Champagne Truffles - dark and delicious
These Champagne truffles are made with 70% dark chocolate, double cream, brandy butter, vanilla extract and sparkling wine. They are super easy to make and taste divine. Really.
Many Christmases ago, I attempted to make Champagne truffles and … well, it was a fun time. I added far too much sparkling wine to the recipe and in order for it to set I had to add crushed icecream cones to make it solidify. They actually tasted great in the end. But they were messy and looked it.
It occurred to me recently that the real problem was that maybe there wasn’t enough solid fat for it to set. I was in the supermarket and saw a tub of brandy butter and thought what if I tried making them again with butter rather than cream. I did. They’re fantastic and so easy to make. Especially if you love dark chocolate. These are heady and dark and I love them.
Unfortunately the recipe that inspired these no longer is online, Martha Stewart’s Sparkling Champagne Truffles. Did the original recipe use butter or cream? I have no idea. To be honest, I almost never manage to follow a recipe to the letter. I don’t know exactly what happens. But something usually does.
Champagne Truffles
Yield: 50 or so
Suitable for: Gluten-free diet
Ingredients:
- 230g 70% dark chocolate, grated
- 250ml double cream
- 200g brandy butter
- 150ml sparkling wine, room temperature
- milk chocolate for coating, grated
Instructions:
Make the truffles
Place the grated dark chocolate in a deep bowl. In a saucepan gently heat the brandy cream and double cream. Stir frequently. When the butter has all melted, increase the heat a little, keep stirring and heat until it starts to boil.- Pour the boiling cream into the grated dark chocolate. Stir around until it is all smoothly mixed together.
- Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge for 4 hours, or preferably overnight, to set.
Shape the truffles
When ready to decorate the truffles, grate about 50g of milk chocolate and spread it over a large dinner plate.- Scrape out a teaspoon of the chocolate from the deep bowl. Shape the chocolate into the desired shape by gently pinching it with your fingers. The chocolate melts easily in your hands, so rolling the chocolate between your palms isn’t really an option.
- Roll the shaped ball of chocolate in the grated milk chocolate. Place in an air-tight container, lined with baking paper. Repeat until you have used up all the chocolate.
- After having dusted all the truffles it’s a good idea to place them in the fridge for another hour, or until you’re ready to serve them. They should keep good for 3 days in the fridge, possibly longer. They can also be frozen.
Enjoy!
