Healthy Chocolate Truffles
I may be biased, but I think these are the best easy homemade truffles! They’re really decadent with a deep, rich, dark chocolate flavor (similar to 75% dark chocolate) and soft melt-in-your-mouth texture. They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day — or any ol’ day you’re craving chocolate! Store any leftover truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for at least one week, maybe more — if they last that long!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (80g) unsweetened cocoa powder (measured like this – and see Notes!)
- ¼ cup (60mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup
- optional: melted chocolate, for coating, or other coatings (see Notes for ideas + more information!)
Instructions
- Add the cocoa powder to a small bowl. Make a well in the center. Pour in the milk and maple syrup. Stir with a fork until all of the cocoa powder is fully incorporated. (It takes some effort and patience. See Notes!) Chill the mixture for 30 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
- Roll the chilled chocolate mixture into 16 balls. (If the mixture sticks to your hands, wipe them with a very lightly moistened paper towel in between rolling each one.) After rolling each one, place onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Coat the truffles, if desired (see Notes!), before transferring to an airtight container. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Be very careful and measure the cocoa powder correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Do NOT scoop it directly from the container. Too much cocoa powder will make your truffles taste bitter, rather than rich and chocolaty. It’ll also make the mixture too dry to roll into balls.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It takes some effort and patience to get all of the cocoa powder incorporated. Partway through, it’s going to look like there’s way too much cocoa powder and not enough liquid. Just keep stirring and mashing the mixture together with your fork. You can also switch to a spatula towards the end to get the last of the cocoa powder incorporated.
If at all possible, try to avoid adding extra milk or maple syrup. If the mixture is too wet or sticky, it’ll be really hard to roll it into balls, even after chilling.
However, if you still can’t incorporate all of the cocoa powder after a few minutes of mashing everything together with a fork and spatula, then add extra milk or maple syrup ½ teaspoon at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition, until all of the cocoa powder can be incorporated.
FOR SWEETER TRUFFLES: Replace some of the milk with an equal amount of pure maple syrup. (For example, replace 2 tablespoons of milk with an additional 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, which would mean you’d use 6 tablespoons (90mL) of pure maple syrup and 2 tablespoons (30mL) of milk.)
COCOA POWDER NOTES: For the best results, use natural unsweetened cocoa powder (also called natural cocoa powder or unsweetened cocoa powder) that’s made from 100% cacao (nothing else!). I use Hershey’s the most.
I don’t recommend substituting Dutched cocoa powder (also called “special dark” cocoa powder) because it has a different acidity level. It also has a different flavor that’s much more mild and muted, so your truffles won’t taste as rich or chocolaty if you substitute it.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Any milk may be substituted for the unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
SUGAR-FREE VERSION: I tried using this sugar-free maple-flavored syrup, and it worked perfectly as a 1-for-1 substitute for the pure maple syrup.
Alternatively, use ½ teaspoon of this liquid stevia + ¼ cup of milk in place of the pure maple syrup. Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so you may need to add a different amount to achieve the same sweetness level, if you use something other than the liquid stevia that I recommend. However, cocoa powder masks some of stevia’s sweetness, so your truffles will taste darker and not as sweet if using stevia.
I haven’t yet tried other sugar-free alternatives (such as monk fruit, monk fruit-based maple-flavored syrup, other sugar-free syrups, erythritol, sucralose, etc). However, I’ll update this section when I do!
GLUTEN-FREE VERSION: No modifications necessary.
DAIRY-FREE, EGG-FREE + VEGAN VERSION: No modifications necessary.
NUT-FREE VERSION: Use your preferred nut-free milk, such as regular dairy milk, soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, etc.
COATING IDEAS: If you’d like to dip your truffles in melted chocolate, see the note directly below this one!
I used this powdered peanut butter to coat some of the truffles that you see in the photos in my blog post above the recipe. Other options include freeze dried fruit (such as raspberries or strawberries!) that has been finely ground into a powder (for a visual, see this recipe of mine!), shredded coconut, finely diced nuts, finely diced chocolate, or regular sprinkles.
HOW TO COAT TRUFFLES IN MELTED CHOCOLATE: Use bars of dark chocolate — not chocolate chips! Many brands of chocolate chips include stabilizers, which prevent the chips from melting as thinly and evenly as bars of chocolate. I really like Ghirardelli and Lindt. (See the "Use bars of chocolate, not chips" header in the "How To Coat Chocolate Truffles" section of my blog post above for more information about the best chocolate for these truffles’ chocolate coating!)
Place ¼ cup (56g) of roughly chopped dark chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir for 1 minute. Continue to heat for 10-second intervals, stirring for 1 minute between each, until the chocolate has completely melted. (I highly recommend keeping it warm while you dip your truffles. See the note below!)
Working with one truffle at a time, carefully dip it in the melted chocolate using two forks, and let the excess drip off by rocking it between the two forks. Place the coated truffle back onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining melted chocolate and truffles. Once all 16 truffles have been coated, place them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes (or the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes) or until the chocolate has hardened.
See the “How to Coat Chocolate Truffles” section in my blog post above for lots of tips and more information!
HOW TO KEEP MELTED CHOCOLATE WARM WHILE DIPPING TRUFFLES: To keep your bowl of melted chocolate warm, {a} turn on an electric pancake griddle or a metal panini press (I don’t have the former, so I use the latter – mine is no longer sold in stores, but this panini press is very similar to mine!) and {b} place a washcloth that’s been folded in half in between the bottom of your bowl and the electric griddle or metal top of the panini press. If you use this set-up, your bowl of chocolate should stay warm and at the same consistent temperature, which makes coating your truffles so much easier. (They’ll also look prettier! If you let the bowl of chocolate sit on your counter and periodically reheat it, your truffles will look speckled.)
HOW TO STORE: Store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to eat. They’ll keep for at least 1 week (if not longer — some of their shelf life depends on how fresh your milk is!).
If you’ve coated your truffles in powdered peanut butter or freeze dried fruit, some of it may appear to dissolve into the truffles. If you top your truffles with flaky sea salt, like I did with the chocolate-dipped truffles, that will also start to dissolve. It shouldn’t really impact their flavor though — mainly their appearance!
{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, low fat, paleo, sugar-free option, nut-free option}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.