Caramel-dark chocolate truffles dipped in chocolate and finished with French sea salt. Better than anything in a box, and easier than they look.

The first time I had a chocolate truffle was at La Maison du Chocolat in Paris. We sampled one in the shop, then bought a box to eat while we were there and several more to bring home. I have been making them ever since, and I have never found a reason to change the recipe.

That first truffle was one of those moments where you understand, immediately and without any doubt, that you have been eating the wrong thing your entire life. Not bad chocolate, not bad candy, just the wrong category entirely. A proper chocolate truffle, rolled in cocoa powder, barely set, melting before it is even fully in your mouth, is not in the same as anything wrapped in foil on a holiday dessert tray. It is a different thing altogether.

I make these for Christmas every year, for Valentine’s Day, for birthdays, for any occasion that calls for something beautiful to give. I have made them for hostess gifts and for holiday platters and for the sheer pleasure of having them in the house. They are one of those recipes that sounds like it requires skill but actually requires only patience and a thermometer, and the result is something that makes people wonder what you did.

The recipe is from Bon Appetit, January 2004. Caramel-dark chocolate truffles with fleur de sel. I have used it for over twenty years without changing a single thing, which is about as strong an endorsement as I know how to give.

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Why These Truffles Work

What makes these different from a standard chocolate truffle is the caramel underneath. You build a caramel from cup sugar and a couple tablespoons of water, cook it until it reaches deep amber color, then pull it from the heat and carefully add the heavy whipping cream. The caramel becomes the base of the ganache, and it gives the finished truffle a depth that plain chocolate ganache cannot match. There is a slight bitterness from the caramel, richness from the bittersweet chocolate, and then the fleur de sel on top of each finished truffle that makes everything sharper and sweeter at the same time.

The truffle filling gets rolled into balls, chilled overnight, and then each one is dipped in a second round of melted semisweet chocolate that sets into a thin shell around the soft caramel ganache inside. That thin outer layer of chocolate is what you feel when you bite through, and then the center gives completely. The fleur de sel, that French sea salt with its coarser grain and mineral quality, goes on while the chocolate coating is still wet so it adheres. It is not decoration. It is doing real work.

What You Need

The recipe uses twenty ounces of bittersweet or semisweet chocolate total, divided between two uses. Eight ounces go into the truffle filling, melted in a medium metal bowl set over barely simmering water. The remaining twelve ounces are melted separately later for dipping, brought to 115 degrees on a candy thermometer so the coating sets with a good snap and shine. You will also need one third cup of sugar and two tablespoons of water for the caramel, two thirds cup of heavy whipping cream, and one quarter teaspoon of fleur de sel for the filling, plus additional fleur de sel to sprinkle truffles once they are dipped. For rolling and coating, you will need half a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. A small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon measure keeps the truffles a consistent size, and a tap fork lets you lift each one out of the chocolate and tap the fork against the side of the bowl to let the excess coating drip off cleanly.

How to Make Fleur de Sel Truffles

Start by melting eight ounces of the chopped chocolate. Place it in a medium metal bowl set over a small saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until the chocolate is smooth, then remove the bowl from over the water and set it aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and two tablespoons of water. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, using a wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pan. Increase the heat and boil without stirring until the syrup reaches deep amber color, swirling the pan occasionally and watching the sides of the pan carefully, about four minutes. Do not let it burn.

Add the heavy cream to the caramel carefully as the mixture will bubble up. Stir over very low heat until the caramel is smooth, then mix the caramel and the quarter teaspoon of fleur de sel into the bowl of melted chocolate. Stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate until the truffle filling is firm, at least three hours.

When the filling is firm, place the cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Using a tablespoon or a small ice cream scoop, portion the filling and roll each piece between your palms into a rough ball, then roll it in the cocoa powder. Arrange the truffles on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight.

The next day, line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and set it aside. Place the remaining twelve ounces of chopped chocolate in a medium metal bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth and a candy thermometer inserted into the chocolate reads 115 degrees.

Remove the bowl from the heat. Working quickly, drop one truffle at a time into the melted chocolate. Using a tap fork, lift the truffle out and tap the fork against the side of the bowl so the excess coating drips off. Transfer the truffle to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle it immediately with a small pinch of fleur de sel while the chocolate is still wet. Repeat with all remaining truffles. Let stand until the chocolate sets completely, at least one hour.

The finished truffles can be made up to one week ahead. Cover and refrigerate, then bring to room temperature before serving.

A Few Notes

If you cannot find fleur de sel, Maldon sea salt makes an excellent substitute. The coarser grain is what you are after, not fine table salt, which would dissolve into the chocolate rather than sitting on top of it.

You do not have to dip the truffles in chocolate. You can skip the dipping step and serve them rolled only in cocoa powder, which is simpler and still delicious. Alternatively, you can skip the cocoa powder and go straight to dipping, which gives you a cleaner finished look. Both work. The full version, cocoa powder roll followed by chocolate dip and fleur de sel, is the one I always use.

If you prefer, melting wafers can stand in for the dipping chocolate. They melt smoothly and set quickly, which makes the dipping step easier if you are new to it.

Giving Them as a Gift

These are one of the best homemade gifts I know. They look like something from a chocolate shop, they keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week, and they feel special in a way that a tin of cookies, lovely as that is, does not quite match. Pack them in a small box lined with parchment, or layer them in a tin between sheets of wax paper. A small label noting the fleur de sel is a nice touch, particularly for anyone who might wonder what the finishing salt is.

They belong on a holiday candy platter alongside something with a little more crunch, such as peanut brittle or the bar nuts that have been part of my Christmas gift rotation for years. The contrast of textures works beautifully. And if you are building a gift basket, a box of these truffles alongside a jar of cranberry apple chutney covers both sweet and savory, and can be used for main dishes and dessert.

If you make these and bring them somewhere, people will ask you where you got them, and you will get to say you made them yourself. That is a particular pleasure that I love.

Have you ever made chocolate truffles at home, or does it seem like a project you have always meant to try? I would love to know what you make every year without fail, the recipe you go back to no matter what.

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Fleur de Sel Truffles: The Sweet and Salty Masterpiece

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Discover how fleur de sel transforms ordinary chocolate into an elegant truffle with the perfect sweet-salty balance.

• Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
• Yield: 32 truffles 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

20 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, divided
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Garnish with Fleur de Sel

Instructions

Place 8 ounces chocolate in metal bowl over saucepan of barely simmering water, do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water, stir until chocolate is smooth. Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from over water and set aside.

In a small saucepan combine sugar and 2 tablespoons water. Stir the mixture over medium heat until sugar dissolves, occasionally brushing sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Increase heat; boil until syrup is deep amber color, brushing down sides and swirling pan occasionally, about 4 minutes.

Add cream, the mixture will bubble. Stir over very low heat until caramel is smooth. Mix the caramel and 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel into the 8 oz. of melted chocolate.

Chill until the truffle filling is firm, at least 3 hours.

Place unsweetened cocoa powder in a bowl. Using 1 tablespoon or a small ice cream scoop of truffle filling for each truffle, roll into balls, then roll in cocoa. Arrange the truffles on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.

Line 13x9x2-inch baking sheet with foil.

Place remaining 12 ounces of chocolate in medium metal bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water).

Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth and a candy or instant read thermometer inserted into chocolate registers 115°F.

Removethe  bowl from over water. Working quickly, dip 1 truffle at a time in  the melted chocolate.

Using a fork, lift out the truffle and tap the fork against the side of bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off.

Place the truffle on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle truffles lightly with fleur de sel. Repeat with remaining truffles. Let stand until chocolate sets, at least 1 hour.

The truffles can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.

 

Notes

Recipe from Bon Appétit January 2004 its called Caramel Dark Chocolate Truffles with Fleur de Sel

• Author: Elizabeth
• Prep Time: 3 hours
• Cook Time: 5 minutes