Champagne Truffles

My rich and creamy Champagne Truffles are the ultimate celebratory confection. Containing just five ingredients, they are a chocolate lover’s dream! We add Champagne to a smooth and creamy dark chocolate ganache, roll it into balls, coat in yet more chocolate and finish with a light sprinkle of gold sugar. They are melt-in-the-mouth delicious and guaranteed to be crowd pleasers.

Course Afternoon Tea, Dessert, Morning Tea

Cuisine French

Prep Time 30

Chill Time 2 30

Total Time 3

Servings truffles

Calories 179kcal

Author Alexandra Cook - It's Not Complicated Recipes

Ingredients

For the Champagne Truffles:

80 ml (⅓ cup) heavy whipping/thickened cream See Note 1
225 g (8 oz) dark chocolate (70 % cocoa solids)– finely chopped See Note 2
60 ml (¼ cup) Champagne - or Prosecco/sparkling wine of your choice – at room temperature See Note 3

For the Coating:

180 g (6 oz) milk cooking chocolate
6 teaspoon gold sugar sprinkles – or sprinkles of your choice

Instructions

Line a small, flat dish with non-stick baking paper. I used a Pyrex, 13 x 18 cm (7 x 5 inches). (See Note 4.)
Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper and set aside.
Add the cream to a small saucepan. Over low heat, heat the cream until just below boiling point.
Turn off the heat and add the chocolate.
Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Cool for 5 minutes and then add the Champagne. Stir well – it will take a little while to come together.
Pour the mixture into the prepared dish.
Transfer to the fridge to chill, about 1 ½-2 hours, or until it is firm enough to roll into balls.
Working with a small ice cream scoop, scoop into small balls.
If the chocolate is too firm to roll, set it aside for 5-10 minutes. Press on the mixture as you are rolling to make it compact.
Place each ball on the prepared tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm.
To make the coating, break the milk chocolate into even size pieces. Put into a bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water, being careful to not get any water into the chocolate. Stir occasionally.
When the chocolate has almost melted, remove the bowl and set it aside. The residual heat will melt any remaining chocolate.
Leave the chocolate to cool for about 15 minutes. If it is too warm, it will soften the truffles.
Remove the truffles from the fridge. Working one at a time, dip each ball in the melted chocolate, and using two small forks, move them around to make sure they are completely coated.
Using the tips of a fork, lift them out and smooth them on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate and return them to the lined tray.
Sprinkle with a small amount of the gold sugar sprinkles.
If the chocolate becomes too firm to smoothly dip the balls, re-heat a little and proceed.
When they are all coated, place the tray in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes, or until the coating is crisp.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one week. If storing the truffles in layers, separate them with non-stick baking paper.

Notes

Cream: for a creamy texture and best flavour, use full-fat cream. Thickened/heavy whipping cream should have a minimum 35% fat content.
Chocolate: I use dark chocolate that contains 70% cocoa solids. Although some of our other recipes use 40%, we prefer the higher percentage of cocoa solids for this recipe due to the addition of alcohol.
Champagne: use a Champagne, Prosecco or sparkling wine of your choice. Just ensure it is at room temperature.
Dish: To make it easier to line the dish, I firmly scrunch the baking paper before placing it. You can, if you wish, use a bowl, it will just take a little longer to chill.
Leftover chocolate: you may have some leftover chocolate from coating the Champagne Truffles. The best way to make use of the leftover chocolate is to add some slivered almonds or another chopped nut and scoop little mounds onto non-stick baking paper. Alternatively, use a teaspoon to make small circles on baking paper and add sprinkles, as per our Homemade Chocolate Freckles. You have delicious confectionery, with minimal effort.
Storage: the truffles can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Freezing: the truffles can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container. The chocolate may “bloom”, however, although they will still taste delicious.

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