Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Christmas 2023. The table was full. Ava was in a red onesie with a tiny Santa hat that Emma bought and that Ava removed four times because she is already a person of opinions. Tyler and Jessica drove from Midland. Lily and James brought the puff-puff and a new experiment: jollof rice arancini — leftover jollof rice rolled into balls, stuffed with mozzarella, breaded, and deep-fried. They were so good that I forgot to be a food critic and was just a man eating delicious things, which is the highest state a cook can achieve.

The prime rib was perfect. The smoked duck was better. The duck sat on the table like a jewel — dark, lacquered, the five-spice cherry wood bark gleaming. I carved it and the meat was pink and moist and the skin crackled under the knife. Everyone was quiet. Tyler said, "Dad, the duck." I said, "I know." He said, "No, I mean — the duck." I said, "I know." Some things transcend language. The duck was one of them.

Mai sat in her chair with Ava on her lap — Ava is old enough to sit supported now — and she was feeding her tiny tastes of congee from her finger. Emma said, "Mom, she's too young for solid food." Mai said, "I fed you congee at three months." Emma said, "That explains a lot." Mai ignored her. Ava ate the congee. She seemed to enjoy it. First food memory: rice porridge from her great-grandmother's finger, at a table in Alief, Texas, on Christmas Day. I hope she remembers. She won't. But I'll tell her the story someday, and the story will be enough.

After dinner, I stood in the kitchen washing dishes and looking out the window at the smoker and the yard and the concrete pad I'd poured last month, and I thought: this is my house. My family is in my house. My granddaughter is in my house. The food I made is in their stomachs and the love I feel is in the air and I am fourteen years sober and I am here. Completely, unmistakably, irreversibly here.

The duck was the jewel of that table — dark, lacquered, gleaming — and when dinner wound down and the dishes were stacked and Ava was asleep in Mai’s arms, I wanted to give everyone something small and rich to carry into the night. Chocolate truffles felt right: dark and a little mysterious on the outside, soft and giving the moment you bite in. I’ve made them every Christmas since, and they’ve become the thing people ask about before they even ask about the duck.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Total Time: 2 hrs 25 min (includes chilling) | Servings: 24 truffles

Ingredients

8 oz dark chocolate (70% cacao), finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, for rolling
Optional coatings: powdered sugar, finely chopped toasted pecans, or chocolate sprinkles

Instructions

Make the ganache. Place finely chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream and butter just to a simmer — do not boil. Pour immediately over the chocolate and let sit undisturbed for 2 minutes.
Stir until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, stir from the center outward in slow, steady circles until the ganache is completely smooth and glossy. Stir in the vanilla extract and sea salt.
Chill until firm. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the ganache. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the mixture is firm enough to scoop and hold its shape.
Scoop and shape. Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, portion the ganache into roughly equal mounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Work quickly — the heat of your hands will soften the chocolate. Roll each mound between your palms into a smooth ball.
Coat the truffles. Place your coating of choice in a shallow bowl. Roll each truffle in cocoa powder (or powdered sugar, or chopped nuts) until fully coated. Return to the parchment-lined sheet.
Set and serve. Refrigerate the finished truffles for at least 15 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving for the best texture.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chocolate Truffles Recipe — The Sweetest Thing at the End of a Perfect Table