As you bite into the truffle, you’ll experience a thin crack, smooth filling as well as a zing of berries. For a melt-in-your mouth moment, serve truffles at room temperature. 

Chocolate raspberry truffles

Makes 12 

Ingredients

For the berry compote: 

1 cup (200g) frozen raspberries
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar

For the truffle mixture

300g dark chocolate
2 Tbsp (30g) butter
½ tsp (2.5ml) vanilla essence
⅗ cup (150ml) cream
½ tsp (2.5ml) flaky salt

For the coating

150g dark chocolate
2 tsp (10ml) coconut oil
Handful freeze-dried strawberries + torn raspberries, for garnish (optional)

Method

1. Add compote ingredients to a pot over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring. Reduce for 15 minutes until the mixture has turned from a thin juice into a thickened, jammy consistency. Remove and set aside to cool. 
2. Pour the compote into a resealable plastic bag and lay flat to freeze for 2 hours.
3.  Chop chocolate evenly and finely. Place in a bowl with the butter and vanilla. 
4.  Heat cream until scalding hot. Pour over chocolate and set aside for 5 minutes to melt.
5.  Whisk to bring together into a smooth ganache (if there are chunks remaining, microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until completely melted). Stir through the salt. 
6.  Refrigerate mixture for about 1 hour to thicken into a scoopable consistency.
7.  Once firm, scoop 2 Tbsp of mixture into your hand, then use your thumb to make a hollow ball shape.
8.  Remove compote and spoon ¼ – ½ tsp into the hollow of the chocolate, then gently fold chocolate over to seal. Refrigerate to chill. Repeat with remaining truffles, working in batches, to make 12. 
9.  Once chilled, lightly roll each truffle between your palms to smooth over. Chill all for another 30 minutes.
10.  To coat, melt together chocolate and coconut oil.Arrange a lined baking tray.
11.  Place a truffle on a fork, dip in chocolate and allow excess to drip off. Place on baking paper and remove utensil. Repeat with remaining truffles.
12.  Once hardened, add a drizzle of any leftover chocolate to the tops of each truffle.
13.  Before the drizzle hardens, sprinkle crushed freeze-dried strawberries and torn raspberries over the truffles.

Cook’s tip:

Instead of making a compote from scratch, spoon small blobs of store-bought berry jam into a container and freeze or fill with a frozen raspberry for less mess.  

Recipes & styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg 
Photography: Zhann Solomons 

Also read: Microwave magic: Gooey peanut butter & chocolate cups