Vegan chocolate truffles – two ways
Vegan chocolate truffles – two ways
Like many good things in life, truffles were invented by a complete accident. One of the apprentices of a famous French chef was trying to make a pastry cream, but his brain malfunctioned (or so it seemed at the time) and he poured hot cream into the wrong bowl; the one filled with broken up chocolate. As the mixture cooled off and hardened, he realised that he was able to work it with his hands to form soft, chocolate balls. Once he rolled them in cocoa powder they reminded him of the prized fungi known as truffles which is how he named his new invention.
High quality truffles are still rolled by hand so they usually come with a high price tag.
While it may seem like making truffles is the domain of a master chocolatier, it is really quite a simple task (if a little bit messy).
In this recipe, I’ve replaced butter and cream with coconut milk and a small amount of coconut oil (they don’t taste coconutty at all, promise!), making them less unhealthy (one vegan chocolate truffle is only 50kCal) but not compromising on the taste. The recipe below allows you to make two different kinds of truffles.
If you stick to the base recipe only, you’ll get intensely chocolaty truffles that will win your heart (or your partners!). If you add winter-spiced additions to your base mix, you’ll end up with warming winter truffles, begging you to enjoy them all by yourself. Apart from going fantastically well with your espresso or evening brandy, they also make a delicious present for the chocoholics in your life; ideal for this coming Valentine’s Day.
BASE RECIPE
- 125 g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
- ½ cup of coconut milk*
- 1 tsp coconut oil (refined is recommended)
- 2 tbsp / 30 ml maple syrup**
- 2 tbsp cocoa (for rolling)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (for rolling)
WINTER-SPICED FLAVOUR ADDITIONS
- vanilla bean, seeds
- ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 pinches ground hot chili powder
- 2 tbsp / 30 ml fresh orange juice
- Take an unopened 100 g bar of chocolate and hit it against your work bench a few times so that the inside breaks up into small pieces. Take the remaining 25 g you will need for this recipe and chop it finely with a knife. Place the entire 125 g of chocolate pieces in a large bowl. If you are making winter-spiced version, add in grated nutmeg, cinnamon and hot chili powder.
- Gently heat up coconut milk on the stove – don’t let it boil. Add in coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla seeds and orange juice (the last two only if you are going for the winter-spiced version).
- Pour hot coconut milk mixture over broken up chocolate and spices. Whisk it until combined into a silky smooth chocolate cream. It may take a bit of stirring, don’t be put off. If you have a ceramic hob and are using a heat-proof glass bowl, you may want to place it on the turned-off hob ring, which you used to warm up the coconut milk. Residual heat will speed chocolate melting.
- When the mixture cools down, leave it in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) until it has hardened. Cover the bowl with cling film or else it will dry up.
- Scoop out a teaspoon of the thickened mixture at a time and roll into balls.
- Mix 2 tsp of cinnamon with 2 tbsp of cocoa on a plate/tray and roll the truffle balls in this mixture until evenly coated. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
*What is needed here is coconut milk that comes in a tin, not the watered down coconut milk that you can now buy in a carton. The milk I used has 60% coconut and 40% water.
**If you don’t have maple syrup, you can dissolve sugar in the orange juice instead.
I guess it depends how sensitive you are to that flavour. I don't think they taste of coconut (dark chocolate is a very dominant flavour), but then I don't mind the flavour so perhaps I don't notice it as much. Ania
My guess is that coconut cream (but please make sure it isn't creamed coconut as that's a different thing altogether) will work well and you can skip coconut oil. Hope it work well. x Ania
Love ❤
Lakshana
Thank you so much for your kind words about the blog. I am really happy to hear this!! I am not sure what do you mean exactly? Do you mean replace full fat coconut milk with reduced fat version? Is that what you mean? Well, the taste will be the same, but the texture probably less firm as truffles need fat in order to retain their creamy yet firm texture. Hope that helps! Ania
The one you used is considered a full fat coconut cream, right?
You wrote "VEGAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES – TWO WAYS"
First one is the base recipe while the second is the base + additions
Do you put all the additions or just select a few from the list?
Thasnks :)
The intention was for the base to be one version and for the flavours to go into the second, winter-spiced version. You are, of course, welcome to adjust the additions to your own taste! Hope that helps. Ania
Yes, the type of chocolate definitely does have a part to play, for sure. Melt the mixture over the water bath again gently and add some melted coconut (refined if you do not want coconut taste) to the mixture to make it thicker. Ania
I am excited about making some of these as presents this year, however I have the Biona coconut milk in the cupboard which is organic without any added ingredients but only 50% coconut, do you think it would be safer to get a higher percentage or will it be ok?
Thanks in advance!
It should be fine, perhaps add a teaspoon or two more of coconut oil to ensure you've got enough fat to keep these truffles indulgent and creamy. Hope that helps! Ania
I haven't tried but it should not make much difference as long the consistency is the same. Ania
Me and my partner are vegan so its nice to have these around as they seem to go much further than a bar of dark chocolate usually would in my house and they are just that bit more luxurious. Best thing is I have all of these ingredients at home, and I have been experimenting with espresso coffee instead of orange juice and and adding peppermint extract in the end, my favorite so far.
The spices and vanilla really works well and some crushed pistachios instead of cacao to roll them in makes a pretty contrast. It's important to be accurate with the measures of the coconut milk I have noticed, a slight bit too much and it doesn't set as well.
The next batch will have flaked almonds and a tiny bit of almond extract in them, so will see how that goes.
Massive thanks for this recipe, keep em coming!
Linda
I'm really sorry to hear that the mixture didn't quite set. Have you made any modifications or substitutions perhaps? You could soften the mixture slowly over a water bath and melt a bit more chocolate to it - that should help with consistency. Please let me know how it went! Ania
I'll be honest, I don't really know - sweet stuff never hangs around in my house :) - but I reckon if you make them mid next week, they should last in an airtight container in the fridge until Boxing Day. Ania
Thanks, I'm pleased to hear that you are planning to make my truffles. If you don't want orange overtones, simply swap orange juice for almond milk (or even water) and dissolve sugar in almond milk too.
Hope that helps,
Ania