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These Chocolate Bourbon Truffles have a silky bourbon-infused center enrobed in tempered chocolate. Roll them in cocoa powder, powdered sugar, or drizzle with extra chocolate!
Chocolate truffles are surprisingly easy. You don’t need a double boiler, candy thermometer, or fancy tools—just four ingredients, a whisk, and a little patience for silky, luxurious truffles. They have a nice crunchy tempered chocolate shell, and super soft, creamy bourbon chocolate inside. The bourbon is beautiful, and it melts into the chocolate in such a luscious way.
No matter how you coat them, they’ll be glamorous. You could enrobe them, or simply melt down a chocolate bar, dip them, and just pop ‘em in the fridge like a busy badass who still magically has time to make homemade bonbons. There is something so satisfying about making homemade candies like pecan praline, homemade toffee, chocolate fudge or even homemade marshmallows! Taking that first bite is heartwarming. Or maybe that’s just the whiskey!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- It’s effortlessly impressive. All we’re doing is making a ganache—let’s be honest. It will emulsify, and you’ll be like, was that even any work?
- Taste smooth, melty perfection. The perfect ratio of dark chocolate, cream, and bourbon creates a silky-smooth texture that melts in your mouth. It does this all without being overly sweet!
- Customize them how you like your chocolate bonbons. If you aren’t feeling up to following this tutorial on tempering dark chocolate, I totally get it. You can roll the unenrobed truffle in cocoa powder and have an easy, delightful little treat.
Professional Tips
- Keep whisking in the same direction. Chocolate is very sensitive! You don’t want to aggressively whisk or switch directions—that could break the emulsion.
- Add a bit of cold cream if the ganache breaks. Fret not! Whisk in some cold cream and it will help your ganache emulsify again.
- Work quickly when dipping in tempered chocolate! The cold bonbons will lower the temperature of your dipping chocolate.
Ingredients
- Dark Chocolate: I like to use 6 ounces of a chocolate that has at least 54% cocoa solids but up to 65%. I also like to make sure it has a medium fluidity. This is just the measure of how much cocoa butter is in the chocolate. Chopping bar chocolate is a better bet than chocolate chips. If you only have semisweet chocolate, that’s what you should use!
- Kosher Salt
- Heavy Cream: I would suggest using a full-fat (40%) heavy cream because it doesn’t break as easily as lighter whipping creams.
- Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder
- Bourbon: Bourbon is optional, but it bumps the flavor to the next level! It also makes these and my carrot cake roll feel just a smidge more special.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Play with a different coating. You don’t have to coat these in tempered chocolate! You can actually put them back in the fridge and then roll them in powdered sugar, toasted nuts, or cocoa powder to get that beautiful exterior without having to dip them.
- Experiment with liqueurs. You could use a reduced fruit juice like orange or cherry instead of bourbon! You could also use a different alcohol, like say, amaretto or frangelico like I do in my nutella truffles and flourless chocolate cake. And you know from my easy bread pudding that I’m always a fan of brandy!
- Go in a spicy direction. Add a pinch of cinnamon, cayenne, or smoked paprika to the ganache!
Instructions: How to Make Bourbon Chocolate Truffles
Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Place chocolate and salt in a medium bowl set on a dish towel. The towel will help retain the heat from the cream in the bowl, which helps melt the chocolate.
Step 2: In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil.
Step 3: Pour the hot cream over the chocolate mixture. Allow it to sit for 1 minute undisturbed. This makes it so the cream does the heavy lifting for you, and you don’t have to stir forever and risk cooling the cream before emulsifying.
Step 4: Starting in the center, whisk the chocolate until it begins to emulsify. It will look smooth, shiny, and silky. Gradually begin to whisk in a larger circle until a smooth, shiny ganache forms.
It’s going to take about as long as it takes for you to think, ‘I don’t think this is going to work’—and then, boom! All of a sudden, you’ve got that beautiful, shiny ganache!
Step 5: Pour in the whiskey and whisk to combine.
Step 6: Pour the ganache onto a plastic-lined dish, baking sheet or pan and cover with plastic wrap. This prevents a skin from forming, keeping it smooth. Chill completely before enrobing or coating in powdered sugar or cocoa powder.
You want them to be solid—not hard-hard—but firm enough to roll easily. Chill time is essential! If they’re too soft, they’ll be sticky and won’t hold their shape. If it ended up too firm to roll, warm in the microwave. Only put it in for a few second increments to soften them very slightly.
Step 7: Transfer to a piping bag or plastic baggie with a hole cut out. Pipe ganache into approximately 2 teaspoon-sized portions (10g) onto a parchment paper lined tray.
Step 8: Roll to create truffle balls.
If you have warm palms, you may need to work in batches. You could also use gloves to keep the ganache from melting too quickly. You could also use a small scoop to create evenly sized balls before rolling them.
Step 9: Chill completely before enrobing, or coating in powdered sugar or cocoa powder. Watch the Youtube Video below for more details on enrobing chocolate.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
If your ganache isn’t melting enough, you could put this over some simmering water and gently heat it from the bottom. But that also might break your emulsion. It’s a calculated risk!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store rolled truffles in the refrigerator in an airtight container or zip-top baggie for one month refrigerated or 10 days at room temperature.
You can freeze truffles. However, I find that it makes the texture grainy and dulls the flavor of the chocolate.
Yes! You can substitute another liquid, like reduced juice.
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Chocolate Bourbon Truffles
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey
- chocolate couverture for dipping optional, learn how to enrobe truffles with this post
- cocoa powder optional coating
- powdered sugar optional coating
Instructions
- Place chocolate and salt in a medium bowl set on a dish towel. The towel will help retain the heat from the cream in the bowl, which helps melt the chocolate.
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate mixture. Allow it to sit for 1 minute undisturbed. This makes it so the cream does the heavy lifting for you, and you don’t have to stir forever and risk cooling the cream before emulsifying.
- Starting in the center, whisk the chocolate until it begins to emulsify. It will look smooth, shiny, and silky. Gradually begin to whisk in a larger circle until a smooth, shiny ganache forms.
- Pour in the whiskey and whisk to combine.
- Pour the ganache onto a plastic-lined dish, baking sheet or pan and cover with plastic wrap. This prevents a skin from forming, keeping it smooth. Chill completely before enrobing or coating in powdered sugar or cocoa powder.
- Transfer to a piping bag or plastic baggie with a hole cut out. Pipe ganache into approximately 2 teaspoon-sized portions (10g) onto a parchment paper lined tray.
- Roll to create truffle balls.
- Chill completely before enrobing, or coating in powdered sugar or cocoa powder. Watch the Youtube Video below for more details on enrobing chocolate.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed homemade candy recipes or keep it romantic with other Valentine’s Day desserts!
Hi Chef Lindsey! Could you please check the amount of chocolate in this recipe? 100g seems low. Did you mean 200g? I upped the chocolate to 200g and am waiting for it to chill. Was too thin with 100g. Thanks! I’m liking your videos. Just found your channel.
Hi Jeff! 100g is about 3.5oz of melted dark chocolate and that’s the amount I usually use in this recipe. But if you’re going for a thicker/firmer ganache doubling it is absolutely your call! I hope it turns out exactly how you like your truffles, and welcome aboard!
This was my first time making any truffles. I didn’t have a piping bag, so just used a spoon and gloves to form them. Looks much easier with a piping bag. I highly recommend that part.
I enveloped them in chocolate and they are amazing. The inside is really creamy and the bourbon is just the right amount, and not overpowering. Will definitely be making again.
Hi John! Thank you so much for commenting, I love to hear that it was such a success for you! ?
Your recipe is delicious. Halfway through I decided to triple it and have chilled it and it’s still too thin to roll. How can I thicken the mixture without just completely ruining the whole thing 😢
Hi Leslie! I know it’s a day later, but I’m here for your chocolate needs 😉 It’s possible that your ganache broke before chilling. If your ganache breaks, whisk in very cold heavy cream about a tablespoon at a time. It will not be as perfect as it could have been but it will still make a delightful truffle!