebaut, Cacao Berry, Guittard and Scharffen Berger – but if you have the money and can find it, Valrhona is the favourite of fine chocolatiers for a reason. (If you’re searching for it in Vancouver, you can find it at BETA5 Chocolates, or you can order it direct from Valrhona.)

To make a truffle, you’re basically making a ganache, and a ganache is a handy thing to be able to make. You can use a ganache as a base for ice cream or frosting, and you can use it in a tart or as a filling in sandwich cookies. A ganache is simply chocolate with hot liquid added to it, mixed well, then cooled. But like anything simple, it isn’t always easy. To make one for truffles, follow these steps.

Recipe: Easy Chocolate Truffles
Makes 1 to 2 dozen (depending on size)

Ingredients
8 ounces good-quality, easy-melting chocolate, at least 60%
1/2 cup heavy cream (36% butter fat)
For coating: Dutch-processed cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles, finely chopped nuts (such as toasted hazelnuts), cinnamon sugar or melted and tempered chocolate

Method
Using a serrated knife, chop the chocolate as fine as possible and transfer to a heat-proof bowl.

Heat the cream until hot, but not boiling. The easiest way to do this is in the microwave – just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t boil over. You can also heat it in a pan until it’s steaming (but not boiling!), but that means dirtying an additional dish, and who needs that?

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and set it aside for 5 minutes without stirring. Then whisk until it’s smooth and shiny. Transfer to a shallow dish such as an 8x8-inch baking pan so it will chill evenly, then pop it in the fridge and cool it for 30 minutes. Don’t leave it any longer or it will be too hard to mould.

To roll the truffles, it’s best to wear latex gloves and if you have one, to use a small cookie scoop (like an ice cream scoop). A regular tablespoon will work, it just wont be as pretty. Also, set your coating materials out in small bowls before you start as you’ll have to work quickly.

In any case, scoop out the ganache in 1- or 2-tablespoon-sized portions, depending on how big you like your truffles; I prefer mine on the smaller side, but you do you. Scoop out all the ganache and arrange it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Them working quickly, roll each truffle between your hands until it’s round and smooth, and dip it in the coating, gently tossing it until it’s fully covered. If the ganache starts to get too soft , pop it in the fridge for a few minutes to chill and firm up a little before you continue.

If you plan to dip the truffles in tempered chocolate, roll them and chill them for a few minutes before dipping.

Once all the truffles are rolled and coated, place them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve, and keep them there – these need to be refrigerated or else you’ll have a terrible melted mess. (They’ll keep up to two mons, though!) Take them out about 30 minutes before serving. And enjoy!