What is a Truffle Chocolate? Types, History, and More!

If you are a chocolate lover, you've certainly seen the term "chocolate truffle" online or in your neighborhood bakery. Even without understanding what it was, you may have sampled a chocolate truffle and enjoyed its mouthwateringly rich and smooth flavor. Read more to learn more about this chocolate delicacy!

What is a Truffle Chocolate?

Chocolate truffles are chocolate treats in the shape of truffles and contain a variety of ingredients though their most basic form just calls for two: chocolate and cream. Truffles can be shaped into elaborate shapes, airbrushed, dusted with luster dust, or decorated with a wide variety of sprinkles, almonds, chocolate shavings, coconut, and other ingredients. Truffles traditionally have a rustic, deformed appearance evocative of the fungus known as truffles. This is actually how they received their name, and are rolled in cocoa powder.

Chocolate Truffles vs. Truffle Mushrooms

Due to their resemblance to fresh truffles, a costly mushroom, chocolate truffles gained their name and to distinguish the two and avoid confusion, truffle mushrooms are sometimes referred to as natural truffles and chocolate truffles as dessert truffles.

Truffle mushrooms are uncommon mushrooms that only develop naturally next to some trees' roots and are traditionally hunted by truffle hogs. They are particularly trained to detect the mushrooms using their keen noses, after which they are carefully dug up and due to their scarcity and difficult harvesting, truffle mushrooms are very expensive.

Read more: What Is a Truffle Mushroom?

Types of Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate makers from all over the world have changed up the truffle with diverse techniques, stuffings, and ingredients. Here's what you need to know about the major types of chocolate truffles:

Belgian Truffles

Belgian truffles have a solid outer layer and a creamy filling inside such as chocolate ganache, marzipan, buttercream, and nut pastes.

French Truffles

French truffles are composed of fresh cream and chocolate and once the chocolate has cooled and set, the truffles get rolled in cocoa powder or nuts.

American Truffles

American truffles are oval-shaped, unlike their round European counterparts usually involve a mixture of dark and milk chocolate, butterfat, and sometimes coconut oil.

Spanish Truffles

Spanish truffles, usually containing rum or other types of liqueur. They are then prepared with dark chocolate and condensed milk with chocolate sprinkles to decorate them.

Swiss Truffles

They are made by combining melted chocolate with a mix of a bit of butter that was heated and warm cream. Once poured into molds and left to set, they're rolled in either nut or cocoa powder.

Canadian Truffles

These creamy truffles are also called Harvey truffles. They consist of a yummy filling of crushed peanut butter and graham crackers.

How to Make Decadent Chocolate Truffles

Although they are thought of as a fancy treat, the classic chocolate truffles are actually quite simple to create at home. Heavy whipping cream and chocolate are the only two base ingredients needed but some chocolate truffle recipes may additionally call for a small amount of butter or corn syrup to improve the mouthfeel and level out the texture of the truffles.

Basic Truffle Ingredients

Although you may make truffles using any good quality chocolate, a bar of semi-sweet chocolate with a cacao content of roughly 60% is the most adaptable. For a robust flavor, use dark chocolate and you can flavor your ganache with extra ingredients. In addition to using semi-sweet chocolate by including extras like extracts or flavoring oils.

Classic Chocolate Truffle Recipe

• Chop up a chocolate bar
• Heat heavy cream, and pour it over the chocolate,
• Whisking the mixture until it turns into the ganache, a glossy, silky substance.
• This chocolate ganache will act as the base for your truffle creations.
• Allow it to set at room temperature or chilled in the refrigerator. This depends on whether you prefer a truffle with a mushy core or a dense chocolate shell.
• The truffles can be formed into small, misshapen spheres when the ganache has had time to set up.
• You can then dip or roll them in melted chocolate, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or another type of garnish like crushed almonds, candies, citrus zest, or sprinkles.

Chocolate Truffle History

According to tradition, truffles were accidentally created in the 1920s. According to the legend, the apprentice of renowned French chef Auguste Escoffier was attempting to prepare pastry cream. However, he inadvertently poured hot cream into a basin with chocolate pieces rather than one with beaten eggs and sugar. He didn't discard the chocolate because of the mishap; instead, he dealt with it and obtained the first French truffle.

Another origin tale for truffles centers around French chocolatier Louis Dufour wherein according to legend, he created truffles in the late 1800s when he ran out of chocolates to offer to his clients on Christmas Day.