Baileys Chocolate Truffles
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Rich, creamy, and intensely bittersweet, these Baileys chocolate truffles are pure, all-encompassing bliss.
Rich, creamy, and bittersweet, truffles are mouthfuls of pure, all-encompassing chocolate bliss. And the beauty of them, for those of us who watch what we eat, is that they’re so intense, you really only need one to satisfy your sweet tooth. Though they look fancy, chocolate truffles are easy to make—seriously, we’re talking one bowl and a microwave! The only tricky part is rolling them because the chocolate is prone to melting from the warmth of your hands (but I have some tips below to help you master that).
“These are blissful indeed – and easy to make.”
What You’ll Need To Make Baileys Chocolate Truffles
- Heavy Cream: Provides richness and creates a smooth texture for the truffles.
- Baileys Irish Cream: Adds a creamy, slightly boozy flavor to the truffles. If you’d like to make them alcohol-free or kid-friendly, replace the Baileys with more heavy cream.
- Butter: Adds richness and helps create a creamy, luxurious mouthfeel.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate: Provides deep chocolate flavor and the main structure for the truffles. The taste of the truffles is dependent on the quality of the chocolate you start with, so be sure to use a good one. I recommend Ghiradelli.
- Cocoa Powder, Confectioners’ Sugar, Finely Chopped Nuts, Or Unsweetened Shredded Coconut: Used for coating, adding texture, variety, and additional flavor to the truffles.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
To begin, combine the heavy cream, Baileys, butter, and salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave on high power until the mixture comes to a boil, 70 to 80 seconds. Watch that it doesn’t boil over. Add the chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds to melt.
Using a whisk, stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
The mixture should be glossy and smooth. Refrigerate until completely firm, about 3 hours or overnight (to speed this chilling process up, pour the mixture into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate).
Place your coating(s) on a plate. Note that I don’t use straight confectioners’ sugar. I mix it with an equal amount of cocoa powder, as the cornstarch in confectioners’ sugar can give the truffles a slightly “off” taste. Remove the chilled truffle mixture from the refrigerator.
Using a small spoon, scoop out about 2 teaspoons of the chocolate mixture. Dust your fingertips with the cocoa powder or the confectioners’ sugar/cocoa mixture. Use your fingertips to shape into a rough ball. Quickly and gently roll in your palms to form into a smooth ball, then roll in your topping of choice. (If the chocolate starts to melt from the warmth of your palms, drop the truffle into the cocoa or confectioners sugar/cocoa mixture and lightly coat, then continue rolling.)
Place the truffles in a single layer on a plate or in a storage container, cover, and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving (and keep in mind that they’ll get too soft if left out at room temperature for too long). The truffles will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
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Baileys Chocolate Truffles
Rich, creamy, and intensely bittersweet, these Baileys chocolate truffles are pure, all-encompassing bliss.
Ingredients
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream (okay to substitute heavy cream)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Pinch salt
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, best quality such as Ghiradelli, chopped
- Cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed), confectioners' sugar, finely chopped nuts, or unsweetened shredded coconut, for coating (See Tip)
Instructions
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the heavy cream, Baileys, butter and salt. Microwave on high power until the mixture comes to a boil, 70 to 80 seconds. Watch that it doesn't boil over. Add the chocolate and let sit for about 30 seconds to melt. Using a whisk, stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is glossy and smooth. Refrigerate until completely firm, about 3 hours or overnight (to speed this chilling process up, pour the mixture into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate).
- Place your coating(s) on a plate. Remove the chilled truffle mixture from the refrigerator. If you've had the mixture in the fridge for longer than 3 hours, you may need to let it sit out at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes so it's malleable enough to work with.
- Using a small spoon, scoop out about 2 teaspoons of the chocolate mixture. Dust your fingertips with the cocoa powder or the confectioners' sugar/cocoa mixture. Use your fingertips to shape into a rough ball. Quickly and gently roll in your palms to form into a smooth ball, then roll in your topping of choice. (If the chocolate starts to melt from the warmth of your palms, drop the truffle into the cocoa or confectioners' sugar/cocoa mixture and lightly coat, then continue rolling. You may need to wash your hands in cold water from time to time.) Place the truffles in a single layer on a plate or in a storage container, cover, and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before serving (keep in mind that they'll get too soft if left out at room temperature for too long). The truffles will keep for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen for up to two months.
- Tip: If using confectioners' sugar for coating your truffles, mix it with an equal amount of cocoa powder for best results. When used alone, the cornstarch in confectioners' sugar can give the truffles a slightly "off" taste.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (1 truffle (does not include coating) servings)
- Calories: 57
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 5 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Sodium: 7 mg
- Cholesterol: 13 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Can I use milk chocolate instead?
Sorry, Immy – milk chocolate won’t work here.
Perfect truffles to make ahead and have on hand for the Holidays. Thanks Jenn. Fingers crossed that my husband remembered to order your cookbook for Christmas for me.
Jen, could you use Ghirardelli’s semi-sweet chips instead of the solid chocolate? Thanks.
Hi Carla, I’d recommend sticking with the solid chocolate here – chocolate chips are made with stabilizers to help them retain their shape when heated, so they’re not the best option for this. Sorry!
Jenn, Believe it or not ,I do not have a microwave. Can I make it on top of the stove with a double boiler or non stick sauce pan? Thanks!! Vicki, New Hope, Pa.
Sure, Vicki – a double boiler is ideal.
I’m in Australia & having a hard time finding semi sweet chocolate? What do you recommend I buy?
Hi Tracy, I wonder if semi-sweet chocolate is just referred to with a different name? That said, you’re essentially looking for a chocolate that indicates on the package that it contains between 60 and 70 percent cacao. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn,
I let my mixture sit in the fridge overnight and just finished rolling them. These were a joy to make and taste wonderful too! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Jen,
How do you think these would be with crushed graham crackers either mixed in or coated with?
Thank you!
Lisa
Hi Lisa, I think these would be tasty coated with graham cracker crumbs! Please LMK how they turn out. 🙂
Hi Lisa, I think they would be really good coated with the crumbs. 🙂
I tried these twice now, and they never hardened…..same issue as other writer. How are some folks finding them perfect, and some having it not work at all?
Sorry to hear you had a problem with these, Brenda! Did you make any changes to the recipe?
Hi Jenn,
I just tried making these today. It was difficult for me to roll it to ball. I took it out from the freezer and try rolling it using my fingers but it quickly turned mush making it very challenging to shape it to ball. Is there any trick that i can use to better handle this? Could it be because I heated the butter and cream for less than a minute?
I added orange extract and it was delicious. Was wondering if i can add hazelnut extract?
Hi Siti, Sorry you had a problem with these getting mushy as you tried to roll them. If you try them again and the chocolate starts to melt as you roll the truffle, drop it into the cocoa or confectioners sugar/cocoa mixture and lightly coat, then continue rolling.) And yes, you could add a tiny bit of hazelnut extract – just keep in mind that a little goes a long way. 🙂
Hi jenn!
Just trying this recipe out like right now. My mixture is currently resting in the fridge! I was wondering if these could be dipped into only chocolate to get a crackly chocolate shell on the outside instead of rolling in the toppings?
Thanks in advance!
Sure, Vanita – that will work. 🙂
I allowed these to set in the fridge overnight (i used callebaut couverture chocolate) but these didnt set up as expected. When i tried to make the truffles they ended up like chocolate mush. And ive followed the recipe to the T. What went wrong?
Hi Vanita, Did you by chance use milk chocolate as opposed to semisweet?
Hi jen, No they were dark callets.. 54. 5% cocoa. Still unsure what went wrong.
Hi Vanita, that’s a bit of a head-scratcher as the proportions I use in the recipe are pretty standard. Some recipes use more cream which can create challenges with them setting but that shouldn’t be the case here. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Hi Vanita, did you weigh the Callebaut or did you use a cup (volume)? Asking because 1 cup of Callebaut does not weigh the same as 1 cup of other chocolates.
Hi Vanita – this is how I’m used to eating them from upscale restaurants and candy stores. Can you tell me what chocolate you used to coat them? And any other tips you can provide. I would LOVE to make Gran Marnier truffles in addition to the Baily’s truffles.
Can you add an orange liqueur? How much? More cream needed? What about other flavored liqueur?
Sure, I’d probably use 1 tablespoon orange liqueur plus 1 tablespoon more cream. And I’d use that same formula for other flavored liqueurs. Hope that helps!