Easy Chocolate Truffles: The Origin Story

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a true omnivore. Seriously, I eat almost anything! I am not a strict vegetarian or vegan. And I definitely do not pretend to be. But, believe me, no one….I mean NO ONE….will be able to tell that these are vegan chocolate truffles. These easy chocolate truffles are so decadent, rich, and creamy, that everyone will assume that they are loaded with heavy cream.

So let me ask you this: if you can eat make delicious homemade chocolate truffles and still help the planet by not consuming animal products, wouldn’t you?

Now if you feel really strongly about it, please go ahead and use heavy cream instead of coconut cream. They will be delicious either way.

I think that I made these truffles vegan because I was lazy one day and didn’t want to run to the store for cream. I am generally not a huge milk or cream consumer. But I remember wanting to make truffles for some friends. And all I had at home was coconut cream. I always have a box or two lying around for Thai curries. Since I was too lazy to run to the grocery store, I decided to just go with it. And thus, was born my vegan chocolate truffle!

Do home-made truffles need to be refrigerated?

Yes! Especially if they have diary in them! Store-bought truffles most likely have preservatives in them or contain tons of corn syrup, which is why they are shelf-stable. But if you are making them at home, you should be refrigerating them.

Chocolate Truffle Fillings

• Dried fruits: cherries, strawberries, raspberries
• Nut butters: peanut, almond, cashews
• Home-made caramel and nougat
• Flavored liqueurs: vanilla extract, rum, almond extract
• If you’re feeling spicy: chile powder, curry powder

Chocolate Truffle Toppings

• Nuts (topping): toasted almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews
• Melted chocolate
• Cacao powder
• Flaked salt

How to Roll Truffles in Melted Chocolate

1. Make your ganache: heat coconut cream to just before boiling temperature. Then pour in an equal amount of chopped dark chocolate. Allow to sit to allow chocolate to melt.
2. Once chocolate is melted, mix thoroughly into coconut cream to incorporate evenly.
3. Freeze your truffle ganache mix until firm.
4. Using a melon baller, scoop small balls of chocolate ganache.
5. Freeze the ganache balls again for 5-10 minutes.
6. Quickly roll the balls with your hands until they are round and even.
7. Freeze the balls again.
8. Melt chocolate for your outer coat.
9. Temper the melted chocolate by mixing it around after melted.
10. Once melted chocolate has an increased glisten, take your frozen ganache balls out.
11. Using 2 spoons, dip the balls in the melted chocolate. Roll around until evenly coated.
12. Allow excess melted chocolate to drip off.
13. Place dipped chocolate truffles onto a lined baking sheet and let sit in the refrigerator to set.

Best Chocolate for Making Truffles

Trader Joe’s Pound Plus 75% Dark Chocolate

Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate

Please no Hershey’s! It’s really subpar chocolate with mostly sugar and milk. Yuck! Your tastebuds and body deserve better.

Other Sweet Treats

Fresh Peach Crisp
Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

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Easy Chocolate Truffles

Irresistable Easy Chocolate Truffles

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword best chocolate truffles, chocolate truffles, easy chocolate truffles

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 24 truffles

Ingredients

• 1 cup 75% dark chocolate
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1 tsp almond extract

Topping Options

• 1 cup toasted almonds finely chopped
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1 cup dark chocolate
• 1/2 tsp flaked salt

Instructions

Ganache Balls

• Make your ganache: heat coconut cream to just before boiling temperature. Then pour in an equal amount of chopped dark chocolate. Allow to sit to allow chocolate to melt.
• Once chocolate is melted, mix thoroughly into coconut cream to incorporate evenly.
• Freeze your truffle ganache mix until firm.
• Using a melon baller, scoop small balls of chocolate ganache.
• Freeze the ganache balls again for 5-10 minutes.
• Quickly roll the balls with your hands until they are round and even.
• Freeze the balls again.

Rolling truffles in cacao

• Roll formed truffle balls into cacao powder until they are completely coated with cacao.

Rolling truffles in chopped nuts

• Roast nuts at 350 degrees Farenheit for 20 minutes. When they have cooled, chop them finely.
• Roll truffles into chopped nuts, pressing nuts into the truffles until they are completely covered in chopped nuts.

Dipping truffles in melted chocolate

• Microwave dark chocolate 30 seconds at a time until it just begins to melt.
• Mix chocolate around with a spoon for 3-5 minutes to temper and cool chocolate.
• When melted chocolate begins to glisten, start dipping truffles into the chocolate using 2 spoons. Make sure that all surfaces are covered in a thin coat of melted chocolate.
• Drip off excess chocolate and then set on a lined baking sheet. Top with a small pinch of flaked sea salt.
• Once the chocolates are all dipped, place into the refrigerator to set. Truffles are ready to eat once they are set. Leave them at room temperature at least 15 minutes before eating.

If you are like me, then you sometimes struggle to maintain your weight. Your love for food is over-powering. And it is so hard to say no to anything. Especially sweets and desserts. Enter the strawberry coconut chia seed pudding. Delicious, nutritious, and sweet without breaking your sugar calorie bank!

Even though we see lots of dessert posts on social media and food magazines, it is misleading because we really shouldn’t be having dessert every day.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. It’s just reality, y’all. Many of my nursing home patients have diabetes and continue to eat dessert almost every meal. This habit is pretty hard to escape in the US. And there are some pretty dire health consequences.

If there’s something I learned from studying public health policy, it’s that food companies are often not our friends. I get it: they need to sell their products. Unfortunately for you and me, that means they lure us in with luscious looking ice cream, cakes, and pies. Which means more money in the corporations’ pockets and more inches on our waistline.

Don’t swear off chocolate cake forever, but find ways to satisfy your sweet tooth without over-indulging all the time.

So what can you have instead?

Fruit!

Yogurt! And lots of it! Especially if you flavor it yourself and give yourself better control over how much sugar is in it.

Did you know that 1 serving of commercially prepared fruit-flavored yogurt can have as much sugar as your daily recommended sugar intake? For my full rant on that, please see my post on pina colada yogurt parfait.

Yeah…not good.

How Much Sugar To Add?

Try to add just enough sugar so that you start to taste some sweetness and feel satisfied. Any sugar added after that is not necessary. Plus it will be harmful to your health. Try 1 tsp at a time to see if it is sweet enough for you.

This recipe for strawberry coconut chia pudding has less than 5g of added sugar per serving. That’s a whole lot better than commercially made fruit-flavored yogurts that have anywhere between 12g – 29g of sugar per container.

What brand of yogurt should I use?

How long do I soak chia seeds?

At least 30 minutes, in my experience. Under-soaked chia seeds are very crunchy and unpleasant to eat.

What is oat milk?

A “milk” made by soaking oatmeal in water. It’s magical!

In my option, oat milk tastes better than any nut milk I’ve ever had. It is an amazing substitute for milk.

If you have sensitivities to milk, then oat milk is a must!

What kinds of fruit should I use?

I chose strawberries and coconut, but you can use whatever fruit you’d like. Fresh mangoes, cherries, raspberries, blueberries. You do you!

Price Comparison

If you order a yogurt parfait at a restaurant it will cost you $7-8 in the Los Angeles area. What did I spend to make 2 servings of this yogurt parfait? Yogurt ($1), strawberries ($.50), dried coconut ($.25), coconut milk ($.10), honey ($.10), oat milk ($.10)

Restaurant ($7-8) vs. Home-made ($1.03)

If you buy a yogurt parfait at a restaurant, you are paying 7x-8x the price! For the sake of your wallet and your health, try making it on your own. The best part is you can choose the freshest, tastiest fruit. You can also control the sugar, which is essential for a healthy life.

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Strawberry Coconut Chia Pudding

A lightly sweet healthy dessert or breakfast. Creamy and refreshing.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chia pudding, coconut chia pudding, strawberry chia pudding

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Soak Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 1/4 c oat milk unsweetened
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 c full fat yogurt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 fresh strawberries pureed
• 1 tbsp coconut flakes unsweetened

Instructions

• Puree strawberries.
• Add strawberry puree with chia seeds, oat milk, honey, coconut milk, brown sugar, salt, yogurt, vanilla extract, and coconut flake.
• Mix well until honey and sugar are dissolved completely.
• Allow to sit in the refrigerator 1 hour-overnight.

Tag me on Instagram @jennskitchendiary if you made this! Would love to see your variations!

Pina Colada Yogurt for Dessert

Desserts! Er…I mean yogurt for breakfast! Let’s be honest, I have been craving cakes, desserts, and ice cream like mad lately because of my new healthy habits. Since they are not a regular part of my diet, I cannot justify having ice cream for breakfast. But luckily, I CAN have this pina colada yogurt for breakfast and it is every bit as satisfying, rich, and creamy as ice cream is.

Overcome the Lies-Stick with Plain Full Fat Yogurt

The trick to a delicious yogurt parfait is using full fat yogurt. Oh-my-goodness! I feel like I have been lied to all my life by yogurt companies and their low-fat or non-fat corn-syrup-laden grossness. I have now completely boycotted flavored yogurts and now I will never turn back. Flavored yogurts are often filled with way too much sugar and lots of unnatural ingredients that I cannot pronounce.

Another bone I want to pick with the dairy industry is: why do you keep making everything low-fat or fat-free? We know you just fill all that emptiness with sugar instead. I have discovered full fat plain yogurt and I am NEVER going back. My goodness, the rich delicious flavor and mouth-feel are incomparable to any fat-free yogurt I’ve ever had to eat. The great news is that this delicious base becomes the canvas on which you can paint using the full palette of natural seasonings and fruits available, from vanilla extract to brown sugar, honey, and fruit. The world is your oyster. I decided to go with a pina colada yogurt, but I definitely encourage you to be creative!

The Beauty of Home-Made Fruit Flavored Yogurt

It is through this re-awakening of my love of yogurt that has inspired this pina colada yogurt parfait. It can be your breakfast, but seriously it makes a mean dessert if you are trying to avoid ice cream. If you’re feeling more decadent, check out my recipe for fresh peach crisp. Hope you give it a try and enjoy this easy yet delicious recipe!

The amazing thing is-you can make your own fruit flavored yogurt for a fraction of the sugar and calories, and it will taste even MORE delicious than that pre-packaged stuff we are tricked into purchasing.

Here’s something that I learned through my cooking experiments with sweets- there is a point at which we reach a sweet spot of tasting sweetness in our food. After that point, even if you add more sugar, it does not necessarily increase your satisfaction or even pleasure with the sweetness. Instead, it becomes overly sweet.

How Much Sugar To Add?

Unfortunately, many of us have had our taste buds trained by the food industry to crave overly sweet foods. But don’t take my word for it. Give it a try yourself and sweeten your own foods to your liking and see if you can taste the difference.

What brand of yogurt should I use?

Making pina colada yogurt ahead of time?

If you are making this yogurt parfait ahead of time, make sure to omit the pineapple until you serve. I’ve noticed that the pineapple emits bitterness throughout the yogurt when it is soaked in it for too long.

Can I use bottled lime juice?

Always choose fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juice when you can, especially if you do not plan to heat up/cook your dish. You can really tell the difference in terms of freshness of flavor.

Bottled juices are probably fine for marinades since there are many other flavors and you will be cooking the flavor out, but nothing can replace the zesty bite of freshly squeezed citrus!

Price Comparison

If you order a yogurt parfait at a restaurant it will cost you $7-8 in the Los Angeles area. What did I spend to make 2 servings of this yogurt parfait? Yogurt ($1), pineapple ($.50), dried coconut ($.25), honey ($.25).

Restaurant ($7-8) vs. Home-made ($1)

The mark-up on prepared yogurt parfaits is very steep. So, I would highly recommend preparing your own yogurt parfaits at home and spend more time eating in. The great part about it is that you can better control the amount of sugar as well. Given health issues and the increase in diabetes worldwide, it is important to have more control over our sugar consumption.

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Pina Colada Yogurt

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword breakfast, easy brunch food, healthy dessert, pina colada yogurt recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup full fat plain yogurt
• ½ cup chopped pineapple frozen or fresh
• 1 tbsp honey or brown sugar
• 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 tsp of fresh lime zest
• 1 tsp lime juice

Instructions

• Zest lime and squeeze out juice. Place into yogurt along with pineapple, honey/brown sugar, and shredded coconut.
• Mix ingredients together and serve immediately! It’s that easy!
• Adjust honey and brown sugar to taste. Or substitute with 1/2 tsp of Stevia for a healthier yogurt dish.

Tag me on Instagram @jennskitchendiary if you made this! Would love to see your variations!

Apparently it is National Ice Cream Month! So in that spirit, I’ve got a delicious fresh peach crisp recipe for you, which pairs really nicely with vanilla ice cream. What’s even better is that this recipe is a peach crisp with oats. Makes it healthy, right?

Topping for a peach crisp should be crunchy, crispy, and buttery. A peach crisp is different from a peach cobbler because it has oats in the topping. The perfect balance of the fresh peach’s aroma and the warming spices used will get your mouth watering.

Making a peach crisp from scratch is one of the best ways to celebrate summer fruit. This tastes even better when you use fresh peaces.

Peaches and nectarines are so sweet and delicious. Their sweet fragrance, slight sour bite, and luscious juicy texture make me weak in the knees.

You can make this recipe for peach crisp right in time before summer ends.

Looking for another summer dessert? Check out my recipe for pina colada yogurt parfait.

The Case for Easy Desserts

You are probably a busy person, so easy desserts are probably the way to go for you! Make this peach crisp recipe and you won’t be sorry!

Making a fruit crisp is much more forgiving than other desserts, which is why it is one of my go-to recipes for a dessert fit for entertaining. I made this peach crisp recipe with oats for the added crunch. And it is the best peach crisp recipe that I’ve tried.

Price Comparison

I had a fruit crisp at a nice restaurant recently and it cost $12 for a 1-person serving. And from what I remember, it wasn’t all the great. Let’s see how much I spent on this recipe: 6 peaches ($4), oats ($.50), 1 stick butter ($1), spices ($.30), brown sugar ($.50), lemon ($.50).

Restaurant ($12) vs. Homemade ($1.13). That’s a whopping price difference. No wonder they say desserts are the big money makers of restaurants.

FAQs:

How to make a crispy peach crumble?

Deconstruct it! If you prepare the fruit separately from the crispy topping, you will be in business. Just like the famed Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, you probably dislike soggy textures for baked goods. Which is why this peach crisp or peach crumble is a deconstructed one.

I recommend combining the crispy topping with the fruit only when serving it. Otherwise, keep them separate. No matter what baking techniques you use to try to drain the liquid from the peaches, the fact of the matter is: you will always have sogginess when liquid comes into contact with a pastry/crisp. It’s science. Separate them for best results.

Should I use canned or fresh peaches for peach crisp?

If peaches are in season, definitely choose fresh peaches for both flavor and texture. Making a fresh peach crisp from scratch is a heavenly treat for yourself.

Pitting and coring fresh peaches is a bit annoying, but it is all worth it in the end.

Canned peaches often have a lot of added sugars and have a softer texture. If you then add your own sugar, then the peach crisp will end up overly sweet and soggy.

How to reduce sugar in baking?

When following most baking recipes, you can try to cut the recommended amount of sugar to only 1/4 – 1/2 of what they are suggesting. I find that most baking recipes are way too sweet.

Another tip is to use brown sugar. It provides so much more richness and flavor than white sugar. That way, you can use less of it, but still taste the deliciousness in your baked goods/desserts.

Lastly, add a pinch of salt to your sweets. It will create a more complete and rich flavor profile, highlighting the sweet flavor without adding extra sugar.

What are some other fruit crisp ideas?

Apples, berries, plums, cherries can be substituted for the peaches in this recipe.

Use less cinnamon if you choose to make a fruit crisp using a berry. Cinnamon does not play as well with berries as it does with apples or peaches. I would recommend using more vanilla extract and omit the cinnamon from the fruit mixture. It should be fine in the crispy topping.

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Crispiest Spiced Peach Crisp

An easy peach crisp recipe with fresh peaches, and crispy buttery oat topping. Perfect with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword dessert, easy dessert, peach crisp

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Author jennifer.ho.1987

Ingredients

• 6 peaches peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 juice of lemon
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup oats
• ¾ cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpking pie spice
• ½ cup butter cut into cubes, cold
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 pinch of salt to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare crispy topping separately from peaches. Mix together oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar until they are well-combined.
• Using a pastry cutter, mix butter into flour and oat mixture. Make sure your butter is cold. Continue to cut butter into mixture until the texture resembles small peas.
• Place oat mixture onto a lined baking sheet and spread onto baking sheet in an even layer. Allow to bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
• While crispy topping is baking, prepare peach mixture. Add peaches, cinnamon, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and brown sugar into a large sauce pan. Turn fire on medium and allow peaches to cook down. Toss gently every few minutes for even cooking. Cook about 10-15 minutes, and then cover with lid, turn off the fire, and allow peaches to sit for at least 10 minutes. This will prevent the peaches from overcooking.
• Check on crispy topping in the oven. If baking is uneven, break the crust into smaller pieces and rotate around the pan. Place back into the oven, rotating to ensure even baking.
• When crispy topping is done, remove from oven and allow to cool.
• When ready to serve, scoop a spoonful of simmered peaches and top with crispy oat topping, and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Happy cooking! Tag me on Instagram @jennskitchendiary if you’ve made this dish! Would love to see how it turned out.