Whether you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or any other special occasion, these Irish cream chocolate truffles are sure to impress a crowd. The addition of the Irish cream liqueur gives the truffles a creamy, slightly boozy flavour that pairs perfectly with rich dark chocolate.
Chocolate truffles are one of those luxury desserts, they have an elegant appeal and pair beautifully with an after-meal espresso or a glass of cognac. They are perfect for indulging in small bites making them ideal to cut any chocolate craving.
But the funny thing is, as elegant or fancy as they seem – they are incredibly easy to make!
Ingredients
Irish cream chocolate truffles are decadent and rich confections that are made by blending chocolate ganache with Irish cream liqueur. Then they are shaped into bite-sized balls and coated with a layer of cocoa powder or in this case green sprinkles to celebrate St.Patrick’s Day. Each ingredient plays a big role in flavour so don’t cut back, buy only the best quality of ingredients you can find – especially your chocolate!
- Dark chocolate, good quality 70%
- 35% cream
- Irish cream or Baileys
- Unsalted butter
- Cocoa powder
- Icing sugar
- Green sprinkles
Variations
Irish cream chocolate truffles are not only for St. Patrick’s Day; you can also make them for any occasion, like Christmas or for a special celebration. Try changing up the coatings to make unique truffles and many flavours!
- Roll truffles into chopped nuts;
- almonds
- hazelnuts
- walnuts
- pistachios
- Coat or dip truffles into chocolate;
- white chocolate
- milk chocolate
- dark chocolate
Tips for The Perfect Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles
- Use the best quality of ingredients you can find. The quality of your chocolate and Irish cream liqueur will greatly affect the flavour of your truffles and the overall end results. This isn’t the recipe to cheap out on!
- Precise measurements are super important in making truffles. If you have a scale use it, too much cream can cause soft, un-shapeable truffles; too much chocolate can cause hard, dense truffles.
- Chill the ganache to make it easier to handle and shape. If the ganache is too hard to roll, let the mixture sit out at room temperature for 10-20 minutes and try again.
- Keep chocolate truffles small! Use a teaspoon to scoop the ganache for consistency. Truffles are super rich so you only need to make small bites for everyone to enjoy.
Why is My Chocolate Mixture Grainy?
Chocolate ganache can sometimes turn grainy as you are working. A common mistake that causes this is boiling your cream at too high of a temperature. This will cause the fat in the chocolate to overheat and the chocolate to separate, leaving you with a lumpy or grainy mess. Another reason for grainy or lumpy ganache is using poor quality chocolate or chocolate chips. Chocolate chips are not intended to melt down and to create chocolate confections. They are intended to hold their shape and have less cocoa butter in them so your chocolate chip cookie looks perfect every time.
How To Make Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles
Step One: Chop the dark chocolate into very small pieces, add to a large bowl and set aside.
Step Two: Place the cream and Irish cream liqueur into a pot and bring to a light boil. Remove from the heat and gently pour over the chocolate, let it sit for a minute and then stir the chocolate mixture until blended. Then add the butter and stir to incorporate.
Step Three: Let the chocolate mixture cool to thicken and place it in the refrigerator, approx. 1-2 hours or until firm. Then roll the chocolate into teaspoon size balls and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step Four: Place out 3 bowls; one with icing sugar, one with cocoa powder, and one with green sprinkles. Roll the balls into either the sugar, cocoa or sprinkles. Place the truffles back on the baking sheet to set.
Irish Cream Chocolate Truffles
These Irish cream chocolate truffles are rich, creamy and super decadent! They are an irresistible fusion of silky smooth chocolate ganache and velvety rich Irish cream liqueur.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 40 1x
- Category: Candy, Chocolate
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients
- 9 oz dark chocolate 70%, good quality
- 1/3 cup 35% cream
- 1/4 cup Irish cream or Baileys
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Topping
- 2–3 Tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
- 2–3 Tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
- 2–3 Tablespoons green sprinkles
Instructions
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces, (the smaller the better) add to a large bowl and set aside.
- Place the cream and Irish cream into a pot and bring to a light boil. Remove from the heat and slowly pour over the chocolate, let it sit for a minute and then stir the chocolate mixture until completely blended.
- Let the mixture cool to 30˚C then add the butter and stir to incorporate.
- Let the chocolate mixture cool to thicken or place it in the refrigerator until firm, approx. 1-2 hours.
- Once the chocolate mixture is firm, roll the chocolate into teaspoon size balls and place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Place 3 bowls out; one with icing sugar, one with cocoa powder, and one with green sprinkles.
- Roll one chocolate ball into icing sugar, another into cocoa powder and another into the green sprinkles, coating the entire ball. Place the truffles back on the baking sheet to set. Repeat until all the truffles are covered.
-
Refrigerate chocolate truffles until ready to serve.
Notes
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. Let truffles come to room temperature before enjoying.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 57
- Sugar: 2.7g
- Sodium: 14mg
- Fat: 4.1g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 3.4g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Protein: 0.7g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
Keywords: Irish cream, Chocolate, Truffles, St.Patrick’s Day, Christmas
FAQ’s
Truffles should be kept in a cool place, such as a refrigerator or a cool pantry, to prevent them from melting. Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Let the truffles come to room temperature before serving.
If your chocolate truffles are flattening or losing their shape, it could be because they have not had enough time to set and firm up. Make sure to chill the ganache thoroughly before shaping them into truffles. And avoid handling them too much with your hands to prevent them from getting too soft.
If your truffles have a grainy or lumpy texture, it’s most likely because the ganache was not properly emulsified. This can easily happen if you add cream that is too hot to the chocolate. To avoid this issue, make sure you bring the cream to a light boil and give it a second to cool before pouring over the chocolate. Also, pour the cream slowly over the chocolate. This can also happen if you use chocolate chips as they don’t break down and can cause lumpy ganache.
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