Irish Rum Truffles are a classic holiday treat. Chocolatey and rich. It is a French confectionery traditionally made with chocolate ganache centre and coated with cocoa powder, coconut or chopped nuts. It’s sweet, slightly bitter, fudgy and of course intensely boozy. These are my favourite indulgent sweets. I am absolutely certain that after trying this recipe, you will ditch the boxed truffles which doesn’t even come close to the homemade ones.
Irish Rum Truffles are quite easy to make. They are perfect when you are craving a treat but don’t want to turn on the oven.
One of the qualities I find most important in food is the taste it leaves in my mouth. It should leave a memory on my taste buds that makes me want the next one. And, these truffles do exactly that.
My husband and I cut a small cake together at midnight on our anniversary each year. This is our moment together before we celebrate the day with our family and friends.
So for our 5th anniversary I wanted to treat my husband with something different and not the usual midnight cake. That’s when I thought of making Irish rum truffles. I sat down and scrolled through many recipes, adding and omitting what I like and don’t like and finally came up with this recipe. I had my fingers crossed.
When the clock struck midnight, I surprised him with these. He had a confused expression on his face because it was not the usual stuff. Skeptically, he took the first bite and the wide eyed expression said it all. 😄
They turned out to be so good. It has been 6 years now since I have been making this. I didn’t realise how good these were until one year I didn’t make them.
Not only are these holiday classics or a perfect gifting treats but you can make them whenever you like. It will lift your mood when you are sad. When you are happy, it will just make you happier. 😊
Although if rum or bailey’s isn’t your favourite liquor, you could try making them with bourbon, cointreau, cognac or kahlúa instead.
The taste will depend on the chocolate you are using. I used a total of 100 grams chocolate. 60 grams was Green & Black Dark Chocolate (70%) and 40 grams was a mix of Lindors and Lindt Milk chocolate.
Pro Tips:
- Do not use Chocolate chips or cheap bars because they will not melt in truffle consistency leaving you with grainy bits. Chocolate chips are great for recipes like cookies and tea cakes.
- Do not use half-and-half or any other liquid because the truffles won’t set properly.
- Pure vanilla extract adds exceptional flavor to your chocolate truffles.
- Coffee will accentuate the taste of the chocolate, so do not skip it.
Truffles are too firm with less liquid. So stick to this recipe for truffle success!
Recipe: makes 12-13 truffles
Ingredients
Chocolate: 100 gms
Fresh cream: 60 ml (25% fat)
Coconut oil/Unsalted butter: 3 tbsps
Rum: 10 ml
Bailey’s Irish cream: 30 ml
Instant coffee: 1/2 tsp mixed in 1 tbsp water
Vanilla extract: 1/2th tsp
Sieved unsweetened Cocoa powder
Some coarsely crushed nuts. I went with Pistachios.
Method:
- Finely chop chocolate and keep aside in a big glass bowl.
- Heat cream. DO NOT BOIL IT. Remove from heat just when you see bubbles forming on the edges. Add coconut oil or butter.
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate in batches, mixing well each time so that the chocolate doesn’t split. Use a wire whisk. If the chocolate splits, just add a splash of boiling water.
- Now, in goes the rum, bailey’s, instant coffee and vanilla extract.
- Whisk it well for couple of minutes to incorporate some air and till everything mixes well.
- Cover it with a cling and put it in the refrigerator for 3 hours to set.
- Once set, line a plate with butter paper.
- Take one tbsp scoop and scoop out to make small balls. You will have to shape really quickly because the heat from your hand might melt the chocolate.
- Keep the topping handy in a plate.
- Roll the truffle in the topping of your choice and place it one by one on the butter paper.
- Refrigerate for one hour or till it is set. It will last you about 2 weeks in a refrigerator.
Troubleshooting
- The chocolate is separating: This is one of the biggest concerns while making truffles. If your chocolate splits then your cream was too hot. So make sure you don’t boil it.
- The chocolate doesn’t melt: There can be two issues here, either your cream is too cold or you didn’t chop the chocolate into very small pieces. The finer the chocolate chunks, the quicker it will melt. If the chocolate doesn’t melt, craft a double boiler setting and heat the mixture in a heat proof bowl for a few seconds.
- Trying to scoop too-warm ganache: Once the cream and chocolate are whisked together, you will have a thick, smooth mixture known as ganache. You might think that it’s scoopable right out of the bowl, but you’ll need to cool it properly before scooping and rolling. Refrigerate it before scooping.
