Champagne Truffles

Champagne truffles are an easy, rich, and chocolatey treat perfect for New Years, Valentine’s Day, or any day. They come together quickly with just a few ingredients, and they’re just delicious!

Are you a New Year’s Eve person? I’m not. I actually go to bed early on NYE in protest.

I don’t understand why anyone would stay up late (and go out amidst massive throngs of people!) unless they absolutely have to.

But whether you’re a New Year’s lover or a New Year’s grinch like me, you’ll love these truffles! They’re the actual BEST champagne truffles I’ve ever had—rich, decadent, and oh-so-festive! 

The champagne flavor in these truffles isn’t super prominent, it’s just enough to add a little something special to the rich chocolate. 

Why you’ll love these champagne truffles:

• They’re easy to make and only require a few ingredients
• They last for weeks in the fridge—perfect to make ahead
• The recipe is easily doubled to feed a crowd!

What are chocolate truffles?

Chocolate truffles are basically balls of chocolate ganache that has been allowed to set. Typically truffles are either rolled in cocoa powder or nuts (or even sprinkles!), or they’re covered in tempered chocolate.

Truffles get their name because of their resemblance to truffle mushrooms—but mushrooms aren’t a typical ingredient in chocolate truffles (fortunately).

What is chocolate ganache?

Chocolate ganache is a mixture of chocolate and heavy cream. When you refrigerate ganache, it sets up enough that you can form it into balls to create truffles.

Ganache is very rich, so it’s a delicious way to finish desserts, but it’s super simple to make.

You know the drip cakes you’ve been seeing everywhere for years now? The drip is often chocolate ganache.

Can I make champagne truffles with white chocolate?

You can, but the truffles don’t set up as firmly as dark or semisweet chocolate truffles do. You’ll definitely want to store white chocolate truffles in the fridge rather than setting them out for people to eat because they soften very quickly.

The method is the same as with semisweet chocolate but the proportions of chocolate to cream are different—if you used the same proportions, the ganache would be too runny to shape into truffles, especially after the addition of champagne. (See the notes section of the recipe card for the proportions.)

You’ll also need to use a little less champagne than if you made dark chocolate truffles. You can roll white chocolate truffles in powdered sugar or cocoa powder, whichever is your preference.

If you have trouble getting the white chocolate to melt with hot heavy cream alone, you can heat your ganache in the microwave in 5-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the white chocolate is fully melted.

Working with white chocolate takes patience because it doesn’t melt as easily as dark or milk chocolate. 

Don’t be tempted to heat it in intervals longer than 5 seconds or you risk scorching your chocolate and ruining your truffles, and be sure you stir it A LOT between intervals. 

What kind of chocolate should I use for truffles?

Trader Joe’s pound plus dark chocolate is always my go-to because it’s so reasonably priced and it’s really good quality.

Baker’s chocolate and Ghirardelli are other good options that are widely available at grocery stores.

Don’t use chocolate chips! Chocolate chips are full of stabilizers that prevent them from melting the way regular chocolate does; chocolate chips also don’t taste as good as real chocolate. 

When you’re making truffles, you really want good quality chocolate because there are so few ingredients—it’s hard to mask an inferior chocolate flavor with just heavy cream and a little champagne.

How to store chocolate truffles

Store uneaten truffles in an airtight container in the fridge (layered with wax paper) for up to 10 days.

You can also store them in the freezer (again in an airtight container and layered with wax paper) for up to a year.

A few more desserts you might enjoy
Death by Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Tuxedo Cake
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Fudge
Turtle Cheesecake
Chocolate Chip Pie

Did you make these champagne truffles? That’s great! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. Then post a pic on IG–tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your delicious creations!

5 from 5 votes

Print

Champagne Truffles

Prep Time

25 mins

Chilling time

4 hrs

Total Time

25 mins

 

Champagne truffles are an easy and decadent dessert for New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, or any day of the week! You don't need any special equipment to make them and they're always a hit with chocolate lovers!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 35

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

• 8 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate finely chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 5 tablespoons champagne
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Place the chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl.
2. Put the heavy cream in a small saucepan set over medium heat and warm the cream until it begins to steam—don’t let the cream boil.
3. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and allow to sit for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, stir gently IN ONE DIRECTION until the mixture is smooth. Add the champagne and butter and stir until well combined.
4. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 45 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours, or up to overnight. (You can store the ganache in Tupperware in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.)
5. After 4 hours, the ganache should be set enough that you can scoop it into balls; use 1 heaping teaspoon of ganache per ball. Put 1/3 cup of cocoa powder into a shallow bowl.
6. Roll each ball of ganache between your palms to shape it, then roll in the cocoa powder.
7. Uneaten truffles can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 weeks, or in the freezer for about 2 months.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• • If the ganache is too firm to scoop after you refrigerate it, let it sit at room temp for a few minutes.
  • If the ganache gets too soft to shape while you’re working with it, pop it back in the fridge for a few minutes.
  • Don’t use chocolate chips in these truffles.
  • You can use any kind of sparkling wine (it doesn’t have to be champagne), just be sure you like the flavor of the wine.

To make white chocolate truffles:

• 10 1/2 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons champagne
• 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar (or cocoa powder)

Follow the instructions in the recipe above for the method.

• If you have trouble getting the white chocolate to melt with hot heavy cream alone, you can heat your ganache in the microwave in 5-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the white chocolate is fully melted.
• Note that white chocolate truffles will not hold their shape as well as dark chocolate truffles do, and the ganache is much harder to roll into balls. Damp hands are helpful for shaping the truffles.