These Truly Decadent 5-Ingredient Hazelnut Truffles are the simplest candies to make. Dark chocolate, cream and a touch of Frangelico hazelnut liqueur or extract make up the base of these delectable chocolates. Add ground, toasted hazelnuts to the mix for an extra lovely surprise.

A bowl of chilled ganache used to make these Truly Decadent 5-Ingredient Hazelnut Truffles is scooped and rolled into balls before they are dipped in chocolate. — Chilled filling is scooped and rolled before dipping

This gourmet chocolate truffle recipe is extremely easy to make. It just tastes like you slaved away in the kitchen for hours. The ganache only takes a few minutes to make. Once that is done, most of the time dedicated to this recipe is allocated to allowing the chocolate filling to cool and firm up before scooping and rolling into balls. After a second, brief chill, the balls are ready to dip in chocolate. Within a few minutes they have set and can be consumed or transferred to an airtight container for storage.

If you’re looking for a show stopper of a chocolate candy recipe, these elegant truffles are for you.

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Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur gives this gourmet chocolate truffle recipe a rich, nutty flavor

Frangelico is one of my absolute favorite liqueurs to work with, especially when it is paired with dark chocolate. If you’re not already familiar with this popular Italian hazelnut liqueur, I highly recommend giving it some attention.

Because of it’s sweet, smooth, and complex flavor, Frangelico is widely used in desserts, cocktails and even sipping. But for this gourmet chocolate truffle recipe, it is used to enhance the delicious hazelnut flavor of this decadent dessert.

Simple preparation makes these truffles that much better

One of the things I love about this recipe is how simple it truly is. Truly. Using a heavy -bottom sauce pan, all you need to do is bring the cream to a simmer, just below the boiling point. At this point, simply remove the cream from the heat, add the chocolate and use a wire whisk to dissolve the chocolate into the cream. Add the hazelnuts and Frangelico and transfer into a bowl to chill.

Allow the ganache to cool at room temperature before transferring to the refrigerator in a covered container to firm up for approximately 2 hours. When the ganache is ready to scoop, use a 1″ cookie scoop or a Tablespoon to scoop out 32 truffles. Roll the ganache into tiny balls and return them to the refrigerator to chill until you are ready to finish them.

At this stage, these Truly Decadent 5-Ingredient Hazelnut Truffles are technically done. You could roll them in crushed hazelnuts or cocoa powder at this point and be done. But if you want to make this gourmet chocolate truffle recipe a little extra special, you can finish the chilled truffle balls in melted chocolate.

You don’t need a lot of special equipment to make hand-dipped truffles. If you have candy dipping tools, that’s great, but you can also use a regular fork to dip your truffles. Simply tap off the excess chocolate before transferring the dipped truffles to a piece of parchment to set.

Make your Truly Decadent 5-Ingredient Hazelnut Truffles a little extra with luster dust

Once the ganache is cooled and ready to scoop, the final step is to decorate before serving. How fussy you get is really up to you. The truth of the matter is, you can scoop, roll and coat them in finely ground hazelnuts and call them good. And they really will be just as good as if you chose to dip them in chocolate. A time or two I’ve simply rolled these truffles in cocoa powder or nuts. Both coatings give a simple and elegant finish to these gourmet truffles.

A winter wonderland setting in the forest. A squirrel has gathered a large pile of Easy 5-Ingredient Black Currant Chocolate Truffles — Glam up your truffles with a little luster dust!

But if you’re looking to make these Truly Decadent 5-Ingredient Hazelnut Truffles a little “extra”, you can brush them with luster dust. I’ve been ordering baking supplies from Country Kitchen SweetArt for over a decade. And they are my go-to source for luster dust. I typically use either gold, copper or a lovely rose gold when I decorate these truffles for the holidays.

I love the way the luster dust looks on these truffles. Because they are hand dipped, they are perfectly imperfect. You can see the swirls and peaks in each one. The luster dust highlights and blends these differences on the surface and the result is quite stunning. Each truffle becomes a unique work of art.

How do I apply the luster dust? Nothing blends like a makeup brush. That’s right. I have a set of makeup brushes that are dedicated to cake and pastry decorating. You don’t have to buy top of the line brushes; just ones that are soft and flexible. They will give you the control you need to blend the luster dust across the top of a chocolate-dipped truffle without damaging the coating. When you’re done, simply wash, dry and pack them away until your next decorating project.

If you like this recipe for Truly Decadent 5-Ingredient Hazelnut Truffles, you may also like my recipe for Easy 5-Ingredient Black Currant Truffles. This little fella is quite fond of both flavors.

Truly Decadent 5-Ingredient Hazelnut Truffles

Recipe by Maria Ostrander Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

truffle

Prep time

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Resting time

hours

Finishing time

minutes

This recipe yields 32 truffles.

Ingredients

For the ganache
12 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao) chopped into small chunks
1 1/3 cups heavy cream
1 cup ground hazelnuts
2 tsp. Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur or 1 1/2 tsp. hazelnut extract (optional)
For finishing the truffles
An additional 20 ounces of melting chocolate (dark chocolate candy wafers) for dipping.
Gold luster dust for finishing the truffles (optional)
Ground, toasted hazelnuts (approximately 1 cup) for rolling the truffles as an alternative to dipping in chocolate (optional).

Directions

Make the ganache filling
In a heavy-bottom sauce pan, bring the cream to a simmer, just below the boiling point.
Remove the cream from the heat. Add the chocolate. Using a wire whisk, stir constantly until the chocolate is dissolved and completely smooth.
Once the chocolate mixture is completely blended, add the ground hazelnuts and Frangelico liqueur or hazelnut extract. Stir until completely incorporated.
Allow the ganache to cool at room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator in a covered container to firm up, approximately 2 hours.
Finish the truffles
Use a 1″ cookie scoop or a Tablespoon to scoop out 32 truffles. Roll the ganache into balls and chill in the refrigerator until ready to dip or roll.
While the balls are chilling, melt 20 ounces of dark chocolate melting wafers over a double boiler, or by microwaving in 15 second intervals and stirring in between until the chocolate is completely melted. The melted chocolate should be somewhere between 88 and 91 degrees.
Hand dip the truffles in the melted chocolate and allow them to harden at room temperature. Once the chocolate has hardened, you can decorate as desired with luster dust or simply transfer to an airtight container for storage.
Alternatively, truffles can be rolled in cocoa powder or crushed hazelnuts.
Truffles should be stored in an air-tight container for up to two weeks in the refrigerator and can be frozen for up to one month.