I have your Friday night right here: Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffles.
As it turns out, I also have my Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning 10 a.m. โenergy boost.โ ย
A small container of indulgent, velvety smooth, and deadly dark chocolate truffles is not as easy to forget about in oneโs refrigerator as one might suspect, no matter how carefully one hides it.
It also turns out that, when those dark chocolate truffles are spiked with lush Cabernet, they might as well be doing a tap dance and singing karaokeโforget about forgetting them.
Iโll admit my Wednesday argument that baked black pepper garlic chicken wings are the ultimate Valentineโs dinner was a bit of a tough sell, but Iโm hoping youโll agree with me that red wine truffles deserve to be in the running for ultimate Valentineโs dessert.
Theyโre rich. Theyโre romantic. Like these Bourbon Balls, theyโre naughty enough to be exciting, but not so naughty that I donโt feel like a lady at the end of the night.
My perfect date.
What are Chocolate Truffles Made From?
Making homemade truffles is as simple as melt, stir, roll, with a little chill time in between. Honestly, itโs a little dangerous having this kind of power.
The finished wine truffles are indulgent, addictive, and sure to win the affection of whomever takes a taste. Strike that: itโs exceedingly dangerous having this kind of power.
The Ingredients
- Chocolate. Bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate will work best here.
- Heavy Cream. For the most creamy and rich truffles.
- Dry Red Wine. Choose a dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Powdered Sugar. Creates a delicious texture.
- Vanilla + Espresso Powder. Both of these additions create unbelievably scrumptious flavor.
- Cocoa Powder. While the cocoa dust on the outside is optional, after testing a few batches, I became convinced that life would be better if more things were dusted in chocolate. I like the balance of bitterness that the cocoa provides, but if you are looking for something sweeter or extra festive, rolling them in Valentine pink and red sprinkles would be fun and cute.
Recommended Tools for Making These Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffles
- Baking Sheets. Incredibly useful kitchen tools.
- Batter Scoop. For making perfectly-sized truffles.
- Mixing Bowls. These make preparing the batter simple.
- Small Whisk. No more splashing all over the place.
More “I Love You” Food Like These Wine Truffles
- Strawberry Heart Scones
- White Chocolate Creme Brรปlรฉe
- Chocolate Heart Sandwich Cookies with Raspberry Cream Cheese Filling
- French Hot Chocolate
Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffles are singing you karaoke. Wonโt you be their Valentine?
Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffles
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (or semi-sweet) roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 teaspoons Imperial Sugar Powdered Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder
- Cocoa powder for dusting
Nutrition
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Thanks for this delicious recipe! I made these tonight and they taste great but are very gooey. ย I feel like I must have done something wrong but all my quantities were right. ย I even froze the dough for about an hour before rolling them and they were still pretty gooey when I was rolling them. ย Did you have that problem at all? I’m hoping maybe they’ll firm up a bit overnight but I’m worried! I refrigerated the dough for 2 hours and froze it for an hour, it seems like it shouldn’t have been gooey at all at that point. ย I’m planning to make these as part of assorted truffle gift boxes for Christmas so would love to get these right!
Hi Meredith! These truffles are definitely very soft at room temperature, but they shouldn’t be ultra gooey. It sounds like too much liquid (or not enough chocolate!) I haven’t tried reheating a ganache truffle mixture in order to add more chocolate to thicken it up, but this is an option you could try to save your current batch.ย The main precaution is to be careful not to burn the chocolate when you reheat it (I’d suggest heating it in a bowl over simmering waterโdon’t let the water touch the bowl).) Heat it just enough to be able to melt more chocolate into the mix, then stir and reform.
So I tried to make these but they never seem to set in the fridge. Don’t quite know what I did wrong especially since I’m an amateur in the kitchen. Ended up with red wine chocolate ‘moose’ but it tasted AMAZING so who’s complaining? ;)
Hi Ado! It sounds like a bit too much liquid was added, but regardless, I’m glad that you enjoyed the results. Red wine mousse sounds pretty divine :) Thanks for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out!
I love chocolate and wine. This wine truffle will be the perfect excuse to start happy hour right now:)
Chocolate and wine are some of the best things in life! And I say happy hour chocolates are welcome all day, any day :)
This may be a stupid question but are thesee okay for recovering alcoholics?
Hi Connie, if the person is no longer drinking alcohol, I wouldnโt recommend this recipe, because the wine doesnโt cook out of the truffles at all. To be safe, you can also ask the person his/her preference.
Would these work without the espresso powder?
Hi James, you can leave out the espresso powder if you prefer. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Recipe is very gooey and wonโt hold the ball shape. Tastes good…. but definitely not able to roll it in a ball… very disappointed
I see others had that problem… so I was EXACT with my measurements. Didnโt help….
Hi Amy, I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with this recipe. I have not had this issue before, and it’s so hard to say what might’ve happened without being in the kitchen with you. I know it’s frustrating to try a recipe and not have it turn out, so I really wish you would’ve enjoyed it!
How long do these stay good? Can I freeze extras?
Hi Cassie! I’ve not tried freezing these myself, but from what I can find online, it seems like it would be fine. I’d recommend consuming them within 3 days for the best wine flavor. I hope this helps!