Easy Holiday Chocolate Truffles (4 Ways!)

homemade holiday chocolate truffles
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When I think about the holidays, I always think about chocolate truffles! I love how easy they are to make, plus how versatile the recipe can be. I love using Nielsen-Massey‘s Vanilla and different extracts to create amazing tasting truffles! Best of all, you can make them gluten free and keto friendly so everyone at your party can enjoy them!

What Exactly Are Chocolate Truffles?

Sometimes people can confused, what exactly are truffles? No, it is not the super expensive fungus that you need special dogs to dig up for you! A chocolate truffle usually is made out of chocolate, cream, and any types of flavouring and toppings you like. It is a great make ahead dessert for parties you don’t even need to turn on the stove if you do not want to!

Are Chocolate Truffles Gluten Free & Keto Friendly?

If you use the right ingredients, yes! Let’s start first with truffles being gluten free. Truffles usually consist of only a few ingredients; baking chocolate, cream, any extracts you like to flavour it with. As long as you get a good quality baking chocolate that does not have extra ingredients in it, this recipe can be gluten free.

As for being keto friendly. Again, since this recipe only uses a few ingredients, you can simply use a baking chocolate that is as close to 100% cocoa as possible. This is not for everyone since there is no sweetness at all but you can get varying degree of cocoa levels in your baking chocolate. All other ingredients are keto friendly if you do not add any extra sugar to it.

How To Store Chocolate Truffles

Since our kitchen and homes can be warm, my recommendation is to always put your truffles in the fridge if you are going to consume them within a few days. If you plan to enjoy them for a longer period of time, you can store them in air tight containers in the freezer for many months. You can easily pop the whole container or a few truffles at a time out of the freezer and enjoy them when you have a craving for them.

One Stop Shop to Get Your Ingredients

Other than the cream and any other toppings you choose to add to this recipe, you can get all your truffle making ingredients from Gourmet Trading Co. I actually used their Gourmet Bakers Delight Basket which has:

baking package
  • a mixing bowl
  • a whisk
  • Valrhona 100% Cacao, Cocoa Powder
  • Valrhona Guanaja: 70% Cacao, Dark Chocolate for Baking
  • Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract (“Uses a proprietary blend of select vanilla beans made with our strict quality standards. It is a great all-purpose vanilla with a rich, classic vanilla flavor that can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes.”)
  • Nielsen-Massey Almond Extract (“Made with the purest oil of bitter almond for optimal results. It delivers a sweet, nutty flavor that complements vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch and more.”)
  • Nielsen-Massey Peppermint Extract (“Made from the finest mint under the strictest quality standards. It has a fresh, peppermint flavor and is a favorite during the holiday season.”)
  • Nielsen-Massey Orange Extract (“Made from the finest-quality oranges and serves as the perfect partner to many flavors, both sweet and savory. Its fresh citrus flavor is ready right from the bottle and saves time when a recipe calls for orange juice or zest.”)

I love using Nielsen-Massey’s extracts since the quality is superb! Trust me, once you have tried them, you will never go back to the other extracts you are using now. Also, I love that they care about sustainability. Not only for the environment but also for the people working for them. You can read all about their sustainability initiatives here.

homemade holiday chocolate truffles

Holiday Chocolate Truffles (3 Ways!)

Easy chocolate truffles with flavour combinations that will make all your guests happy! Perfect for every occasion!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Resting in Fridge Time 1 day
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Servings 20 truffles

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz Valrhona Guanaja: 70% Cacao, Dark Chocolate for Baking (or your favourite baking chocolate)

  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

  • 1/4 tsp Nielsen-Massey Orange Extract 


    (You can also use Nielsen-Massey Almond, Peppermint, and Vanilla extract to create different flavours)
  • Orange Zest  (optional as garnish)


  • white sugar

    (For optional coating)

Instructions
 

  • Combine baking chocolate, whipping cream and extract in a microwavable safe bowl.

  • Microwave for 1 minute and stir until all chocolate is melted. (If you do not want to microwave the mixture, you can use a double boiler to mix the ingredients together)

  • Let mixture cool in the fridge for 24 hours

  • Remove from the fridge and let sit in room temperature for about 5 minutes.

  • Roll into 20 truffle balls

  • In a separate plate, spread a thin layer of sugar and coat each truffle in sugar.

  • Garnish with orange zest

Notes

You can easily change up the flavours of these chocolate truffles! 
Peppermint Truffles: Baking chocolate, cream, peppermint extract. Garnish with crushed up candy canes! 
Almond Truffles: Baking chocolate, cream, almond extract. Garnish with sea salt!
Double Chocolate Truffles: Baking chocolate, cream. Dust with cocoa powder! 
The possibilities are endless! Have fun and experiment away! 
Keyword chocolate truffles, easy truffles, holiday truffle recipe, truffles
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