Everyone deserves chocolates, and these hand-rolled coffee truffles are the perfect gift. Grabbing a box of chocolates from the supermarket shelf is easy, but when you make them yourself you also give your time and love. Which make them a much more special gift and will earn you some serious brownie points. Best of all they are simple (albeit a bit messy) to make and taste amazing.
Messy is good
There is no getting around it. If you decide to give these a go you are going to get your hands dirty – or at least chocolaty. The first step is to make a coffee flavoured ganache.
Once it has a chance to set, you need to roll it into balls to make the centre of the truffles. Once the balls have hardened sufficiently, you need to coat them in chocolate. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to literally dip your fingers into molten chocolate, pick up the truffles and roll them on your fingertips to coat them with the chocolate.
If you have tempered your chocolate (see below), the first ones will have set by the time you have finished them all and you will be able to give them their second coat straight away.
Word of warning though. Don't be tempted to lick your fingers at any time until you have finished coating all the truffles, as any moisture will cause the chocolate to seize and become unusable. And that's beside the fact that it's not good hygiene practice to be licking your fingers anyway.
If your hands become too chocolaty and you stop partway through to wash them, make sure you dry your hands completely before continuing. If you really don't like getting your hands dirty you could use a dipping fork to dip the truffles into the melted chocolate. This is a bit slower though and it is a little trickier to get that nice ruffled finish.
Tempering Chocolate
For a perfect finish, these coffee truffles are coated in tempered chocolate. Tempering chocolate is the process of heating and cooling chocolate so that it sets to a crisp shiny finish. It gives chocolate that characteristic snap as you bite into it. Untempered chocolate has no "bite" and may develop a bloom (spotty dull white colour) which spoils the appearance.
The easiest way to temper chocolate is by following a process called "seeding." Melt about two-thirds of the chocolate slowly over a low heat. Once it is melted, add the remaining chocolate and stir until it melts. This will cool the chocolate and it will begin to thicken slightly. It is now ready to use.
I was lucky enough to watch well known chocolatier Paul A Young demonstrating tempering chocolate on a marble board. This is the traditional method, but not easy and potentially very messy.
However, I did come away with one very useful tip: NEVER hurry the melting process. You can even leave the chocolate melted for several hours before beginning the cooling process.
Although you might not want to leave it that long, it is essential that you let the chocolate melt slowly. Place the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water, making sure the water is not touching the base of the bowl as this may cause the chocolate to become too hot.
If I'm melting chocolate that doesn't need to be tempered, to go into a cake, or to make a cheesecake or mousse, for example, I may be tempted to use the microwave to melt the chocolate more quickly. But for this recipe, to get a good finish, I strongly recommend against using the microwave.
Milk, plain (dark) or white chocolate
The type of chocolate you use to coat your coffee truffles is a matter of personal choice. I like to contrast the coating chocolate with the one used in the centre. Therefore my preference is to use white or plain chocolate for this, but if you prefer, you could use milk.
White chocolate is a little harder to temper as it is much more sensitive to temperature changes and can easily be over-heated. Plain chocolate, on the other hand, is the easiest with milk in the middle.
For the truffle centre, please only use milk chocolate. I haven't tested it with white or plain chocolate so I can't be sure it will work! Also, do take care when measuring the ingredients with some recipes you can play around with proportions and ingredients to suit but this is not one of them.
Dusted to perfection
When making the recipe for the blog, I used both white and plain chocolate to coat the coffee truffles and I thought the white chocolate would look particularly nice dusted with a little cocoa powder.
When it came to photographing them, however, the dark chocolate truffles did not come out well as they were so dark, so I dusted those with a bit cocoa powder to lighten them a little for the photograph. Personally, I liked the way they turned out, and dusting with cocoa powder has an added advantage – it disguises any imperfections in the finish. Win-win!
I (and my poor friends who had to taste test them for me) love the coffee flavour of these chocolates. They are seriously good and I would go as far as to say they are the best homemade chocolates I have ever made. And that says something as I have made a lot of chocolates!!
But I would love to know, what is your favourite flavoured chocolate truffle centre?
Love Truffles then you might like to try these Chocolate Recipes Made Easy
Step by step Coffee Truffles
Coffee Truffles
Ingredients
- 250 g milk chocolate
- 75 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 2 tablespoon Kahlua coffee liqueur
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
- 200 g milk, plain(dark) or white chocolate , for coating
- cocoa powder for dusting optional
Instructions
- Line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with parchment.
- Break the milk chocolate into small pieces.
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan with the Kahlua and coffee granules over a low heat stirring until the coffee has dissolved and the cream is beginning to bubble around the edge of the pan.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted and combined with the cream to produce a smooth chocolate cream (ganache).
- Immediately pour into the lined loaf tin and allow to cool, then chill for 2 – 4 hours until firm.
- Remove the mixture from the tin and cut into 24 pieces. Pinch and roll each piece into ball and place on a baking tray lined with parchment. Return to the refrigerator until you are ready to roll the chocolates.
- To coat the truffles, melt about two thirds of the chocolate over a pan of hot water. Remove from the heat. Add the remaining chocolate and stir continuously until all the chocolate has melted.
- Dip the fingertips of both hands into tempered chocolate and pick up a truffle. Roll the truffle in a circular movement between your fingertips until coated in the chocolate. Place on a clean sheet of baking parchment.
- Once all the truffles have all been dipped, repeat the rolling again to add a second, slightly thicker, layer of chocolate. Return to the baking parchment and allow to set.
- Dust with a little cocoa powder if desired.
Bonnie says
Love this recipe, it’s so easy. I had never made truffles before and now I’m known for my yummy coffee and Baileys truffles! I have made them with Kahlua too. I’ve even used Southern Comfort! Love it, really grateful to you for making this public. Thank you x.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
You are welcome Im glad you like the recipe.Have you tried my Bailey white chocolate truffles which is published on my other blog Only Crumbs remain? Its similar and I think you will like it too.
Bonnie says
Thank you so much for your reply, I have only just seen it! I'm so sorry, that must have seemed really rude. I haven't tried the Baileys white chocolate truffles but they sound Amazing! I will check them out. It's my Mums Birthday in a week so this could be a lovely chocolate to put on her coffee cake. Thank you x.
Tracy says
For years I’ve searched for a good coffee truffle recipe to recreate the good old Thorntons continental coffee truffles of old. This is the one. So easy to make, just have a little patience, don’t rush or cut corners, follow the recipe and you’ll be amazed at the results! Thanks for publishing this, it’s now my ‘go to’ for truffles.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Love this its my favourite go to truffle recipe too.
Sue says
absolutely love these truffles. friends can't get enough of them!
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thanks Sue, Delighted you and your friends like them I have to say I do too.
Amy Davis-Britter says
Hi,
Just chilling my first batch but not sure I've done enough as don't know how I'll get 24 truffles out of it!
Followed the recipe to the T though...
Amy x
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Remember they will be bigger once coated in the chocolate and they are quite rich so you don't want to make them too big.
Victoria says
Hi there
Thanks very much for sharing this delicious recipe. I made the truffles a few weeks ago and luckily they were a great success! I want to make them again for Xmas presents, please can you tell me if you can skip the part where you roll them into balls? For example, in order to not get quite so messy (!) could you just cut the ganache into cubes and then coat in the chocolate straight away do you think? Also, can the ganache be chilled overnight in the refrigerator before coating in the chocolate?! Or is this too long? Many thanks, Victoria
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Hi, Victoria, I hope you had a lovely Christmas.
Did you make more? You could just dip these in chocolate either rolled or cut int squares but to be honest I find that tends to get messy too (as does most thinks when chocolate is involved) and I find it slower and more fiddly. So I like this method as although messy its quick and I think the results look great with minimum effort.
Happy new year Jacqui x
ps so sorry for not replying earlier. The run up to Christmas was super busy as usual but then my son and girlfriend discovered they had the Coronavirus and I had to do last minute sorting out getting supplies and food etc to them while they self-isolated. (luckily they only had mild symptoms) but it did mean that anything blog related got put aside until now.
Victoria Kelsey says
Hi Jacqueline
Thanks for your reply and I’m sorry to hear about your son and his girlfriend. I hope that they are on the mend very soon. My sister and her husband had to self isolate too but because of the contact tracing app alerting them to stay home from Christmas Eve! They seem to be ok though. I did make the truffles after making the ganache the night before and they seemed very successful again, thank you. I tried the squares and didn’t get quite as messy by using a fork to dip them into the chocolate. It was just a lot thicker coat so could only do one coating per chocolate and ALMOST ran out! But I had some very happy customers again! Wishing you a much more positive and fun-filled 2021. Kind regards, Victoria
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Thank you, Victoria, Glad that they turned out well with this method too. One can never have too much chocolate:) Luckily my son and girl firned only had mild symptoms so all good I look forward to seeing them soon I hope and pleased your sister and brother in law were also fine. It certainly was one of those years. Wishing you and your family a much improved 2021and a happy and healthy new year.
Peter Lakin says
Will Elmlea double cream with a six month best before date ever suitable.
Also will. Spanish coffee liqueur we already have be suitable
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I would think that you could use Elmlea double cream to make these truffles but I havent tested so can not say do for sure. You can use any coffee liqueur in the recipe so your Spanish coffee liquer will be absolutely fine:)
Karen says
I made these for my mum for Mother’s Day. She loves coffee truffles, but does not like white chocolate and unfortunately most of the shop bought ones are coated in white chocolate. These were therefore ideal and she absolutely loved them.....as did my dad, a friend, myself and my children.....basically, anyone that tried them!
I am now on my second batch, in fact I’m doubling the quantity this time as they are so popular
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Karen I am so pleased everyone likes them, I must admit to being very partial to them myself 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to comment I really do love reading comments especially when they are such lovely ones x
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I am so glad everyone liked them and thank you for taking the time to comment. I do love reading comments from people who have tried my recipes especially if they are as positive as this.
Gill says
Hi,
i am making these chocs for a xmas present. Instead of setting the ganache in a loaf tin, would it work if i poured it into silicon molds already lined with chocolate?
Thanks Gill
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Hi Gill, they make great presents. I'm not sure if it would work in moulds or not. You would need to allow it to cool before adding to the moulds otherwise it would just melt the chocolate, so it would depend if it thickened too much before it was cool enough. You have made me want to try it now. You might also be able to put the mixture into the moulds allow to set then dip in chocolate but it would depend a little on how intricate your moulds are. If you do try, do let me know you get on, I would be really interested to know
Janet says
Enjoyed these truffles very much. Is there a point where they can be frozen for later use
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
So pleased you liked them. You could freeze the filling if you defrost fully before coating in the chocolate but once they have been coated they will not freeze well/
Heather Caley says
Hi I want to make plain truffles will I need to adjust the recipe
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
You should be ok just leaving the coffee and liqueur out ut they will have a slightly firm texture.
Jo carroll says
Hi, I’ve made your truffles several times and always come out great! My question is how long will they keep for as the last batch didn’t last long, and can I store them in the fridge.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
I am so pleased that you have enjoyed them I have to say they are a firm favourite of mine. They should keep for 3-4 days if kept in a cool, dry place or a little longer in the refrigerator. If you do store them in the fridge, store them in an airtight container excluding as much air as possible. To serve bring to room temperature slowly and do no open the container until they have reached room temperature, otherwise, the warm air will condense onto the chocolate and spoil the appearance
Jo carroll says
Thank you Jacqueline x
Jules B says
Thank you, for the measurement conversions.
Sincerely, A non-metric fluent American
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
You are very welcome. I hope you like them. I will be making them again soon for Christmas pressies.
Lindsay Adams says
I made these truffles today and it didn't get firm. I followed the recipe and everything but it just didn't come out like it should have.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Hello Lindsey I am sorry to hear that you had problems making the recipe. The only reason I can think for the mixture not getting firm enough is that there was slightly too much cream or kahlua added so that the mixture has become too liquid. When working with chocolate very accurate measuring is essential to maintain the balance of proportion of chocolate to cream. If that was not the case then inadequate chilling may have been a problem. Im not sure were you are based but if the temperature was high perhaps your refrigerator needed longer to chill the mixture or perhaps it just got too warm again quickly.
I do hope they tasted good even if they did not turn out quite how you wanted them.
JR says
I shall be trying these for Easter weekend - hopefully I'll receive some of the brownie points that you mention!
I hope the wife will like them, and the boy might even get to try one.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Do let me know how you get on. If you don't get brownie points then I shall have to have words with your other half! If you get a moment do pop back and rate the recipe.
J R says
Brownie points in abundance! The wife and her parents all really loved these chocs, they were very impressed, asked me when I'm going to open a chocolate shop!?
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Yippee! Always happy to hear of success stories like this. Well done Jon and Ill come to your shop! J x
Krista says
What is plain chocolate that you're referring to? And you say it's best to use milk chocolate for the inside part, but I'm a big dark chocolate fan, don't really care for milk chocolate or white chocolate either. So could you use dark chocolate for the inside as well as the coating too?
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Hi Krista,
Plain chocolate is the same as dark chocolate, it is the most commonly used term here in the UK although we do sometimes refer to it as dark chocolate too.
Yes you could use dark chocolate inside too but i suggest milk as being better, because i feel that it doesn't mask the coffee flavour too much. Some dark/plain chocolates have very high cocoa content and a strong flavour, but it is really personal preference. You could also try using a plain chocolate of around 50% cocoa solids for the inside and 70% for coating.
Hope that helps
jacqui x
Lisa B says
What is "plain" chocolate? Is that dark or semi sweet chocolate versus milk chocolate?
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Hi Lisa, Plain chocolate is what we tend to call dark chocolate, here in the UK. I would recommend using a plain/dark chocolate of about 70% cocoa solids.
Japan mason says
These are rally hard to make I have tried today but it did not turn out as I wanted it to. When I made them there was a big mess probily a bigger mess than what you guys have ever seen. And I have once seen a baby draw on walls and spilled its baby food every were and that did not look to good at alll and I hope the mother of that child cleaned it up or at least got someone to do it. Bit I retried making them and therned out as planned and tasted very good.
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
They are a bit tricky and a little messy as I warned but once you get the hang of it its not so bad. Glad they turned out how you wanted them to in the end and as yoy say they do tase very good
Rachel Claire says
Does the coffee have to be instant?
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Hi Rachel,
It is possible to make truffle fillings with water rather than cream in which case you could substitute the cream for strong coffee but I have not tested and the proportions may need altering slightly, so to be sure this worked I would stick to using either instant coffee granules or instant coffee powder, as directed.
belinda says
When you say double cream do you mean heavy Cream?
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Hi Belinda
Yes Double cream is what we call Heavy cream in The UK
Stella says
Loving this recipe for a simple Christmas gift idea. Do you have any advice on how long these might keep/store? Or possibly even freeze if I were to make a few weeks prior to xmas?
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
I would not want to make them more than a week in advance. The fresher they are the better they will taste. They would need to ve stored in airtight container in a cool place. They can not be frozen, However I think you could freeze the filling rolled into balls in advance and then coat them in chocolate a day or so in advance. Defrost before rolling and make sure that the surface is dry or the chocolate will seize. I would play safe and use a small bowl of tempered chocolate to roll them in to seal them before coating in the second layer of chocolate. So that if that chocolate gets moisture in and seizes you will not waste all of your chocolate. Hope that makes sense and yes they will make a lovely gift.
Darla Knight says
Hello, Ms. Bellefonatine,
I cannot wait to try your recipe. These truffles look like something my mother used to make and we would always be sneaking into the 'secret' hiding place to snitch one (or 4) because we could not wait until Christmas to eat them!!
She soon realized her hiding places were no secret to her 8 children 🙂
Alas, I will be making these for Christmas and I can't wait to get my hands all chocolatey. I am wondering if you think they would be as good with a Peppermint Mocha Kahlua, as I have a bottle of that from last Christmas.
Thank you for sharing your recipe and excellent instructions and photographs.
Regards,
D
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Im delighted that you are going to make them and I am sure the peppermint mocha kahlua will work too. Do let me know how you get on I would love to see pics too. Ive just brought a bottle of salted caramel liqueur which i am very keen to try with this recipe. J x
Rach says
Do you need to add the kahlua, as I would love to make these for my folks, but they are sensitive to alcoholic tastes. Could I leave it out and still get great results? They look super tasty too!
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Hi Rach
yes you could make these without the Kahlua,dissolve the coffee granules in 2tbsp of milk or cream instead. You may want to add a little more coffee granules as well to boost the flavour but that is not essential. I would love to know if you make them and if your folks like them.
Anna says
Another delicious recipe for all of us coffee lovers - coffee and chocolate are truly a match made in heaven. I love that you’ve used Kahlua coffee liqueur as well as instant coffee granules. I completely agree that there’s something extra special about making truffles yourself but you definitely have to embrace the mess! But yes, for those who don’t like getting down and dirty with the chocolate I’ve found that using skewers is a good way to dip them into the chocolate too. However this way there’s always the risk of them falling off into the chocolatey depths.
Jacqueline Bellefonatine says
Thank you. The thing i love about rolling them is it so very quick!
Charlotte Oates says
Mmmm, Coffee truffles are one of my favourites. I hadn't thought to put Kahlua in before so that's now on my to-try list. Thanks for joining in with #FoodYearLinkup, I hope to see you there again soon x
Jacqui says
no ! Thank you...I'm sure I will be back on the food year link up soon.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
These sound so delicious and look amazing as well. I have often struggled to coat truffles in chocolate so I was interested to read how you like to do it by dipping your fingers in the chocolate; I love the beautiful almost ruffled effect it has created.....I'd have to be seriously disciplined and wait until I finish coating them all before licking my fingers 😉
Angela x
Jacqui says
Thank you Angela. I have to say once you do it this way I'm sure you will not want to do it any other way it so quick and easy. But yes you do have to be disciplined but nothing to stop you once you have finished - call it cooks perks:)
Paul Coleman says
Hi Jacqui, I've just made some of these today as I couldn't find anything like it in the shops.
What a great recipe, very simple, if somewhat sticky.
Didn't have kahlua, so substituted with Camp coffee.
Did the first coat in milk chocolate and the second in white and they are delightful.
Will definitely make some more and experiment with other flavours. Whisky sounds like a good place to start.
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Yes there is no getting away from it it is a little messy making these but so worth it and glad you think so too. Ohh yes whisky truffles would also be nice. If yu are a fan of Whisky then you might like to try my whisky fudge which is published on my other blog Only Crumbs Remain https://onlycrumbsremain.com/homeade-whisky-fudge/
Corinne Roudebush says
Your ingredients say double cream, what do you mean by that?
Jacqueline Bellefontaine says
Hi Corinne, Double cream is the term we use in the UK for cream that has a fat content of 45-48%. It whips easily and can be piped once whipped. It is also know as thick or heavy cream. Hope this helps Jacqui x