Orange-Cardamom Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Like most culinary wonders, the exact origin of the chocolate truffle has been lost to folklore and speculation. There can be little doubt though that these delectable chocolate creations were first thought up in France, home to many of the world's most loved pastries. Though the term truffle is often used to describe any bite-sized chocolate found in a chocolate box, chocolates can only truly be a truffle if they are formed using a ganache base, which is made of melted chocolate and cream.

This recipe for orange-cardamom chocolate truffles is created by infusing warm cream with orange zest and cardamom pods before being combined with dark chocolate. The resulting flavor is delicious and complex with bright citrus notes, sweetness, warmth, and richness coming through. If you love orange and chocolate as a flavor combination, you'll adore the addition of cardamom in these truffles.

These orange-cardamom chocolate truffles from recipe developer Jennine Rye are great as a homemade gift, a delicious treat for yourself, or as a decadent snack to offer guests. Dessert wines and champagne both make excellent drink pairings, so they can be served either before eating, or at the end of a meal.

To make these orange-cardamom chocolate truffles, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will require butter, whipping cream, cardamom pods, orange peel, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, cocoa powder, and of course, chocolate.

As chocolate is the main ingredient in these truffles, the type and quality of chocolate used will make all the difference in the resulting product. Rye recommends buying the best quality dark chocolate that you can afford, ideally a chocolate bar containing roughly 70% cocoa. The one type of chocolate to avoid for this recipe is any kind of chocolate chip that has a coating; these are perfect for baked goods like chocolate chip muffins, but won't work well to create a silky smooth ganache.

To begin this recipe, you will want to break up the chocolate into small pieces and place it into a heatproof bowl along with the butter. Then, set this to one side, ready to be used a little later on.

In a small saucepan, add the cream along with the strips of orange peel and the cracked cardamom pods. Gently heat the cream until it is simmering, and then turn the heat off. Allow the cream to sit for half an hour and let the flavors of the orange and cardamom infuse to make beautifully flavored cream.

Once roughly half an hour has passed, gently heat up the cream once more so that it is warm, but not boiling. It's important to make sure that the cream has not reached boiling point; if it is too hot it will likely cause the chocolate to burn or the fat in the chocolate to split, resulting in a grainy and oily ganache. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the cream over the bowl of broken chocolate and butter to remove the orange peel and the cardamom pods. Then, using a fork or a whisk, stir the chocolate with the warm cream until it has completely melted and a smooth, shiny ganache has formed. At this stage, stir in the powdered sugar and a pinch of salt. Once this mixture has cooled to room temperature, place it into the fridge for at least 4 hours.

The final stage in creating these orange-cardamom truffles is to roll them. Once the ganache has set hard, remove it from the fridge. Wash your hands thoroughly and place the cocoa powder onto a plate or into a wide-bottomed bowl. Then, scoop out roughly 1 tablespoon of the ganache, roll it into a ball shape in your hands, and then roll it around in the cocoa powder so that it is thoroughly coated. Repeat this process with the remaining ganache.

These truffles can be enjoyed immediately after being created, or they can be stored in the fridge to be eaten at a later date. To enjoy them at their best, remove these chocolate truffles from the fridge roughly an hour before consuming them; this removes the chill and improves the texture, making them melt-in-your-mouth delicious.