There's nothing quite like the wonderful flavor combination of chocolate and coffee, is there? These beautiful coffee truffles are made with three kinds of chocolate and have a creamy texture and lots of mocha goodness.
Looking for more coffee-flavored goodness? You'll love these mocha cupcakes and this coffee and walnut cake.
Ingredients
Since these coffee truffles are made from a few basic ingredients, it's important to use high quality ingredients for the best flavor. Choose chocolate that you enjoy eating plain, and then you will like the taste of the truffles.
- Chocolate: You'll need three kinds for this recipe: dark for the ganache, semi-sweet for the coating, and an optional white chocolate drizzle. Make sure to use a good brand, such as Lindt or Ghirardelli.
- Cream: This is one of the key ingredients in the ganache filling. Be sure to use the full-fat heavy whipping cream and not whipping cream or half-and-half. Heavy whipping cream does have a slightly higher fat content than whipping cream.
- Butter: This helps the ganache harden up well in the fridge and adds a little extra richness and good mouthfeel.
- Coffee: Rather than add actual coffee to the truffles, I'm using espresso powder to add lots of flavor without too much moisture.
- Coconut Oil: This ingredient helps thin out the semi-sweet coating used for dipping the truffles. Otherwise, the coating would be too thick.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Quick and Easy: skip dipping or drizzling the truffles and simply roll them in cocoa powder.
- Extra Fancy: top each coffee truffle with a tiny piece of edible gold leaf.
- White Chocolate: dip the ganache balls in white chocolate instead of semi-sweet and drizzle with dark.
- Vegan: use all vegan chocolate and butter and full-fat coconut cream instead of the dairy cream.
How to Make Coffee Truffles
Gather all the ingredients for the ganache filling of the coffee truffles.
- Heat the cream, then whisk in the butter and espresso powder until the butter has melted and the powder has dissolved completely. (image 1)
- Bring the cream to a gentle simmer, then immediately remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk constantly until it has fully melted and the ganache is smooth. (image 2)
- Chill the mixture until it's scoopable, about 2 hours. (image 3)
- Scoop into rounded teaspoon-sized pieces. Lightly roll the coffee ganache pieces in cocoa powder to reduce stickiness, then roll into balls. (image 4)
- Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and coconut oil for the coating. (image 5)
- Dip each truffle in the coating. (image 6)
- Drizzle with melted white chocolate if desired, then chill until hardened, about 15 minutes. (image 7)
- Enjoy your homemade coffee truffles at room temperature! (image 8)
Recipe FAQs
A truffle is a ball of ganache that is either coated in chocolate or rolled in cocoa powder. Ganache is simply a mixture of heated cream and chocolate, which thickens when cooled and firms up enough to be rolled into balls. You'll love the creamy, chocolatey flavor of the espresso ganache in these coffee truffles!
These truffles have a strong mocha flavor from the espresso powder, and a smooth, creamy texture from the ganache filling. The exact flavor profile will vary depending upon the flavor/brand of chocolate you use, so make sure you choose one that you enjoy eating plain. Truffles will always taste better when they're made with good quality chocolate from a reputable company, such as Lindt or Ghirardelli.
A praline is a mixture of nuts, sugar, and cream and is typically more crunchy. On the other hand, truffles are made principally from chocolate and have a smoother, melt-in-your-mouth texture. They can contain nuts, but usually don't.
Leftovers: These coffee truffles will keep at room temperature or in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. If you live in a hot climate, it is better to keep the truffles in the fridge to keep them from melting; then, you can take out what you need and let them warm up to room temperature before eating.
Freezing: They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Make sure to defrost them at room temperature.
Serve
If you're looking for other bite-sized desserts to serve with this recipe, make sure to try our recipes for lemon truffles, strawberry truffles, French chocolate truffles, dark chocolate raspberry truffles, and coconut truffles. You'll also love this 3 ingredient peanut butter fudge!
Expert Tips
- Use chocolate that you like the flavor of, and be sure to choose a good brand name.
- Don't use whipping cream or half-and-half in this recipe; use heavy whipping cream, which has the highest fat content.
- Remove the cream from the heat as soon as it gently simmers, as overheated cream can cause the ganache to split.
- Sticky truffles when rolling them? Roll them in cocoa powder.
Other Candy Recipes
Recipe
Easy Coffee Truffles
Ingredients
For the Ganache
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 ½ tablespoons espresso powder
- 2 ⅔ cups dark chocolate chips
For Dipping & Decoration
- 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pour the cream into a heavy bottomed, 2-quart saucepan and heat it until it begins to steam. Whisk in the butter and espresso powder, stirring until the butter is fully melted and the espresso powder has completely dissolved. Make sure there are no lumps.
- Bring the cream to a gentle simmer, not a boil, then immediately remove it from the heat. Add the chips right away and whisk constantly until they are fully melted and the ganache is smooth and glossy.
- Pour the ganache into a bowl and chill uncovered until the mixture is firm enough to scoop, about 2 hours.
- Scoop the ganache out of the bowl in rounded teaspoonfuls and place on a large, wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Each piece should weigh approximately 16 grams. Roll each piece into a ball, using cocoa powder as needed to reduce sticking.
- Melt the semi-sweet chocolate and the coconut oil in a double boiler until smooth. Pour some of the melted chocolate into a short glass.
- Use a toothpick to dip a truffle into the melted chocolate, then twirl it to remove the excess. Use your finger to help remove the truffle from the toothpick, and use a little excess chocolate to smooth over the toothpick hole. Repeat with the other truffles.
- Gently melt the white chocolate in a double boiler and pour it into the corner of a sandwich bag. Twist the top to create a mini piping bag and snip off a tiny bit of the corner. Drizzle the truffles to decorate.
- Refrigerate the truffles until the coating and decoration has fully hardened, about 15 minutes. Before serving, break off any extra chocolate from the base or sides to neaten the appearance.
- Serve at room temperature for a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Store the truffles in a cool room or in the fridge.
Notes
- Use good-quality chocolate that you enjoy eating plain.
- Use full-fat heavy whipping cream, not whipping cream or half-and-half.
- Be careful not to overheat the cream, or it may cause the ganache to split.
- Roll the truffles in cocoa powder if the ganache sticks to your hands when rolling them.
Nutrition
Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.
Emily
I made these last year and am obsessed! Got so many compliments from family and friends and look forward to making them this year! Coffee with chocolate is my favorite!
Emma
So glad to hear that you and your family and friends enjoyed these truffles so much, Emily! Thank you for your review!
Emily
Ratio of chocolate to cream is so off. I tried to make these and they were impossible to scoop out. It was like trying to scoop from a bowl of hardened chocolate.
Emma
I'm sorry to hear that it was too hard, Emily. I actually found this ganache to be quite firm when I did it, but it was still scoopable. You can always dump the ganache into a saucepan and add another 1/4 cup of cream, then chill it again.
The Ligon Ladies
It was an absolute pleasure to share this treat with such talented young ladies! We enjoyed every bite. The flavor was rich, yet balanced. Chocolate and coffee fans alike will definitely enjoy this dessert!
Emma
We are so glad that we could share this treat with all of you! Thank you for your kind comment.
Alex
The chocolate balances the coffee deliciously. The white chocolate drizzle adds color and some sweetness. These are quite nice...I wouldn't mind if I had the whole platter!
Emma
Haha! I'm glad that you liked these enough to eat the whole plate, Alex!
Beth
These truffles are smooth, luscious, and delightfully flavored with mocha! They look wonderful and are beautifully creamy. The coffee brings out the chocolate perfectly. Absolutely lovely!
Emma
I'm so glad that you enjoyed the truffles, Beth!