These make incredible holiday gifts.
Though we're all about impressive pies and cakes, sometimes all you need is a miniature sweet treat. Enter: truffles (not to be confused with the mushrooms by the same name). No, we’re talking about the delicious, round, two-bite beautiful balls of chocolate-y goodness often found tucked into foil in fancy chocolate boxes. What if we told you they’re actually crazy simple to make on your own? We like to keep a stash for ourselves as snacks, give some out as holiday gifts, serve them as simple, upscale after-dinner desserts… they’re kind of a great all-around sweet. Check out our 30 dessert truffle recipes for flavor ideas—we’ve taken them way beyond just milk chocolate.
At their simplest, truffles are simply rolled balls of chocolate ganache, dipped into chocolate, then decorated. There are many origin stories for ganache (“fool/foolish” in French), but the one we like best is the one about the chocolatier’s assistant who accidentally dropped heavy cream into a bowl of chocolate. His head chef called him a fool, Gordon Ramsay-idiot-sandwich-style, and history was made. You can keep things simple and stick with the classic combination of milk chocolate on milk chocolate, or swap in dark or white for a twist. You can also add different flavors, like our tiramisu truffles, our orange creamsicle truffles, or our Baileys truffles. Keep in mind you can always get creative with your decorations too—look to our Brazilian brigadeiros recipe for a variety of ideas.
Ganache is super simple, but we’d understand if you don’t want to deal with heating milk, making sure your ganache is the right consistency, the whole shebang… Try one of our cheat truffle recipes instead! They come out tasting somewhere between between a cookie crust and a cake pop, and we. are. here. for. it. Our most popular version is a Oreo truffle made of cream cheese, Oreos, and vanilla, rolled into balls and dipped in melted chocolate. From there, you can branch out and use different cookies, like the graham crackers in our s’mores cookie dough truffles or pumpkin truffles, or the golden Oreos in our piña colada truffles or our strawberry shortcake truffles. Try out your own combinations, and have fun with it!
Want more classic dessert ideas? Check out our favorite cookies, brownies, and dessert bars too.
1
Baileys Truffles
White and semisweet chocolate chips make these extra decadent! Our favorite part about them? They taste just like all our favorite Baileys co*cktails, but you can eat more than one.
Get the Baileys Truffles recipe.
2
Oreo Truffles
Raid the cookie and candy aisles to jazz these up—a bit of crushed candy or changing up the variety of Oreo can add a fun boost of flavor and color to your truffles. Make sure to save a little extra too, so you can top each truffle with some crumbs.
Get the Oreo Truffles recipe.
3
Eggnog Truffles
If you love eggnog (or even if you don't!), this recipe is for you. Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cream wrapped in white chocolate—what could be better?
Get the Eggnog Truffles recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
4
Orange Creamsicle Truffles
Since we made this insane creamsicle cheesecake, we've been kind of obsessed with the combo of oranges and cream. We're back at it with these super easy (5-ingredient!) truffles. Pro tip: They tend to lose their shape a bit at room temperature, so store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.
Get the Orange Creamsicle Truffles recipe.
5
Tiramisu Truffles
Craving a sweet pick-me-up at the end of a meal? These tiramisu truffles are for you. Luscious espresso and mascarpone white chocolate ganache is coated in a crisp chocolate shell for a dreamy bite-sized dessert that’s sure to delight every coffee lover.
Get the Tiramisu Truffles recipe.
6
Gingerbread Truffles
Truffles are the ultimate one-bite wonder, and these gingerbread ones have a delightful touch of holiday magic in each bite. Bonus: They’re rolled in crushed gingersnaps for a zippy ginger bite and a pleasingly crunchy texture.
Get the Gingerbread Truffles recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
7
Buckeyes
Loaded with peanut butter and dipped in melted chocolatec, these buckeyes are basically a homemade Reese’s peanut butter cup in truffle form.
Get the Buckeyes recipe.
8
Peanut Butter Snowballs
These holiday treats coat peanut butter balls in sweet melted white chocolate, before being decorated with festive holiday sprinkles. Bite-sized and too adorable, this easy dessert is a perfect last-minute addition to your holiday spread, or as the sweetest homemade food gift for any PB + chocolate lovers in your life.
Get the Peanut Butter Snowballs recipe.
9
S'mores Cookie-Dough Truffles
These easy edible-cookie-dough truffles are the perfect no-bake summer treat. Eggless, and using graham crackers instead of flour, they're both safe to eat and extremely delicious.
Get the S'mores Cookie-Dough Truffles recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
10
Bourbon Balls
If you’re looking for a boozy treat to get the party started, these bourbon balls are calling your name. Made with finely chopped pecans, crushed vanilla wafer cookies, and of course, bourbon, these no-bake cookie truffles highlight the flavor of the bourbon while taming its typical burn.
Get the Bourbon Balls recipe.
11
Strawberry Shortcake Truffles
Freeze-dried strawberries add the perfect pop of red here. Don't like white chocolate? Swap for dark or semisweet instead.
Get the Strawberry Shortcake Truffles recipe.
12
Sugar Cookie Truffles
Got an excess of holiday sugar cookies? This is the BEST way to use them, even if they're iced. If you don't have extra sugar cookies, bake some off! The easiest route is to buy store-bought cookie dough, but if you have a recipe you love, go for it. The truffles will be even better for it.
Get the Sugar Cookie Truffles recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
13
Keto Chocolate Truffles
These keto truffles are surprisingly decadent. The secret ingredient? Avocados!
Get the Keto Chocolate Truffles recipe.
14
Piña Colada Truffles
Can't decide between an after dinner co*cktail or dessert? These easy truffles are the best of both worlds. They taste just like your favorite piña colada and are the perfect way to end a summer evening.
Get the Piña Colada Truffles recipe.
15
Brigadeiros
Many a Brazilian birthday party has a dessert table that features these traditional fudgy, sprinkle-covered truffles, and it's pretty clear why. They’re delicious, adorable, and will disappear in seconds!
Get the Brigadeiros recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
16
Samoa Truffles
Move aside Thin Mints, Samoas (or Caramel deLites) are our favorite for turning into truffles. These can satisfy all your Girl Scout Cookie cravings, even outside of cookie season.
Get the Samoa Truffles recipe.
17
Pumpkin Truffles
Oh my gourd, these are are good. They taste just like pumpkin pie, thanks to pumpkin puree, graham cracker crumbs, and pumpkin pie spice. Want to switch things up? Try swapping in gingersnaps instead!
Get the Pumpkin Truffles recipe.
18
Monster Truffles
These scary cute no-bake monsters are essentially Oreo truffles all dressed up for Halloween. The base is the same—crushed Oreos and cream cheese—but we've added our favorite candies to the mix too. As far as the coating goes, we like to dye melted white chocolate green, but candy melts would work equally well. There is, however, no substitute for the candy eyeballs. 😉
Get the Monster Truffles recipe.
Advertisem*nt - Continue Reading Below
19
Easter Egg Oreo Truffles
You could dye your eggs using really cool natural colors or even make eggs out of Jell-O. Or you could win Easter and make these Oreo truffles. Decorate them however you want for the cutest eggs at the table!
Get the Easter Egg Oreo Truffles recipe.
20
Pink Champagne Truffles
Just like our champagne cupcakes, these pretty truffles start with the coolest cake mix hack. You whisk champagne (or sparkling wine) into the batter. Don't worry, not all the booze bakes off—there's also a little bubbly in the frosting.
Get the Pink Champagne Truffles recipe.
