Forgive me for not posting a truffle recipe sooner, but I've been in recovery from truffle trauma for some time now. Folks, this is no truffling matter.
(Sorry – too many Marx Brothers videos.)
The first event occurred when I worked at a restaurant I lovingly refer to as Pome (though it would be more apt to take a tip from Sara Barron and call it simply "Hell"). We used to make truffles to give to the lucky (and usually high-maintenance) patrons, gratis, after their exorbitant meals, presumably to soften the blow of the bill when it came crashing down on their idyllic evening. (On second thought, they probably all had expense accounts.)
It was often my job to roll the truffles, and, in order to protect the congealed ganache from the brutal heat of the ancient oven, I would do so in the walk-in refrigerator. This wouldn't have phased me save for the fact that the walk-in often contained a pig.
A dead, partially dismembered pig, dangling from the ceiling.
So me and the partially dismembered pig would hang out (me, figuratively; the pig, literally), rolling truffles, in a tiny, 40 degree room.
It surprises me that with these unpleasant associations I had any truffle-making gusto left after I quit. But that winter I decided to make truffles for everyone I knew. And not just one type – I decided to make nine different kinds of truffles; three flavors each of rolled, filled, and cut truffles. This decision was followed by an intense week of steeping, chopping, whisking, dipping, dredging, and "tasting" so much ganache that I never wanted to see the stuff again.
But last week I had a birthday party with guests who were variously gluten-intolerant and/or vegan. Since I haven't braved many gluten-free and vegan treats (those scare me, and besides – I love butter), I should have made these. (What I actually did was make these gluten-free brownies and top them with white chocolate peppermint cream. I then handed the vegan a bar of dark chocolate and told him to have at it.)
Had I been using my noggin, I would have made these truffles, because not only are they gluten-free and vegan, they also taste so amazing that even a person with no food allergies would enjoy them (and in our case, are currently enjoying them) immensely. They were inspired by a couple of favorite blogs: Love and Lemons and Green Kitchen Stories, as well as my own traditional truffle-making experience (minus the pig).
The ganache begins with coconut milk steeped with chiles de arbol and ceylon cinnamon. Chiles de arbol are fairly hot (a 7 on a scale of 1-10) skinny red peppers, and they not only give the ganache a capsicum kick, they add their own savory-sweet flavor as well. Ceylon cinnamon is the real deal; the sticks are delicate, like parchment paper, and easily broken up. Their flavor is more nuanced and subtle than the cassia cinnamon that one usually finds, less bright and spicy, and it blends beautifully with the fruity coconut milk and chocolate, letting the chile be the star of the show. (Either type of cinnamon will be delicious here, though.)
The hot, spiced coconut milk gets strained and whisked into chopped bittersweet chocolate and softened coconut oil to make a creamy ganache (that I bet would make a killer glaze for a vegan chocolate cake). The ganache chills until firm enough to scoop or pipe into tablespoon-sized balls. The balls are rolled smooth, then they (along with your hands and anything you try to touch with them) get coated in melted chocolate and dredged in velvety cocoa powder.
The finished ganache is so creamy and rich, no one will ever guess that these truffles weren't made with butter and cream. A small box of them would make a welcome gift; or drop them into mini-muffin cup liners and serve them at a cocktail party. I bet you could even plop them into some hot milk and whisk like mad for instant spicy hot chocolate bombs. (Note to self: do this.)
Truffle-making isn't hard, it just feels strange doing it for the first time, like anything else.
The trickiest part is coating cold ganache balls in warm chocolate. But know that you can skip the chocolate-coating if you like and just roll the balls in cocoa powder (or chopped nuts or shredded coconut). If you do so, serve them within an hour or two, as the cocoa will absorb the moisture in the ganache and the truffle will lose its velveteen appearance.
And nothing could be more traumatic than that.
Bojon appétit, my sweets! If you make this, I’d love to know. Please leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.
(Vegan) Chocolate Chile Coconut Milk Truffles
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Spiced Coconut Milk ganache:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons full-fat coconut milk (9 ounces)
- 2 or 3 (2-3" long)chiles de arbol, crumbled
- 3 (3" long)cinnamon sticks (preferably ceylon), broken into a few pieces
- a big pinch of fine sea or kosher salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao mass), finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 3 tablespoons softened extra-virgin coconut oil
Coating:
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao mass), finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder (preferably dutch-processed)
Instructions
Make the ganache:
- In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk, chiles, cinnamon sticks and salt. Warm gently over a medium flame, swirling frequently, until the mixture is steamy-hot, with small bubbles around the edge of the pan. Cover and let steep 15-20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the 6 ounces of chopped chocolate and coconut oil in a medium, heat-proof bowl. Have a fine-mesh sieve on stand-by.
- When the coconut milk has steeped, rewarm it until steamy hot again, then strain it over the chocolate, pressing on the chiles and cinnamon to extract all the good stuff. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute, then gently whisk the mixture until completely smooth. Pour the ganache into a shallow pan, cover, and chill until firm, at least 2 hours, or up to a few days.
Shape the truffles:
- Use a tiny (#100) spring loaded ice cream scoop to form scant 1" balls of ganache, placing the balls on a small, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment (for easy clean-up). Alternately, scrape the ganache into a piping bag fitted with a wide, plain tip and pipe into tablespoon-sized mounds, or use a large plastic baggie with a corner cut off to do the same.
- Let the ganache balls chill until firm, 30-60 minutes.
- Remove the ganache balls and, working quickly, roll each one between your palms to make a round-ish ball. You can also squeeze the balls into shape with your fingers. For rounder truffles, repeat the chilling and rolling process once more. Chill the balls again until firm, 30-60 minutes. If you want to coat the truffles in chocolate, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, roll the balls in cocoa powder, chopped toasted nuts, or toasted coconut flakes, and serve them within a couple of hours.
Coat the truffles in chocolate:
- Place the 4 ounces of chocolate in a small metal bowl. Make sure the bowl and anything that touches the chocolate is bone-dry, as any tiny drop of water could cause the chocolate to seize up into impossible globules. Place the bowl over a pan filled with 2 inches of steaming (not simmerinwater. Stir the chocolate occasionally until it has all melted. Remove the bowl from the pot, set it on a towel, and let the chocolate sit, stirring it occasionally, until it is body-temperature. If done properly, this will temper the chocolate (i.e. put it back into a stable emulsiobut it isn't a huge deal here, as the truffles will get coated in cocoa, which will hide any "blooming" (i.e. the separating out of cocoa solids). Note: if the chocolate gets too cold and starts setting up before you want it to, set it back over the pot of barely steaming water, stirring, until it has melted again.
- Sift the cocoa powder into a shallow bowl.
- Set up a station like so (assuming you are right-handed): bowl of melted chocolate with a small spatula or spoon sitting in it on your left, cocoa powder in the middle, and sheet pan holding chilled ganache balls on your right. Once you get chocolate on your hands, you won't want to touch anything. (You can wear latex gloves for this, if you like, though I go commando when making a small batch like this.)
- Smear about 1 tablespoon of chocolate on the palm of your left hand. Pick up a ganache ball and quickly roll it around in the chocolate, coating it completely. Immediately drop the coated ball into the bowl of cocoa powder and toss it around to coat it. Repeat this with as many balls as will fit in the cocoa bowl, then remove the balls to a plate (I just use the same sheet pan that the chilled balls are on). Keep this up until all the balls are coated in chocolate and cocoa.
- Congratulations, you made truffles! Store these babies at cool room temperature. They should keep for at least a week or two, and possibly for a month or more.
Notes
Nutrition
(Vegan) Chocolate Chile Coconut Milk Truffles
Inspired by Love and Lemons, Green Kitchen Stories and Smitten Kitchen
Chiles de arbol can be found in the Latin-American section of grocery stores, and are also available here. Their heat may vary, and the heat seems to increase as the finished ganache and truffles sit. I used three 2 1/2" long peppers, and the spiciness is quite prominent; use only two small ones if you want less heat. (Lacking chiles de arbol, you could try substituting red pepper flakes, though the amount may take some experimentation. I would start with 1/2 teaspoon and work up from there.)
To make these officially vegan, you'll need to use a bittersweet chocolate that's made with vegan sweetener. Do take care to use a chocolate with a 70% cacao mass, as a lower amount will likely result in overly-soft ganache, whereas darker chocolate could cause the ganache to "break" as you whisk it. I'm partial to Scharffen Berger, but Guittard and Valrhona are also excellent brands. Velvety dutch-processed cocoa powder looks the prettiest and has a milder flavor than the natural stuff, but either will work for coating the truffles. As I mentioned above, you can skip the pesky chocolate coating altogether and just roll the truffles in cocoa powder, nuts, or shredded coconut shortly before serving.
The amount here makes, I feel, enough truffles to make truffle-making worth your while, but not so many as to be overwhelming. If having a touch of leftover coconut milk drives you crazy, or if you want to dive into truffle-making head-first, try the following amounts: 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk, 9 ounces chopped chocolate, 3 chiles, 4 cinnamon sticks, a scant 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 cup coconut oil. This will yield about 45 truffles.
All ounce measurements are by weight.
Makes about thirty 1" truffles
Spiced Coconut Milk ganache:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (9 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
2 or 3 (2-3" long) chiles de arbol, crumbled
3 (3" long) cinnamon sticks (preferably ceylon), broken into a few pieces
a big pinch of fine sea or kosher salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao mass), finely chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
3 tablespoons softened extra-virgin coconut oil
Coating:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao mass), finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (preferably dutch-processed)
Make the ganache:
In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk, chiles, cinnamon sticks and salt. Warm gently over a medium flame, swirling frequently, until the mixture is steamy-hot, with small bubbles around the edge of the pan. Cover and let steep 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the 6 ounces of chopped chocolate and coconut oil in a medium, heat-proof bowl. Have a fine-mesh sieve on stand-by.
When the coconut milk has steeped, rewarm it until steamy hot again, then strain it over the chocolate, pressing on the chiles and cinnamon to extract all the good stuff. Let the mixture sit for 1 minute, then gently whisk the mixture until completely smooth. Pour the ganache into a shallow pan, cover, and chill until firm, at least 2 hours, or up to a few days.
Shape the truffles:
Use a tiny (#100) spring loaded ice cream scoop to form scant 1" balls of ganache, placing the balls on a small, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment (for easy clean-up). Alternately, scrape the ganache into a piping bag fitted with a wide, plain tip and pipe into tablespoon-sized mounds, or use a large plastic baggie with a corner cut off to do the same.
Let the ganache balls chill until firm, 30-60 minutes.
Remove the ganache balls and, working quickly, roll each one between your palms to make a round-ish ball. You can also squeeze the balls into shape with your fingers. For rounder truffles, repeat the chilling and rolling process once more. Chill the balls again until firm, 30-60 minutes. If you want to coat the truffles in chocolate, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, roll the balls in cocoa powder, chopped toasted nuts, or toasted coconut flakes, and serve them within a couple of hours.
Coat the truffles in chocolate:
Place the 4 ounces of chocolate in a small metal bowl. Make sure the bowl and anything that touches the chocolate is bone-dry, as any tiny drop of water could cause the chocolate to seize up into impossible globules. Place the bowl over a pan filled with 2 inches of steaming (not simmering) water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until it has all melted. Remove the bowl from the pot, set it on a towel, and let the chocolate sit, stirring it occasionally, until it is body-temperature. If done properly, this will temper the chocolate (i.e. put it back into a stable emulsion) but it isn't a huge deal here, as the truffles will get coated in cocoa, which will hide any "blooming" (i.e. the separating out of cocoa solids). Note: if the chocolate gets too cold and starts setting up before you want it to, set it back over the pot of barely steaming water, stirring, until it has melted again.
Sift the cocoa powder into a shallow bowl.
Set up a station like so (assuming you are right-handed): bowl of melted chocolate with a small spatula or spoon sitting in it on your left, cocoa powder in the middle, and sheet pan holding chilled ganache balls on your right. Once you get chocolate on your hands, you won't want to touch anything. (You can wear latex gloves for this, if you like, though I go commando when making a small batch like this.)
Smear about 1 tablespoon of chocolate on the palm of your left hand. Pick up a ganache ball and quickly roll it around in the chocolate, coating it completely. Immediately drop the coated ball into the bowl of cocoa powder and toss it around to coat it. Repeat this with as many balls as will fit in the cocoa bowl, then remove the balls to a plate (I just use the same sheet pan that the chilled balls are on). Keep this up until all the balls are coated in chocolate and cocoa.
Congratulations, you made truffles! Store these babies at cool room temperature. They should keep for at least a week or two, and possibly for a month or more.
Madeline Taylor says
Story, photos and yes, even the puns, entertained me this morning!
Alanna, these sound amazing and I don't even have to endure the macabre, walk-in refrigerator scene. And thankfully, neither do you. (my sympathies to both you and that dear little pig.)
Thank you!
Alanna says
Thanks, Mom! I felt bad for the pig, too (though it wasn't exactly "little"). Love ya!
Shu Han says
love chilli, love chocolate, love coconut milk, Ireally want these, but at the same time,think I ought to NOT make these, else I wouldn;t get myself away from them :D
(Your mum's so sweet (: )
Alanna says
I know, right?! ;)
theroadtoserendipity says
I just recovered from seeing that these were vegan and I fainted clean off my chair all over again when I saw the ingredients! Oh "MYYYYY" to quote George Takei...these babies take the cake...the pie...the cookies...bugger Christmas, these are MINE! I shall have a tin in the fridge dedicated to varieties of these truffles right through 2013...forget those oaths of "I will be fitting into my size 10's" this year... this year I shall be satiated. Full stop! :)
Alanna says
Ha! Thanks for the glowing endorsement! I think these babies would take quite well to variations - if you try some, please let us all know how they turn out. And thanks very much, again, for the kind words.
Ps. My new year's resolution every year is to eat more desserts.
bevvbevv says
These look absolutely addictive! Also, I quite like your style of writing!
Alanna says
Aw, thanks, Bevv!
kitchennade says
Oh wow, they are one of the best things I've had lately. I really really love truffles, but haven't found a good vegan recipe, until I found this!! The truffles aren't ready yet, they are still cooling... Oh god, how good that ganache tastes!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with us!
Alanna says
You are so very welcome! Thanks for giving them a try, and for commenting. :)
JLaiLin says
These look amazing! I have been puzzling over what I could possibly make for my lactose intolerant friend, and then I stumbled upon your recipe. As long as my cocoa powder chocolate experiment works, I will be making these!
Alanna says
Yikes - best of luck, and please let me know how it goes!
bevvbevv says
So, I actually made them and they were possibly the best dessert I have ever eaten! In an effort to not eat them all myself (completely a risk), I took them to a party where they were a huge hit! Thank you so much!
Alanna says
Bevv, that's fantastic! I preemptively gave a bunch away for the same reason. Thanks so much for the comment.
Anonymous says
I just made these and they are amazing! As I was tasting the coconut milk steeping, I wanted it to be spicier and stronger so I doubled the cinnamon and chiles and they turned out perfect for me! Thank you so much for this recipe! It was so easy that I started day-dreaming of different flavors I could try with the steeping - so good!
Alanna says
I'm so glad you like them! Please let us know if you try other flavors. Thanks so much for commenting. :)
Colette Just for Foodies says
These look great, esp the teeth-marks!
Alanna says
Thanks, Colette! Only the really good guests get the ones with teeth marks. :)
Mary Jo says
These are incredible. They are sitting in the next room (the kitchen)and I'm having the hardest time going in for another one. Thank you for another fantastic recipe!
Alanna says
Aw, thanks, Mary Jo! I feel the same way when they're in the house. So glad you like 'em! :)
Andrea Johnson says
Will this recipe work if I use part unsweetened chocolate bar & part 75% cocoa bar? Maybe adding a touch of sweetener- honey, maple, stevia? I have an unsweetened Ghirardelli bar that I really need to use... Thanks!
Alanna says
Hi Andrea! Yes, I think that should work. Let me know how they turn out. Happy cooking!
Vanessa says
Hey Alanna! I've made these twice and am going to make them again soon. They're amazing! I just happened to buy some raw, vegan truffles that knocked our socks off that were made with cacao butter. The consistency was denser and richer. Do you think your recipe could survive the addition of melted raw cacao butter? Have you ever worked with that before? I'm thinking of trying it out and wondered if replacing 1/3 cup of the coconut milk with melted cacao butter would ruin it. Any thoughts? I promise to report back if it's successful :-).
Alanna says
Good lord woman, you just blew my mind! That sounds absolutely amazing. Please let me know how they come out! I've never worked with cacao butter before, so I'm not sure about what ratio to use. If for any reason the ganache mixture "breaks" (separates and looks grainy) you can usually fix it by whisking in some more liquid (coconut milk). (You've reminded me about a vegan energy bar I really like that uses cacao butter as a binder...so good.) So glad you like the truffles, and definitely come back and let me know how the cacao butter version works out. :)
Lauren says
These look fantastic. I have a question for you: could you sub coconut milk and oil for the butter and cream in a white chocolate truffle recipe? I want to make something similar to these truffles (http://witandwhistle.com/2012/05/31/white-chocolate-lemon-truffles/) and send them to people. I'm worried about butter and cream spoiling, and would like to send more stable truffles. . . plus, I like the vegan angle. Would you recommend this? Thanks so much! (BTW, I recently made some double-chocolate cookies with cinnamon and chili. . . great combo.)
Colleen Smith says
I used this delicious recipe and love the taste, but the truffles are a little too soft. Suggestions?
keukenwerkblad says
Wonderful post. I appreciate your attention to this subject and I learned a good deal.
Kat says
Just made these truffles for the first time and they actually turned out so well I was quite impressed with myself! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
joanne says
I love chocolate and these look amazing, but I'm not fond of anything hot or spicy like the peppers.. can you recommend a substitution for the red peppers or other variations? Thanks!
Alanna says
Just leave 'em out! ;)
Lauren says
These are really good! I especially appreciate the tips on coating the truffles. I lacked chilis de arbol and used about 2/3 of a bird's eye chili instead, which packed plenty of heat. Unfortunately, I had only the inferior, non-crumbly kind of cinnamon stick. I used four sticks but wish I had used five to stand up to the heat of the chili. These have a delicious taste and texture and the flavors deepen over time.
Hayley Canning says
These look so delicious, excited to give these a try. You take the prettiest food pictures!
Alanna says
Aw, thank you!
nanon says
Was looking for a recipe with coconut milk and sereh but found yours instead ;-) Filling is steeping as I write this. If they turn out alright (I can probably leave the if out...) they will be enjoyed by a lot of people in Wijk aan Zee the Netherlands.
Your truffle coating tip is a good one, hope I can make it work. Looking forward to tasting them!! thanks for posting.
joanne says
I bought a bag of Tcho 99% Dark Chocolate Critters, thinking I would be able to eat them, not realizing how really bitter they are.. Well, I couldn't even take the tiniest of bites and am now trying to figure out what to do with them. Can I use these for this recipe? What alternative sweeteners can I use (maple syrup or coconut sugar or..) to sweeten this chocolate so it's edible? How much would I use for this recipe, if possible?
I know there are problems with chocolate seizing if you put the wrong thing in them, so am not sure how to proceed. I would appreciate any suggestions.
Also, can I add food grade orange essential oil to the mix? I don't like anything spicy so would leave out the chili.
I'm looking forward to trying this recipe. Thanks!
Alanna says
Hi Joanne, aw, I'm sorry that happened! I worry that if you try to use unsweetened chocolate in this recipe, you'll need to add a bunch of sweetener which could throw off the ratios. You'd have to experiment a bit to get the correct texture for rolling into balls. I searched "truffles unsweetened chocolate" and this recipe came up, which uses some dark chocolate and some unsweetened: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/dark-chocolate-truffles-recipe-1965208. You could also try chocolate pudding or brownies. Good luck using those guys up!
joanne says
Thanks for the suggestions!
Angie says
Hi Alana!
Im just about to make these Yummy looking Truffles for Xmas! Could U Please tell me if U use the Liquid portion of the Coconut Milk or just the Cream portion at the top?? Thank U So Much
Angie
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi Angie,
Great question! So before you open the can of coconut cream, shake it really well to combine the liquid and cream together. If the can is cold, you can set it in a warm spot in your kitchen for a bit before doing this to make it easier to combine. Or you can open the can and dump the whole thing into a saucepan set over low heat, and stir until it's combined. Then proceed with the recipe using the correct amount of the well-combined coconut milk.
Please let me know how you like the vegan truffles!
-Alanna