Silky, creamy, blueberry chocolate truffles are an easy and elegant homemade treat and/or gift.
No celebration is complete without chocolate, and homemade chocolate truffles make for an easy and elegant treat. There is something undeniably gratifying about offering a homemade gift that is also thankfully easy to make and that's what these chocolate blueberry truffles are.
Silky, creamy and studded with tiny bits of chopped dried blueberries, they can be served in individual paper cups or packed in cellophane bags tied with a ribbon to gift. The truffles can also be made ahead of time and keep well for weeks in the refrigerator making them a great make-ahead recipe.
The inspiration for the additions of blueberries came from an incredible flourless chocolate cake I’d recently eaten at a local patisserie. The cake was a rich torte with a thick, fudge-like interior similar to a dense souffle that came with the unexpected surprise of tiny little blueberries in each silky bite. The combination of the rich, dark chocolate and blueberries was memorable and I was eager to recreate it in truffle form.
Chocolate truffles start with ganache. Ganache is simply an emulsion of chocolate and cream to which flavorings are added. It is the ratio of cream to chocolate that determines the consistency of the ganache and what it is used for. An equal ratio of chocolate to cream (by weight) is considered a ganache of medium consistency, 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream is considered a ganache of firm consistency, and soft ganaches have more than 50 percent cream.
For the centers of these truffles, I made a medium-hard ganache - utilizing more chocolate than cream to produce a somewhat dense filling that would firm up just enough to hold its shape for rolling truffles.
Heavy cream is heated with finely chopped dried blueberries and a touch of honey. The hot cream and blueberries are then poured over the finely chopped chocolate, and left to sit for a minute to start melting and bring down the temperature of the mixture to allow for better emulsification. After the resting period they are gently stirred together in a slow, circular motion from the inside of the bowl towards the edges until silky and smooth and very soft butter is incorporated to the mixture to increase the butterfat percentage and add richness to the filling. The result is rich and intense with chocolate flavor.
Chocolate Blueberry Truffles Recipe
Chocolate truffles flavored with blueberries and a touch of honey.
Ingredients
- 8 oz (225g) dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa solids)
- ¼ tsp fleur de sel
- ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons (150 ml) heavy cream (double cream) (35-40% butterfat)
- ½ cup (92g) finely chopped dried blueberries
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) honey
- 2 Tablespoons (28 grams) softened unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (it’s important that the butter be very soft)
- Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder, for rolling
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate as finely as possible to allow it to melt quickly and easily. Place the chopped chocolate and fleur de sel in a medium bowl and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, finely chopped dried blueberries and honey and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let stand undisturbed for about 1 minute to begin melting the chocolate. Using a spatula, gently stir the mixture from the center outwards mix until all of the hot cream is incorporated and the ganache is homogenous.
- Whisk in the soft butter one piece at a time until incorporated. The ganache should be slightly thick and shiny. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the ganache until set, about 2 to 3 hours. As it cools, it will firm and thicken; it should be firm, but soft enough to scoop out and roll into balls.
- Remove the truffle mixture from the refrigerator and using a melon baller or small scoop, scoop up a scant tablespoonful of ganache for each truffle. Roll each portion into a round in the palm of your hand and place onto a parchment lined sheet. Put the formed truffles in the fridge for about 15 minutes or until firm.
- Sift enough cacao powder to coat the bottom of a shallow plate or pie pan. Toss each truffle in the cocoa powder so that it is well coated, then carefully toss the truffles between your hands to shake off the excess or roll the truffles around in a sieve to shake off the extra cocoa.
- The truffles can be served immediately or can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Serve the truffles at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
24Amount Per Serving: Calories: 7Cholesterol: 1mgCarbohydrates: 1gSugar: 1g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Heather @ Multiply Delicious says
How sweet of all of you to throw Amanda a virtual baby shower! I met Amanda at BlogHer Food last year and she was such a warm and kind person. I'm sure she was so delighted that you all thought of her and her upcoming arrival.
And these truffles look and sound heavenly! Your photographs amaze me...as usual.
Lora @cakeduchess says
Hi Sylvie-How sweet that you all threw a shower for Amanda. Too bad she couldn't really sample all this deliciousness! Gorgeous photos and really love the flavor idea!!
Soma says
These are some sensual treats! My gosh, how i wish someone got these for my baby shower 🙂 well at least I can do it for someone else, instead of taking a regular cake. Mind blowing photographs as usual; so real that it makes me want to pick one.
and have to say that i love the idea of the virtual baby shower.
Barbara says
Amanda is so talented. She's going to LOVE these!
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
Sylvie, these truffles are lovely! What a gorgeous collection of photos for a sinful and simple treat. Thank you for sharing!
Delishhh says
Sylvie - First i have to say what an awesome shower idea!! Secondly these look amazing. I love the idea of blueberries, i never thought of it but blueberries to go very well with chocolate, i always somehow usually use stawberries or rasberries. I still to this day have never made truffels, and i have no idea what i am waiting for 🙂 I usually end up hosting a shower for my friends and Quiche is always on the menu 🙂
Barbara @ Modern Comfort Food says
I don't know Amanda at all, but I'm certainly grateful to her for inspiring these extraordinary truffles and several other beautiful recipes I've seen lately. These would also be just perfect, served with coffee, after a dinner party.
Vanille says
Delightful treat ! The blueberry make them unusual and even more interesting. A perfect confection for a baby shower.
Joyti says
A virtual baby shower, how sweet! And these truffles look very sweet too...and decadent, and delicious. I've never had a blueberry truffle, but I love blueberries, and I can imagine how wonderful these must be...
Lubna says
I love these hidden treasured truffles.....looks delectable...