Homemade Hot Chocolate Truffles
Plopped in a mug of milk and heated, these truffle hot chocolate balls make for some seriously delicious hot cocoa and great gifts.
I love me some hot chocolate. In a big, obsessive way. I love the stuff and may or may not be known to enjoy it year round.
If someone happened to give me truffle hot chocolate balls as a Christmas gift? Well, I’d seriously consider leaving my entire inheritance to them. (The fact that it consists of legos and wooden spoons is an inconsequential matter, I’d say.)
These truffled balls are a combination of divine chocolate and silky cream. The resulting ganache is chilled and then rolled into balls and wrapped.
The glorious mounds of chocolate can be frozen or refrigerated so they can be enjoyed as you like. Plopped in a mug of milk and heated, this makes for some seriously delicious hot cocoa.
Just in case you might benefit from someone’s valuable inheritance, like mine, I wanted to pass this recipe on for rich, decadent hot chocolate balls that make a wonderful holiday gift (or to hoard and devour yourself).
Pile the wrapped balls in a mug, tie with a ribbon and instructions for the hot cocoa, and you are good to go. Your friends will love you.
But only if you ever make it to their house – I can’t emphasize how decadent and delicious the ganache truffles are. And the resulting hot chocolate is to die for.
FAQs for Homemade Hot Chocolate Truffles
You can keep them at room temperature for a few hours after frozen (like if you’re giving them as gifts), but they really should be kept in the fridge for freezer for the most part.
I wouldn’t recommend using these with water- without milk, it wouldn’t have the rich, chocolate creaminess.
My personal preference is that milk chocolate is too sweet….BUT many people love it, so I would definitely follow your chocolate preference on this one and use milk if that is what you like best.
One Year Ago: Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Two Years Ago: Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Truffle Hot Chocolate Balls
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340 g) semisweet chocolate chips, about 2 cups
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar, optional – I liked the richness of the chocolate without but in another batch, my kids and husband liked the extra sweetness
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Microwave for one minute intervals, stirring often, until the mixture is combined and very smooth and silky. When you first start stirring, after the first minute or so, you’ll wonder if this mixture will ever come together. It will look grainy and messy but after it heats thoroughly and is whisked to combine, it will magically become beautifully smooth. Be careful not to overheat as the chocolate can seize. The trick is to stir often since the mixture will blend together even when it looks like the chocolate chips haven’t melted completely.
- Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes at room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until the ganache mixture is firm and scoopable, about 2-3 hours. Scoop out about 1/4-cup spoonfuls of the mixture and place them on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. My cookie scoop is about 1 1/2 tablespoons. I mounded two of the heaping cookie scoops full of ganache on top of each other to form one ball. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator and let the mounds harden slightly, about 15-20 minutes. Roll the chilled mounds into balls and place on squares of plastic wrap (about 4 inches by 4 inches). Pull the sides of the plastic wrap over to cover the ball and place the balls in the freezer until ready to use.
- To make the hot chocolate: pour 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (depending on how rich you like your cocoa) milk into a microwave-safe mug. Carefully drop one truffle hot chocolate ball that has been unwrapped from the plastic in the milk. Microwave for about 2 minutes. Stir well until the chocolate is combined with the milk. Serve warm!
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Recipe Source: my version of a recipe seen in Cook’s Country
These look divine! I think what’s throwing everyone is the word “inch” (“Scoop out about 1/4-inch spoonfuls…”). Bet you meant to type “cup.” 🙂
This is an awesome idea to make my friends for Christmas! Especially because of being a broke college kid and all…haha. Do these dissolve in water well also?
Kirsten – I’ve never tried it in water but I would highly recommend sticking to the milk – I don’t think it would have the rich, chocolate creaminess if substituting water for milk.
Wow, this looks like the chocolate-coated pill in “The Princess Bride”! I don’t know if it could bring someone who is mostly-dead back to life, but it would certainly brighten a day!
Is the consistency similar to regular truffles? If so, and if you don’t wish to roll them in cocoa like truffles (why?), you might roll them in powdered sugar instead – then you get the extra sweetness as well as removing the need for plastic wrap! Normal truffles keep at a cool room temperature or in the fridge for days.
You could also flavor it a bit with things like vanilla, almond extract/amaretto, Baileys, fruit flavor of some kind…
I may play around with my standard truffle recipe as “instant hot chocolate drops” this Christmas!
Miss Jubilee – yes, I’d say the texture is fairly similar to a normal truffle if perhaps on the soft side just a bit. Have fun playing around with the recipe!
Found this on pintrest – looks divine!
And THANK YOU for having a printable version with a picture! I always want a picture with my recipes.
Do you have any idea how long these are good for? I’m only concerned if I give them as a gift!
MsLydia – I would say they are good for at least 2 months.
Hey Mel…. I made a few batches of these the other day and they are superb!! However, I did notice that the milk chocolate ones did not set as well as the semi-sweet chocolate. Any idea why? Even in the freezer, they didn’t get as hard and once taken out of the freezer (as I was getting some Christmas gifts ready) they became soft very quickly. Any suggestions on how to keep the milk chocolate ones harder? With milk chocolate do you need to add as much heavy cream? Thanks for any thoughts you might have.
Angie – milk chocolate has a significantly higher amount of sugar than semisweet or dark and I’m not sure, but it may have a different amount of cocoa butter. So basically, yes, it can melt differently than semisweet. I’ve only ever made ganache with semisweet or dark chocolate but if you had trouble with the milk chocolate setting up, I’d try adding 1/4 cup less heavy cream and see how that works out!
Decided to make these for Christmas gifts and I made a quintupled batch, LOL! Did it on the stove on the lowest heat possible, stirred until chips were mostly melted and them wisked them smooth the rest of the way. I was nervous about doing it that way since I know chocolate can be tempermental but it worked out beautifully, just have to be patient with the low-as-you-can-go heat! My scoop was 2 teaspoons so I did three slightly heaped scoops which would be 2-3 Tablespoons. I tried one out in a mug of milk and decided it was tasty enough and I got 52 balls out of the batch. Totally making these again!!
Sarah K – quintupled batch! Jeesh – that’s ambitious. I would be in trouble around that much ganache, let me tell you. I’m glad they worked out well…thanks for including your how-to!
These make tasty hot chocolate indeed! I made them with milk chocolate chips and used 1/4 cup of ganache per truffle. I do think they’d be delicious (& pretty) rolled in crushed candycanes as someone else suggested. Love your site! I especially appreciate your explanatory notes included in the recipes.
Cari – thanks for weighing in on this recipe. I’m glad that the milk chocolate worked out well for you!
Thanks Mel! You can come see how dangerously naughty they got when I made them… 😉 And yes Ghirdelli is the best of the best. Only kind I use…sale plus coupon and they can come by pretty cheap.
Such a great idea for truffles, these truly do look amazing! I would go with you & forgo the extra sugar. Nice work 🙂
love these 🙂 will these keep to ship to relatives?
Emily – unfortunately these probably won’t ship well. Because there is so much cream in the recipe and it is highly perishable when not refrigerated, I wouldn’t recommend shipping these. Sorry!
I tried these after seeing them in Cook’s Country as well, using half bittersweet and half semisweet. And I tossed them in a baggie of powdered sugar before freezing. They looked really pretty initially (more appetizing than the brown blobs) but after they were frozen, some of the sugar had been absorbed into the balls. Still tasty!
Holly – thanks for weighing in on these little balls of goodness! The powdered sugar idea is a good one – too bad most of it absorbed in the ball. I checked out your post and thought they still looked pretty nice!
I just realized that in my copycat recipes I have been looking at for salted Caramel Hot Chocolate @ Starbucks (so yummy!) They suggest starting with a Ganache first. These would make it soo easy! Then add caramel and a pinch of salt to taste mmmmmm!
Guittard also has a bittersweet chip. I am excited to try it with those!!! Thanks again!
How do you think using Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips would taste or should I just stick with the semi-sweet?
Adrianne – my personal preference is that milk chocolate is too sweet….BUT many people love it, so I would definitely follow your chocolate preference on this one and use milk if that is what you like best.
Mel, what type of semi-sweet chips do you use use for this recipe? Do you have a favorite?
Jennifer – I actually do have a favorite – they are actually a bittersweet chip, the Ghirardelli brand…but they do tend to be a little pricier than other brands. A while back Cook’s Illustrated did a side-by-side comparison of chocolate chips and actually, the Ghriardelli Bittersweet chips scored top in the “highly recommended” category while these other brands were all in the “recommended” category: Hershey’s Special Dark, Guittard Semisweet, Hershey’s Semisweet, and Ghirardelli Semisweet. The brands not recommended were Baker’s semisweet chunks (has an off-flavor), Nestle Toll House Semisweet Morsels (tasted fake). I hope that helps sort through all the brands a little better!
Oh.My.Gosh! You are killing me! I can’t wait to try these. Like you, I’ve been known to indulge in a cup of hot chocolate, no matter the weather. And having the choice to gobble up the chocolatey goodness or melt it in a cup of hot milk… I can’t think of a more perfect holiday treat to give or get! Thanks!
Ok,we are out of our cocoa mix and I am ready to make these. So about 3 TB per ball right? I think my cookie scoop is about the same as yours. 2 cookie scoops per ball= 3 TB for those who don’t have one??? Thanks!
Natasha – between 3 and 4 tablespoons for each mound. I used my cookie scoop that was 1 1/2 tablespoons but I heaped it big time, so I ended up with more like 2 tablespoons. And I took two of those heaping scoops to make one ball. So about 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) per ball. Give or take.
I love this idea as well! I will definitely be making these this year for the neighbors!
Oh my goodness! I thought I had seen it all and then I saw this post!! LOVE this as a unique gift idea. Big kudos to you!!
Quick question! You say 1/4 inch scoop at first but then say 1 1/2 tablespoons heaped twice, from your cookie scoop, to make one ball. I’m confused. Sorry. So each truffle is approx. 3 to 4 inch balls? Is that correct?
YAY!!!! Sooo excited! These are perfect to give out as gifts! I’ve been wondering what to do besides my insane baking spree. This is so much easier and so super yummy, I’m sure! Thanks for sharing! You’re the best!
Hi Jenny – sorry for the confusion…the way I did it is I used my 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop and scooped out two heaping scoopfuls (how many times can I use the word scoop?) and mounded them on top of each other. I let the mounds chill and then formed them into balls. Because I ultimately wanted about 1/4 cup in each ball, I figured my heaping scoop did the trick since there are 4 tablespoons in 1/4 cup and I heaped my 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop twice. Does that make sense??
What a brilliant idea!!
Oh, baby! I would be tempted to eat one while making the chocolate. (It’s a safe place, I can admit that, right?) What a beautiful gift idea!
when i see a recipe for truffles, part of me wants to move right past it because they’re such a pain, but another part wants me to stop and make some on the spot. guess which part usually wins? 🙂
First, I have to tell you how much I LOVE your blog. I think I have made pretty much every single recipe you’ve posted and have NEVER disliked anything. My husband commented, “she gives these recipes out for free??” Our family loves them and I am always so excited to check your blog each morning to see what’s new. Thank you so much! As for the truffle balls, as usual, LOVED THEM! You never disappoint 🙂
Courtney – I can’t believe you’ve already made the truffle balls – I’m so glad you liked them (and thanks for the sweet comment!).
Oh. My. WOW! I was thinking this was going to be another great truffle recipe to add to my collection (I LOVE making truffles!), but to make hot chocolate with these?!?!?! This is awesome!!!! I have to try these, making a stop at the store tonight to get everything!!! 🙂
This is such a fun idea- Love it! I was thinking along the same line as Cammee- chocolate and mint are my favorite combo. I like the idea of rolling in crushed candy canes or how about tucking a mint Hershey Kiss in the ball? YUM
This looks so good! I love truffles and this is awesomely over the top hot chocolate!
Oh man, I so wanted to try this when I saw it in Cook’s Country…and then I realized that I could only eat one meal along with it for the day before expending all my calories. Shoot. Being in a weight loss competition during the holidays is kind of a downer! Love your pics as always.
I love hot chocolate and drink it all year round! This seem like the most amazing things ever!!!!
Wow, that sounds just amazing! I was just thinking of hot chocolate, and now it’s turned into a craving 🙂
Yum! I am about to make a cup right now. That is the exact base recipe I use for chocolate fondue, minus the sugar. I had fondue with some gals recently and have been wondering what to do with the extra chocolate. Problem solved!
P.S. This time around for the fondue I used half cream/half eggnog. Very subtle eggnog deliciousness. Yum!
How fun! I’ve never heard of such a thing but I love it! That’s a great gift idea.
Wow! These look amazing! What a fabulous idea! Love your site!
These looks so neat!! Cant wait to try em 🙂
Seriously! You are so awesome!! I too love hot chocolate! I can’t wait to try this! Thanks!
What a cool idea! Thanks for sharing.
I love this! I might experiment with adding peppermint extract or rolling them in crushed peppermint before wrapping them.
Cammee – you are on the right track! I had the same idea that this recipe could be so adaptable with different flavors. Let me know if you try them!
oh my, I made these too! Not the same recipe, mine came from KAF, and I called them hot chocolate on a stick. They’ll be posted sometime in the next 12 days…schedule’s not entirely clear yet 🙂
Absolutely BRILLIANT!!!
Mel~
I have drooled over your blog for awhile now! I have made many, many recipies from this fabulous site and I just wanted to say thanks.
I am a busy mom of four myself, and I am not sure how you have time to keep up to this little gem! =)
I am going to make these chocolate balls and perhaps give them for neighbor gifts!
I will also share with you that your Parker house roll recipe has made famous in my little Idaho neighborhood~ (wink)!
Thanks again!
Misty
Thanks, Misty!
Wow! We are a house of hot cocoa lovers, too! These truffles look amazing, and again, would make a fabulous hostess gift! Thanks for sharing, Melanie! 🙂
WOW, those look delish! Can’t wait to make those this weekend with the kidlets!! Thanks for the wonderful recipes you share.
Yay! This looks awesome. I was wondering if you had a premade homemade version of hot chocolate that didn’t include nesquik or coffee creamer, and of course you do! Making this today!
Oh my goodness, this is awesome! We love Hot Cocoa too. I may add a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to mine, I can’t wait to make tehse. This way it’s premeasued and my kids can make one themselves. Thanks!
You win again! I can’t wait to see what else you have up your sleeve!
I saw the original recipe in Cook’s Country and had it marked to try. So glad to see your version here~
This is a great Christmas idea for co-workers, neighbours etc… I will definitely be trying this one out!
I LOVE this idea!! Thank you for a simple yet functionable idea for the holidays!