Boozy chocolate truffles give holiday treats a much-needed kick

Forget Christmas cookies! Give those adorable tins a little kick this holiday season with these boozy chocolate truffles.

Not only are these recipes simple, but they’re easy to transport. Sharing is caring, especially around the holidays and most especially when there is booze involved.

Here’s what you’ll need to make these boozy chocolate truffles

Dark chocolate whiskey truffles

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate
• 3 tablespoons Irish cream, Kahlua or whiskey
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
• Pinch of pink Himalayan salt
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, for rolling truffles
• 2/3 cup finely ground coffee, for rolling truffles

White chocolate margarita truffles

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups white chocolate
• 3 tablespoons clear tequila
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
• 1 lime, zested
• Pinch of pink Himalayan salt
• 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, for rolling truffles
• Lime zest, to sprinkle
• Pink Himalayan salt, to sprinkle

To begin, warm the heavy cream on the stove. Add butter and salt. When making the white chocolate margarita truffles, you’ll also want to add the lime zest here, too, so the flavor works into the cream.

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We recommend using a double broiler approach. Have a small saucepan with a couple inches of water on the stove, at medium-low temperature. Place a medium metal bowl on top of the saucepan. The heavy cream is warmed by the steam created, rather than by being directly on top of the heat. Warm it until just boiling. As soon as you see light bubbles around the sides, turn the heat off. Leave the bowl on the pan with the steam.

When it comes to chocolate truffles, the ratio is usually 2:1 between chocolate and heavy cream. But what if you’re a fan of white chocolate? With a higher sugar content than bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, would the same ratio apply? In the case of white chocolate, we found the ratio to be quite different at 8:1.

As soon as the heavy cream mixture is warm and the heat has been turned off, add chocolate chips. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula. The heat from the cream melts the chocolate without burning it. As soon as the chocolate is fully melted, add the spirit of your choosing.

For the dark chocolate truffles, we recommend Irish cream, Kahlua or whiskey. For the Irish cream or Kahlua, roll the set chocolate ganache in finely ground coffee. If you prefer whiskey, we recommend unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling.

For the white chocolate margarita truffles, we recommend a clear tequila that won’t impact the color. Roll the solidified truffles in confectioners’ sugar with a sprinkle of lime zest and salt on top.

Once the spirit is completely incorporated and the chocolate is smooth, place in the refrigerator to chill. Once it has set, using a small scoop or melon baller, make roughly 2-tablespoon scoops of ganache onto a wax or parchment paper-lined cookie tray.

Each batch should give you roughly 20 truffles. Place baking sheet into the refrigerator until the chocolate firms. Remove balls and roll into cocoa powder, coffee grounds or confectioners’ sugar. Store in the refrigerator until serving.

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If you’re serving these at a New Year’s Eve party, like we will be, you can have fun serving them in clear shot glasses or mini cupcake liners. We also love the effect a little edible gold leaf adds to the finished boozy chocolate truffles! The trick is to use a couple of toothpicks or chopsticks, not your hands, to handle the sheets while working with it. And, as we tested and confirmed, it can be done in advance and refrigerated.

Cheers to ringing in the New Year with a decadent dessert that will make your guests feel like a million bucks while only costing you a few.

Learn how to make bean to bar chocolate from a Master Chocolateir in the video below!