This is probably the recipe I get most excited about at Christmas. A trio of Vegan Christmas Chocolate Truffles with Orange, Vanilla & Pecan flavours is just so beautiful, indulgent and tastes divine. It makes the perfect last minute gift for loved ones - and you can of course insist they share them with you!
I adore chocolate truffles, and making these is so much fun; you get to feel like a proper chocolatier! They are also very easy to make. My family and I have a long history and tradition of eating delicious chocolate truffles in bed on birthdays and Christmas, and this Christmas will be no different!
I started making chocolate truffles before I was vegan, which were just delicious. Then when both I and my family went vegan, I decided to just make these truffles vegan.
This recipe uses a basic mix for chocolate truffles of just dark chocolate, full fat coconut milk and coconut oil. What’s great is that it doesn’t taste of coconut - it just tastes of pure yummy creamy chocolate. The coconut milk also gives it a milky creamy taste, so they are lovely and soft to bite in to. If you wanted to make white chocolate truffles, you could replace the dark chocolate with white chocolate.
What’s fun about making these is that you can play around with flavours and get creative. I got the idea for the vanilla truffles as it was one of my favourite chocolates from a British non-vegan chocolatier, and I was determined to replicate it. And now it is easy to get vegan white chocolate from mainstream supermarkets.
I chose Chocolate Orange as a flavour because, well, who doesn’t love chocolate orange? Especially around Christmas! Then I thought, let’s have a chocolate orange one with pecans in. Chocolate, orange and pecan go so well together, and I love the crunch of the nuts with the smooth and silky truffle.
These truffles will last at least 2 weeks in the fridge, and you can freeze them for another occasion. However, they will probably just get eaten too quickly by family and friend for you to have the chance!
Trio of Christmas Vegan Chocolate truffles
Ingredients
Basic Truffle Mix
- 300 g dark chocolate, chopped (2 cups)
- 50 g coconut oil (¼ cup)
- 400 ml full fat coconut milk (1 ⅔ cups, or a standard tin)
For Chocolate Orange Truffles
- ½ tsp orange essence
- 200 g dark chocolate, chopped (for covering the truffles) (1 ⅓ cups)
- Candied orange thinly sliced, for decorating
For Chocolate Orange Pecan Truffles
- ½ tsp orange essence
- 40 g pecans very finely chopped (⅓ cup)
- 200 g dark chocolate (1 ⅓ cups) (for covering the truffles) (1 ⅓ cups)
- Candied orange thinly sliced, for decorating
- Extra pecans cut into small slices, for decorating
For Vanilla White Chocolate truffles
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 200 g vegan white chocolate for covering the truffles (available from Sainsbury’s Free From section or other mainstream supermarkets) (1 ⅓ cups)
- Extra white chocolate shaved or grated (for decorating)
Instructions
To make the truffle mixture
- To make the basic truffle mix, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a glass dish over boiling water.
- Remove dish from the heat and whisk in the coconut milk.
- Divide the mixture into 3 bowls, one for each of the flavours of truffle.
- For the chocolate orange truffles add the orange essence. Mix well.
- For the chocolate orange and pecan truffles add orange essence and finely chopped pecans. Mix well.
- For the vanilla truffles, add the vanilla essence.
- Put all three bowls in the fridge for at least 5 hours to fully firm up.
- After the truffle mixes are firm, use a teaspoon to spoon out mixture and roll in your hands to make small balls, about half the size of golf balls.
- Set out the truffles on trays covered in baking parchment, making sure you know which flavour is which. Once you have done this, put them all in the freezer for at least 3 hours (this stops them melting when dipped in chocolate).
Covering the truffles in chocolate and decorating
- In a glass bowl over boiling water, melt chocolate to cover the truffles in.
- For the orange truffles, or orange and pecan truffles, melt the dark chocolate. For the vanilla truffles, melt white chocolate.
- Using a fork (or a specialised chocolate dipping tool - you can get these cheaply online) dip the frozen truffles one by one into the melted chocolate, and place on a tray covered with baking parchment.
- Immediately decorate each truffle, while the chocolate is still melted. For the orange chocolates, put two thin slices of candied orange across the top. For orange and pecan chocolates put one slice of candied orange and one slice of pecan across the top. For vanilla truffles, sprinkle with grated white chocolate.
- Put all covered and decorated truffles in the fridge for an hour or so to set. Then they can be served.
- The truffles will last in the fridge for around 2 weeks, if not longer. They can also be frozen.
So delicious and beautiful to look at. Well worth the effort. Each step needs to be carefully followed for perfect results. Dipping the truffles in chocolate takes a little skill but is soon mastered, and the contrast of a chocolate shell with soft truffle is amazing. So good.