Dark Chocolate Whiskey Truffles
It was sometime before midnight, and I was sitting outside of a departure gate in the Atlanta airport, waiting for a connecting plane, which was increasingly late. A woman at the end of the row was talking loudly on a cell phone about her upcoming birthday, wheedling the poor soul on the other end to make her a cake made entirely of fried chicken for the occasion.
Big Green Tractor twanged over the airport speakers. I tried to tune them both out, anxiously sipping airport coffee and staring through the wall of glass to the blinking red and white lights of taxi-ing planes and ground crews busying about on the dark runways beyond.
The bracing February air whistled through the seams in the jetway when I finally stepped off the plane in Tennessee, chilly, even in my new coat and boots, butterflies fluttering in my chest. I ducked into a restroom to check my hair one more time, then found him, leaning casually against a column in the arrivals lobby, smiling, and as handsome as ever.
A few weeks before, when Iโd booked my ticket, we were strictly platonic. I was just visiting an old college friend, who happened to be stationed in Tennessee, on the edge of the Kentucky border. Iโd never been to Nashville, and it was an excuse to get out of San Francisco for a long weekend.
โฆbut then a few days before my flight, he sent me flowers for Valentineโs day, and suddenly, I didnโt know what to think.
I fell hard for my (now) husband that long weekend four years ago. He wooed me with local live music and southern barbecue. Motorcycle rides along back country roads and rocking chairs at Cracker Barrel. Lots of laughter, and more fiery, apple pie moonshine than Iโd like to admit.
One of the days, we drove south to Lynchburg, opaque woods lining our way, broken up now and then by towering steel power lines, snaked through sudden cut outs in the ubiquitous swaths of green that trace so many southern highways.
We passed more than one horse-drawn Amish buggy as the countryside opened up to green rolling hills, then darkened to a smokey grey as we neared the Jack Danielโs distillery. The surrounding trees, mostly barren in February, were covered in a naturally-occurring whiskey-fungus, which also coated the historic distillery buildings, warehouses and walkways, and gave the whole place an eerie, auspicious feel, particularly in the dead of winter.
But the warm, yeasty aroma of fermenting whiskey permeated the air, and welcomed us to the tour. A non-tasting tour, mind you, as Moore County is still a dry county, despite producing millions upon millions of bottles of whiskey a year.
We somehow ended up with a limited edition, commemorative bottle of Jack, that sits on our bar today. While I donโt even much like drinking straight whiskey or bourbon, thereโs something about it that pulls me back to that trip, when I suddenly saw our friendship in a new light, and the months that followed, bouncing back and forth between San Francisco and Tennessee, falling – tripping over myself, really – in love with him.
So, about these chocolate whiskey truffles…
I first made these chocolate whiskey truffles a few Christmases ago, as indulgent, handmade morsels to gift during the holidays, and Iโve kept them from you for far too long.
The truffles are a breeze to make; dark chocolate melts into gently cooked, whiskey-spiked cream, then the ganache is chilled, shaped into balls, and rolled in chopped pecans (to continue the southern theme) or traditional cocoa powder.
The resultant truffles are absolutely heavenly, with a subtle hint of whiskey laced throughout the creamy chocolate (adding more depth of flavor than significant alcohol content).
My love may be away this Valentineโs day, but homemade truffles (and gal-entineโs day plans tonight) are keeping me from feeling too lonely. Plus, weโve got some fun things cooking for when heโll be back next month. However youโre spending your Valentineโs Day (or your Anna Howard Shaw Day), I hope itโs full of love and chocolate! xo!
PrintCreamy Dark Chocolate Whiskey Truffles
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 40–48 truffles 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
for the chocolate whiskey truffles
- 16 oz bittersweet chocolate (60-70% cacao), finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream ยน
- 2 Tbsp good-quality whiskey
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
for rolling
- cocoa powder (sweetened or unsweetened)
- pecans, finely-chopped
- shredded coconut
Instructions
- Place the chopped chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Bring the cream, whiskey and vanilla to a simmer in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. The cream mixture should be foamy and gently bubbling, but not boiling. Adjust the heat as necessary. Stir continuously with a heatproof spatula for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and carefully pour over the chocolate.
- Whisk/stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth and shiny. Refrigerate for at least an hour, until the ganache is completely chilled through and firm.
- Use a small cookie scoop or melon baller to uniformly scoop the ganache, then gently roll between your fingers to smooth into balls, about 3/4-inch in diameter. Roll each truffle in cocoa powder, chopped pecans or shredded coconut. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!!
Notes
ยน Make these truffles vegan but substituting canned (full-fat) coconut milk for the heavy cream.
Note: Though most of the alcohol actually cooks off, itโs probably best to keep these away from the kiddos, or just omit the booze if youโre making these for little ones.
Keywords: whiskey chocolate truffles, homemade chocolate truffles, dark chocolate, ganache, holiday
Hi Laura,
I was wondering if I can substitute the whiskey for some Moonshine?
Hi, Pamela! Sure! I havenโt tried that but I think you could use just about any type as long as you like the flavor with chocolate ๐
Hi Laura! How many truffles does this recipe yield? Is there a reason thereโs an asterisk beside the heavy cream? Just want to make sure I donโt miss anything!
Hi Chelsea! About 4 dozen (I’ve updated the recipe notes ๐). And the asterisk is for the dairy free coconut milk substitute. Enjoy!!
OMG! Delicious & super simple! I can’t have sugar, so I subbed in See’s sugar free dark chocolate candy bars. Worked like a charm!
★★★★★
Thanks so much, J.T.!!
These turned out way too soft to roll… even after leaving them in the fridge for hours and the freezer for a bit. Delicious rich flavor, but I couldnโt get them to not melt all over my hands when I rolled them ๐
Tastes amazing , still too soft to roll into balls can I leave it overnight in fridge Thanks
Hi Susan! Yes, absolutely. Just cover tightly so the chocolate doesn’t dry out. You may need to let it soften a bit before rolling tomorrow. Hope you enjoy!!
can you use semi-sweet chips instead of dark?
Hi Donna! Use any kind of chocolate you’d like ๐
hi, i’m looking at this whiskey truffle recipe and i’d like something with more than just a “subtle hint” of whiskey. . . it’s for an adult party. . . can i double or triple the whiskey and keep everything else the same? thanks!
Hey! I’m making these right now! I don’t think I did it right because the ganache is kind of soupy. It’s been in the fridge for about a half hour… any tricks on making it thicker?
Hi Jane! The ganache shouldn’t really be soupy, it should seem like thick melted chocolate before it cools. It will thicken and solidify as the chocolate chills in the fridge. Maybe give it a little longer? Hope that helps!!
Oh man these truffles sound BEYOND incredible! My buddy is a huge fan of whiskey… gotta make these for him!
Thanks so much, Chris! Hope you and your buddy love them!
Beautiful story Laura and your truffles look so delicious!
Thank you so much, Kelly! ๐
These are so beautiful! I can’t wait to try them!
And what a sweet story about you and your now-husband ๐
Although that whiskey fungus sounds pretty creepy.
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Joan!!