Red Wine Chocolate Truffles

When I began working on these I had something else in mind altogether.  I wanted a simple red wine ganache that could be chilled, balled, frozen, and rolled in cocoa powder. I even found a recipe (on a blog that shall remain nameless) that laid claim to this possibility. Sounds simple right?

Well, it wasn’t simple. Not with the recipes I had, and with the information I had collected.

Ganache recipes are quick to put together, so this afforded me enough time to try out a few recipes and variations.  One thing seemed certain time and time again. This ganache would have to be molded. The more red wine added, the more flavorful the ganache became and unfortunately, the more loose it became.

I’m not going to lie, tempering sounds a little above my aptitude. I’m not a Chocolatier, so for now I’ll be using dark chocolate meltable candy wafers.  They make a pretty truffle, and they don’t take away from the main attraction: The Ganache.  I didn’t use a standard candy mold either, I used the Wilton mini hearts silicone pan and it worked beautifully! 

When preparing to make these, you’ll want to put together the ganache first. (Scroll down for printable recipe.) I think a dry red wine imparts the best flavor. A Chianti would work very well.

You’ll need 2 to 3-1 lb. bags of dark chocolate meltable candy wafers.  Melt them in batches as you need them.  I found that I used about 1/2 bag at a time.  You’ll need a clean (preferably new) small craft brush with sturdy bristles.

Fill the molds about 1/4 of the way up with melted chocolate, and begin brushing the chocolate up the sides of the molds, coating the mold completely.  When finished, put the mold in the freezer for about two minutes. After taking it out, check for thin spots in the hardened chocolate by holding the candy mold up to a light source. Paint on more chocolate until the chocolate cups are no longer transparent. Return to freezer. Repeat these steps until chocolate is completely opaque. (I think mine took about 3 times.)

Fill chocolate painted molds with the red wine ganache.  DO NOT fill completely to the top. Transfer to the freezer for a couple of minutes.  Remove, and top ganache with additional melted chocolate candy to enclose.  Be sure it comes to the top of the mold and makes a flat surface.  You want your truffle to seal properly and have an even surface to rest on when unmolded.  Return to the freezer until set.  Gently unmold truffles by pressing from the bottom of the mold upwards.  Embellish as desired.

My truffles have a little lustre dust applied with a damp soft-bristled brush.  I think it makes them look extra special.  I also decided to button them up with a little bit of red melted candy coating (applied with disposable pastry bag).  I think these turned out beautiful and best of all…

…rich and delicious!

Here’s the (very easy) recipe for the red wine ganache, if you’d like to make them too!

[click to print]

Red Wine Ganache

9 oz. fine grade semi-sweet or dark chocolate

½ cup heavy cream

5 tbsp. dry red wine, such as Chianti

¼ tsp. red gel food coloring (optional)

Directions: Chop chocolate and place in a medium sized bowl. In a small sauce pan heat the heavy cream until small, soft bubbles form. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate. Mix until melted. Add red wine (and food coloring if desired.) Refrigerate until well set, 1-2 hours.

 

 

This ganache sets up better than any I’ve tried, and gives a mild boozy aftertaste. I didn’t include this tidbit in the recipe, but you can add up to 1/4 cup of red wine in place of the 5 Tbsp. The ganache will be loose, and you have to be VERY careful when sealing your truffles or you’ll have a big leaky truffle mess. The version I’ve posted seemed to seal the best and still retain the red wine flavor.  I think my next experiment will be adding a red wine reduction to a basic chocolate ganache.

Rainy days make the best baking and candy making days, but I’d really like some sunshine! I think Biscuit would too.  The weather has been so dreary and unfortunately the forecast includes possible snow flurries tomorrow!  So, I’m predicting a 100% chance of baking with accumulation of cookies and an increased chance of a little Pug being underfoot.

He doesn’t go outside in inclement weather. (Spoiled!)

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April
April
14 years ago

These are beautiful!! I am with you though, I am over the cold and flurries, bring me some spring!

Cuff
Cuff
14 years ago

Wow, these are drop-dead gorgeous! Good thing I have several kinds of red wine and chocolate in the house 🙂 Do you think the ganache would work with any kind of liquor? I bet with Bailey's they'd be insanely delicious.

TasteStopping
TasteStopping
14 years ago

I was just about to suggest a reduction myself. My husband used to take opened bottles of red wine and make a wonderful red wine reduction that we would pour over ice cream. I think that the syrup-like consistency of the reduction might give you the texture you are looking for. Either way, though, these look delicious.

Best,
Casey
Editor
http://www.tastestopping.com

Sue
Sue
14 years ago

These look absolutely smooth and perfect! Very original. I like your weather forecast:) Biscuit looks so cute!

Mini Baker
Mini Baker
14 years ago

these are INCREDIBLE!

Lisa
Lisa
14 years ago

Just lovely, they have turned out so well, you should be very proud of yourself! 🙂

Memória
Memória
14 years ago

Wow!! These are so lovely!! I agree with you about how complicated making truffles are at times, especially if you have warm hands like I do. I think the method you used is so much easier to do. You did a beautiful job. I would love to make these just without the alcohol. 😀

Kristen616
Kristen616
14 years ago

Wow these look absolutely decadent and simply beautiful. Great job, they look lovely and I bet they taste amazing!

cookies and cups
cookies and cups
14 years ago

The are seriously gorgeous! Watch out Godiva!

Jessica
Jessica
14 years ago

You have a very professional touch! I would buy those chocolates if I saw them at a shop!

Mara Campbell
Mara Campbell
14 years ago

Oh my word, these look amazing!!! You have such patience to do all that painting. It definitely paid off because the end result looks amazing and I bet it tasted amazing as well!!

Sandy
Sandy
14 years ago

Wow, these look soo delicious and professional! They look really hard to make, but you make it look so easy! I definitely want to try my hand at them sometime though. These look like the chocolates I gave out as wedding favors! Thanks for sharing!!

Garner
Garner
14 years ago

these do look wonderful and i'd love to make some to give as valentines gifts. how many does this recipe make? thanks!

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
14 years ago

Thanks everyone!

To Garner,(hi!)
One recipe of ganache and 2-ish bags of melted wafers makes a qty. of 12 – 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1 inch truffles. You may find a smaller mold that would yield a higher amount of truffles. The ones I made are a bit on the large size, but it makes a beautiful presentation.
Thanks for your question!

Anonymous
Anonymous
14 years ago

I made these and they turned out great! So I had to try them again with cherry juice concentrate ( a local Michigan product) and the result was absolutely fantastic! You have hooked me on chocolate making!

Meg@MegaCrafty
Meg@MegaCrafty
14 years ago

What a fabulous use for a bit of leftover wine… or a good reason to open a bottle of wine!

The lustre dust really adds a beautiful shine. And those little red dots make the whole think for me- I will definitely try these!

Susan
Susan
14 years ago

This looks so delish! do you suppose i could use espresso as a substitute thus making chocolate coffee(espresso) truffles?

Michelle @ In Sew Motion
Michelle @ In Sew Motion
14 years ago

These look delicious. And I know THAT wine! It's my favorite. Why not list that one for the recipe?

Anonymous
Anonymous
14 years ago

I made these today for my boyfriend and they are DELICIOUS! A bit time consuming, but delicious none the less.

Anonymous
Anonymous
14 years ago

how did you apply the dust? i read what you wrote above, but i still need clarification .. thank you 🙂

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
14 years ago

Hi and thanks for your question!

First of all your paintbrush needs to be soft bristled, meaning It will feel soft to the touch, resemble camel hair and bend easily. To decorate, take your paintbrush and run the tip of it under cool water. Squeeze the water out until the brush is just damp. Dip the paintbrush into the lustre dust and shake off excess. Brush across the surface of the chocolate.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if you need further guidance!

Anonymous
Anonymous
13 years ago

This looks delicious! I can't wait to try this recipe.

One question: do you happen to know how long these chocolates would last?

Anonymous
Anonymous
13 years ago

I can't wait to make them! I did however make them with a chocolate & peanut butter ganache last night. (I was taking them to work so I thought it'd be best to skip out on the wine for the time being.)

Your site is amazing!

SHOKO BY
SHOKO BY
13 years ago

Thanks for this fantastic tutorial!

You`r work is beautiful!!

Started chocolate site http://shoko.by SHOKO BY

Eti'S Chocolates
Eti'S Chocolates
13 years ago

red wine chocolate truffles look really delicious! I especially liked the red candy coating, it made the chocolate look really original…loved it!

kellypea
kellypea
13 years ago

Absolutely gorgeous! I've been to a wine tasting where chocolate was paired with red wine and it really is delicious, so I can imagine these are quite lovely. You've made it all sound so easy 🙂

Kim's Ohio Homeschooling Events!
Kim's Ohio Homeschooling Events!
12 years ago

Looks delicious! I love doing wine and chocolate pairings….will have to incorporate the wine into the chocolate. Would you like to be a Chocolatier?? Please contact me…awesome opportunity!

acheter viagra
acheter viagra
12 years ago

SO many times I read stupid post but this time I must say i'm impressed! Well done! Cheers!

Lindsay
Lindsay
12 years ago

I made these thanks to you and mine aren't nearly so beautiful as yours are but they were so delicious!!! I hope you don't mind, but I linked back to your blog. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talent with the rest of us!! I would love some feedback on my blog if you ever have a moment 🙂

Renée
Renée
12 years ago

Aside from your baking talent, you are – hands down – the funniest blogger ever.

Love your sense of humor!

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

Are there more ingredients used than just the ones in the recipe box above?

Anonymous
Anonymous
12 years ago

Do you keep these in the freezer until time to serve? If so, how do you keep them from sweating on the serving plate?

Sunny
Sunny
11 years ago

Just found you on Pinterest and these look Devine. I'm a huge fan of chocolate and boozes:). Can't wait to try these.

Kristin
Kristin
11 years ago

Great work – I am a Chocolatier and came across this due to Pinterest. I admire the home chocolatiers trying it out, I would suggest to anyone trying this be sure not to keep your chocolates in the freezer or refrigerator for too long. This will result in condensation forming on the chocolate and make it grainy. Also, most towns have chocolate shops that sell bulk chocolates by the pound, home tempering is not that hard to do and will be better to use the actual chocolate rather than a candy melt (makes it tast waxy – due to the… Read more »

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

Hi, not sure if this got asked before, but you said that you can add up to 1/4 cup red wine in place of 5 tbsp and that will make it looser, but 5 tbsp is more than 1/4 cup. Is there some sort of typo there?

Anonymous
Anonymous
11 years ago

Made these last night for NYE and they were a huge hit!

N. Apythia Morges
N. Apythia Morges
11 years ago

Hi, I really want to try these, but the recipe link for the ganache won't load. Any way you could share the recipe directly?

Unknown
Unknown
10 years ago

Your sweets seems delicious, if I were Biscuit, I would also be very, very close all times! By the way, he is really adorable!

Unknown
Unknown
7 years ago

Where is the recipe? It's blank.

Heather Baird
Heather Baird
7 years ago
Reply to  Unknown

The link was broken – you should be able to see it now!

Unknown
Unknown
7 years ago

Thank you, it's there now.