Milk Chocolate Stout Truffles are a festive, boozy blend of silky, milky chocolate and dark, bitter ale dressed in green.
Although I don't celebrate the holiday, these Milk Chocolate Stout Truffles certainly meet the booze and colour requirements of St.Patrick's day!
I was reminded of these truffles on a recent perusal of my Instagram feed. I shared them on my feed back in March 2017 and I am just getting around to sharing them here on the blog. I found so many other yummies on my feed that I have yet to share here. I am slowly remedying that affliction...
Guinness and Milk Memories
As a kid, I watched my grandma pour pitch black liquid into a tall glass, then top it with a single, brilliant yellow raw egg yolk. YUCK!! Still, I was always fascinated by that dark liquid and one day snuck a sip and my five-year-old taste buds weren't completely grossed out. That was my introduction to Guinness.
On another occasion, my grandma omitted the egg yolk and topped up the stout with carnation milk. I can still vividly remember the path of the cream coloured milk strands undulating against the contrasting black of the ale. Mesmerizing!
The end result read milkshake to my little girl eyes and stomach and my grandma must have sensed my intrigue, because I was offered a sip. I quite enjoyed it. However, there was that age/alcohol thing, so that was short-lived - until I was introduced to Malt (Vita Malt), Guinness' non-alcoholic cousin.
As an adult, I occasionally have a Guinness and milk (but more often a Malt and milk) concoction to take me back. They also served as inspiration for these Milk Chocolate Stout Truffles. Sometimes I make them with cream, but this batch is sans cream, which allows for a more pronounced flavour.
Molded Truffles
For perfectly rounded truffles I use either pre-made truffle shells, or a silicone mold. A silicone mold is likely easier to come by than the shells for some, so I'll focus on that method here.
I simply place the silicone mold on a small rimmed sheet pan and pipe the ganache into each cavity, filling right to the edge. Placing them on the sheet pan makes it easy to transport them to the freezer, where I let them set for approximately 4-5 hours. You want to ensure they are firm before unmolding.
Once set, I remove them from the freezer, stretch the mold from all angles to loosen the truffles, then unmold them. I then set them on a cooling rack and let them set overnight at room temperature. When ready, I temper some chocolate and dip the truffles.
Rolled Truffles
An easier, quicker option are rolled truffles. Pour the ganache into a shallow, rimmed sheet pan and tap to level and remove air bubbles. Place in the refrigerator to firm for about an hour (or leave at room temperature overnight). Use a small ice cream scoop or melon baller to scoop uniformed balls onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Refrigerate the scooped ganache for 10-15 minutes, then work with clean, cool hands to shape the ganache into balls using the palms of your hands.
Finishing Your Truffles
You can finish your truffles in a number of ways. If you aren't comfortable with tempering, simply toss the rolled truffles in sweetened or spiced cocoa powder, freeze-dried fruit or vegetable powder, matcha tea, crushed nuts or seeds, sprinkles, chocolate flakes... the options are only as limited as your imagination.
I prefer to encase the little balls in a thin coating of tempered chocolate. That little snap of the shell when bitten into, satisfies my need for contrasting textures. After coating, I finished this batch with a light spray of chocolate and cocoa butter to add texture and colour, like I did here.
It's quite simple, actually - a mix of cocoa butter and chocolate applied using a spray gun to a cool surface to produce a velvet finish. You can also opt for the store-bought cocoa butter velvet spray, but I much prefer making my own. I'll cover how in another post.
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Ingredients
For the truffles:
- 227 grams 40% milk chocolate
- 118 grams stout I used Guinness
- 36 grams dark honey or maple syrup
- truffle shells optional
For dipping:
- 200 grams milk or dark chocolate optional
Instructions
Make the truffles:
- Melt the milk chocolate over a double boiler and set aside.
- Heat the sugar in a saucepan, until just melted. Add the stout and heat to a light simmer.
- Pour the heated stout mixture over the melted chocolate and blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or by hand with a whisk (stir) or spatula.
- Using a silicone mold: Allow ganache to cool at room temperature. Place a silicone mold on a small rimmed tray, then pipe the ganache into mold cavities. Place in the freezer for 4-5 hours. Once set, remove them from the freezer, stretch the mold from all angles to loosen the truffles, then unmold them. Set them on a cooling rack or parchment-line sheet pan and let them set overnight at room temperature. When ready, temper some chocolate and dip the truffles.Using truffle shells: Allow ganache to cool at room temperature, then pipe into shells. Allow to set then cap with tempered chocolate before dipping.Rolling by hand: Pour the ganache into a shallow, rimmed sheet pan and tap to level and remove air bubbles. Place in the refrigerator to firm for about an hour. Use a small ice cream scoop or melon baller to scoop uniformed balls onto a parchment lined sheet pan. Refrigerate the scooped ganache for 10-15 minutes, then work with clean, cool hands to shape the ganache into balls using the palms of your hands.
Dip the truffles:
- Temper the dark or milk chocolate (see chart here). Place in a bowl with some depth, to allow for dipping. Drop the truffles one at a time into the chocolate, lift with the dipping fork and tap of any excess chocolate. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan and allow to set.
Carol R says
Are the truffles in your pictures rolled or made with hollow shells? How do you get them so perfectly round after dipping in chocolate and then coating? They are beautiful!
jacquee | i sugar coat it! says
Thank you! I used a silicone mold for these, then dipped in a very thing coating of tempered chocolate before rolling in powder.