Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Hi dawn, these look absolutely amazing and if I’m going to make them for my sweetheart on V-Day (also my wedding anniversary :-) I want them to be perfect. 1. Cocoa: I'm assuming its Dutch Processed as there's no baking soda 2. What brand and % chocolate did you use? As many chocoholics would go for something around 70% or greater, what do you think would be more in line with a variety of palates? ~54%? 3. Serving suggestions: If served fresh out of the oven I’m thinking maybe crème anglais w/ a few fresh berries or raspberry coulis/puree and a sprig of mint. What about ice cream sandwiches with a natural Vanilla Bean ice cream. Of course, on their own with a double espresso would be simply divine! Cheers!

Patrick, good questions. The chocolate I use is usually around 70% cocao and the cocoa powder is indeed Dutched. I have updated the recipe as well. I also wanted to reiterate that these cookies are best when not over baked. In fact, it is so important to me, that when I make these cookies I usually just bake off one (or two) at the beginning, just to test my oven temperature and my timing. As for serving suggestions, I have served them with cafe latte ice cream and a few other desserts. I found the ice cream to be pretty good, but it does compete a bit with the star of the show, which are the cookies...but that could just be me. I like the idea of some nice berries or maybe a simply crème anglaise, as you suggested. Good luck, I am sure you and your wife wife will love these cookies.

I especially like the idea of the "samples" you make before the batch....;-0 And good with a glass of milk I bet...

Hello, I gave these a try and after refrigerating the batter for the five hours I noticed that it seemed hard and brittle. Is this normal or is it likely I make a mistake somewhere? Thanks for looking!

After letting the batter sit at room temperature for awhile it softened up a bit and despite being a bit hard still worked out just fine and made excellent, rich, cookies. Great recipe, thank you!

I can't find any blackberry honey in my area (Philippines), can i use any alternative?

I couldn't find it either so I just used normal honey. The cookies still came out excellent. If you have time I suppose you could always order it online.

I have a problem in spite of following direction carefully after baking, my cookies fall apart too easily!!!making them difficult to eat as cookie fall apart in my hand??? what should I do to prevent this??? thank you Tum

I guess without knowing all the details, it is hard for me to access what could have went wrong. This has never happened to me, so I am not sure what to say? My first guess is that perhaps you baked them for a bit too long or your oven temperature was higher? Do you have an oven thermometer to test the true internal temperature of your oven? Sorry I couldn't be of more help, I say try them again. Just make sure to rest the batter and perhaps try baking them for a bit less time, as every oven is different.

I will be making these cookies next week for breakfast service in school. I am positive that I will be successful in making these.

Would regular all-purpose flour work with this recipe?

We haven't tried this substitution ourselves. The almond flour gives these cookies their unique texture. They will be completely different using all-purpose flour and may not hold their structure. Cheers!

Do you flatten the cookies before baking them?

No we do not flatten them before baking. They will flatten naturally in the oven. Cheers!

I had to substitute acacia honey for the blackberry honey, but these still turned out great. We love that they freeze well, because the cookies are so rich a couple is enough! I made these with Valrhona Manjari 64% chocolate, but I think the 66% Caraïbe will work even better so will give that a go the next time.

Help! I need somebody…help! I made a disaster out of the Chocolate Truffle Cookies. I used Ghirardelli 100% chocolate instead of 70%. I thought it will be the real truffle but it’s so bitter. I realize the error, but is there something I can add to rectify the batter? I only baked ½ of the batch and the rest is still in the refrigerator. The supermarket only carried 60% and 100% bars so I decided to purchase the 100% because Dawn mentioned that she uses 70%. I thought it would be better than the 60%. Now I think that the better decision would have been to have gotten 1 bar at 60% and the other at 100%. Am I correct?

Unfortunately, it will be difficult to rectify the batter at this point. I say, roll them in plenty of sugar and bake them off. Try to incorporate them into something sweet. For example, you could break up the cookies and serve them with some vanilla ice cream to cut the bitterness. It is important to use the proper chocolate that a recipe calls for because the amount of cocoa mass in the chocolate will not only affect the flavor but it will have an impact on the result. By learning from our mistakes, this is how we get better at cooking and baking. Make sure to take the lesson on the Basics of Quality Chocolate in the Cooking School. I think this will help a lot. Cheers!

I'm anxious to make these cookies. How do they freeze?

I am sure you could freeze them (form them into balls first) and then bake them from frozen. Cheers!

After refrigerating the batter overnight, I couldn't form these into balls. What did I do wrong?

I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Was the batter too hard? If so, to ease forming the cookies, you can let it sit at room temperature until it softens just. Cheers!

Today is my first time joining Rouxbe. I am so excited already. First recipe today will be Truffle cookies. Can I use white chocolate instead of 70% chocolate and then what do I use instead of the Dutch chocolate powder.

No, you cannot use white chocolate for these particular cookies. There is no cocoa mass in white chocolate and it will be far too soft. You might want to watch the lesson the the Basics of Quality Chocolate for more information. Cheers!

Tried these tonight. I really likes then and while others said two was enough I ate 4! They reminded menif mini choc fondants. I think many of my friends would find them a bit too strong so will try with a 62 cocoa next time I think. Also any tips for rolling into balls as I wasted a lot of choc which melted onto my hands. O guess you could buy moulds and pour batter IMO them before putting in fridge?

A mini ice cream scoop or melon baller will help. You can wear foodsafe gloves or wash your hands and cool them down with cold water (dry thoroughly) in between several rolls. Who doesn't like mucky chocolate hands though? There are worse things I can think of - haha :-) Cheers!

could i leave out the almond? is the almond only adding texture to the cookie, or does it have some sort of a chemical reaction with the cookie? thanks alot!

I have never tried this recipe any other way than the recipe is written. If you want, you could try leaving out the almonds but they do make up a good portion of this recipe. Whenever you start omitting entire ingredients from a baking recipe you run the risk of things not working out the same. Cheers!

Made these twice now. I think next time I will try it with flour. Also thinking it would work with ground hazelnut. Will let you know the verdict!

May I purchase finely ground almonds or do I have to make it myself? Thanks

I even found it on Amazon. But if you have a food processor, you can do them yourself and they will be much fresher. You may just want to remove the skins first.

These had a wonderful flavor! I found they flattened quite a bit...I like a higher cookie! Your picture looked perfect! I rolled them in the sugar then put them in the freezer before baking. In your picture yours looked less flat then mine...any suggestions? Should I have used convection instead? I ground the almonds in my food processor....I was unsure if they were fine enough...I went for a very long time...I'm not sure if I could get them finer. This is a recipe worth working to get right :) Thanks

Perhaps your oven was a bit too hot if they flattened out too much. Test the internal temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer and bake the cookies in the center. Convection can be used but it is not necessary. Try it again and make sure the cookies are not warm before going in. Cheers!

Thanks I will give it a try!

The cookies turned out great. Fresh hazelnuts are in season now, so I ground them a nut grinder (my 5 year-old was helping) -- then finished in a food processor. I also threw in some fresh almonds for a hybrid flour :) Turned out great. Lke Darren S, I had a hard time scooping the dough into balls -- it sort of flaked apart when I used a small ice cream scoop. I then had to use my hands to mold it together. It was a mess, but not a disaster.Didn't know if I was doing something wrong. I would have loved foodsafe gloves. I guess I need to find some. Will also see if I can find a melon baller next time.

Yes these cookies are a bit messy to shape but they are well worth it and chocolaty mess. I do generally wear gloves when I roll them out. By the way, I buy the latex, food safe gloves at Costco but you can find them in many stores. Cheers!

Would it be possible to bake these for longer at 120 C? (I have a range cooker with hot oven 220C & slow oven at 120C) Thank you

Hi, I'm having trouble finding a 70% bittersweet chocolate chip. Which would be better: 60% bittersweet chocolate chips or a 70% bar of Lindt chocolate that isn't labeled for sweetness? It's just 70%. Godiva makes a 72% dark bar, but I'm not sure if it's semi-sweet or bittersweet. Didn't think it would be hard to find 70% bittersweet chocolate chips but it is. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Hi Mark, I would recommend the 70% or 72% dark bars, rather than chocolate chips. Chocolate chips have vegetable oil added to them to help keep their shape in cookies, so they don't behave the same way that bar chocolate does. Unfortunately, the labels semi-sweet and bittersweet aren't standardized, so they mean different things to different companies. The percentage is the easiest way to compare two bars. If you have the option, taste both the Lindt and Godiva bars and use the one that you prefer. Just like with wine, you want to cook with chocolate that is delicious enough to eat on its own. Hope that helps!

Hi Mark, I forgot to mention that you should also read the ingredient list and choose the highest quality chocolate, without any fillers, added vegetable oils or fats, or preservatives. You may also find it helpful to watch the "Basics of Quality Chocolate" lesson (http://rouxbe.com/cooking-school/lessons/292-basics-of-quality-chocolate).

I used a 60% Ghirardelli bar and it turned out great. I undercooked a batch, but I just ate that delicious mistake! Good cookies! Thanks.

You can always cook the cookies at 'a bit " of a lower temperature but going to 120C will not work, it is simply too low, you will end up with white a dry cookies because at that temperature you are not really baking but drying, You'll have better results at 220, just keep an eye as they will burn quickly.

These cookies are the best I have ever had. The almonds not only add texture but add a subtle depth to the flavor as well. Great, great, recipe. I also used a 70% chocolate bar. The only complaint I got was from a 4 year old who said they weren't sweet enough...but I told him these were grown up cookies.

These cookies were worth working for! They turned out amazing! Delicious!

Hi Wendy- That is so great...sometimes it takes a bit of practice and, like everything, there's no replacement for trial and error when you are really figure something out.

I had the cookie balls in the fridge over night. When I baked them, they stayed in the same ball size. What could I have done wrong?

Hi Jason- First, our apologies for the very late reply... we do work very hard to respond quickly to students. We're sorry that this took so long. In any event, it sounds like the cookie balls may have gotten a bit too cold or they were a bit too dense with chocolate (which is hard to imagine). Next time, let them temper just a bit (20 minutes) before baking or try to make the balls a bit smaller so the heat can penetrate and allow the cookie to "relax" just a bit to look like a cookie and not a warm truffle ball. Again, our apologies for the late reply. I hope you have better success next time you try these.

These cookies are very good! They were easy to make once I got the dough refrigerated overnight. Used a melon baller and rolled with my bare hands. After 4 or 5 balls, my hand got sticky and I had to wash them but it was not a big deal. I love the delicate texture, lightly crunchy outside and soft and moist inside. I have a question regarding the chocolate. I used this Schafrren Berger 70% cacao bittersweet chocolate. The cookie is very rich and "chocolatey" and lot of my friends will love its intensity. I am more of a milk chocolate type of person so it was a bit more intense than what I prefer. Can I go down to like 50% cacao or even less without having problems with my cookie? Or should I just try another chocolate, just not bittersweet? Thanks in advance!

You could always give it a try Lili. We have personally never made them with anything less then 70%. As you said, though, you may want to just start with another chocolate that is just not so bitter — maybe start with a semi-sweet. In that case you may want to lessen the amount of sugar, but again, we have not tried this with this recipe. At least you experiments will still taste delicious. Cheers!

I made this recently and due to my whisk being out of action I could only fork the eggs which of course didn't thicken them. Any way I carried on and ended up cooking ás a big cake instead of making balls. Must say it turned out pretty well. I've done the standard recipe many times and this was pretty much as good even with the thin mixture! Maybe if I'd not kept it whole b the balls would v have b fallen apart?

Hi everyone! These look amazing! I was curious whether clarified butter may be substituted here. Also, does your answer apply to most baked goods, and what is the reasoning? I'm very new to the chemistry of baking. Thanks!

Hi Jordan- In the case of these cookies, that is fine. Other baked goods that call for butter oftentimes benefit from the small amount of water that is in butter (clarifying "boils" it off, leaving just fat). Water is used to create steam and can be beneficial in some applications. Just fat (e.g. using clarified butter) is like using lard or solid shortening and can be beneficial as well. It just depends on the recipe and function of fat and if any water is needed at all. ~Ken

Hello, in step 6 should the sugar be refined or it is also granulated sugar? Will it caramelize in the oven? Also, would substituting it with coconut sugar be a bad idea?

We just used regular white sugar here, but you could try experimenting with other sugars to see how they turn out for you — you might just be pleasantly surprised :)

I wanted to make these cookies for my mother, however she has a nut allergy. Will the recipe still work if I simply don't add the almonds?

HI there Sharon and thanks so much for your inquiry! Indeed, we sometimes omit the almonds in my home as well! I hope your mom loves them as much as my kids do! Thanks for baking with Rouxbe! All the best, Chef Kirk

Why rest the batter that long? And why the honey if we are adding sugar? Especially that its only 1 spoon

Hi Zeina, Being a gluten free baked product, different measures need to be taken to achieve our final desired outcomes. Refrigerating the “dough” for at least 5 hours makes sure it is fully set up and firm before scooped. The firmness and shape are necessary when put into the oven so they don’t melt flat before cooking through. Honey has a different moisture content than granulated sugar and can affect the chemistry of the baking process. Honey also adds a rich flavor profile. Hope this helps! Cheers, Sandy

These cookies are simply amazing. Just as is. I just used regular honey as well. I am about to enter them in a covid-safe neighborhood cookie contest. Wish me luck!!! I will give credit to your amazing site to those who ask... =)

Good luck Sonal!