Chocolate Earl Grey Truffles

These were rich, subtle and absolutely delicious--the tea goes very well with the bitterness of the chocolate for a sophisticated treat. They're definitely labor-intensive, but the product is well worth the effort. I followed the suggestion of another reviewer and dipped them in good milk chocolate to give them a hard coating before rolling them in cocoa. (I popped the ganache balls back in the fridge for 30 minutes to help them firm up before the dipping step.) Afterwards, I was able to keep them at room temperature without them softening.

• sitagaki

• 12/20/2015

I thought these were really fun to make! I made these for a wedding along with earl grey cupcakes with bittersweet lavender ganache. It was perfect!!

• knoelle

• 波特兰,或

• 8/7/2012

I've been meaning to try making truffles, and this seemed like a perfect recipe to try, as I've recently come to love using teas for flavoring in dessert. Of course, I did make changes (some out of necessity, some just because). First, I had to use bagged tea (Twinning's) since I have no loose leaf and no place to get it. I ended up using 6 teabags, and enhancing that citrus flavor by incorporating cardamom seeds (about 4 pods worth). I let it steep for about 10 minutes, then added a splash of rum (Tattoo, for the spice/citrus notes) then put it back on the stove to simmer. Once it was at that point, I strained the mixture over the chocolate (a high-percentage cocao semi sweet). I then ground another teabag's worth of tea as fine as possible and sprinkled it into the chocolate, mixing well. At this point I also added another splash of rum. I set it in the freezer to chill. The last addition I made was grinding green chai and mixing it in with the powdered cocoa used for coating. They are delicious, and it was a pretty convenient (but messy) recipe, since all the ingredients were odds and ends I had on my shelves and in my cupboards!

• sunnyberra

• 1/18/2012

decadent and delicious!

• supperseeker

• 4/4/2011

This recipe is so easy to make. If you can melt things, you can make it. They are elegant and very impressive. I used a lavender earl grey tea and semisweet chocolate, since bittersweet was unavailable, and they came out beautifully. I do not recommend milk chocolate or tea from teabags; loose tea is better. Relax! This can be your go-to, this-will-always-impress people recipe, and it is neither expensive nor super time-consuming, as long as you plan time for the ganache to chill.

• scottiepearl

• Chicago, IL

• 12/21/2009

Instead of dropping the ganache by spoonfuls onto a tray, try squeezing hershey kiss size balls through a pastry bag with a large plain tip. Then pop them into the freezer for about 30 min. Then dip them in milk chocolate and drop them in the cocoa powder and roll them to coat. The frozen centers will cool the milk chocolate and give them that hard outer coating that won't melt when they come to room temperature. These are equally messy to make, but you won't have a mess when you serve them.

• m2jacks

• OKC

• 11/30/2009

When the chocolate is getting messy on your hands than they are too warm to work...take some ice and hold it until you feel you have cold hands...use the chocolate very cold(make the portions for balls and put them back to fridge, and than start making them into balls)...that is the only way I can go through whole bowl and shape it into balls. I know it's time consuming, but it's worth it :o) Sweet Christmas Giving :oP

• Gosia

• Tennessee

• 11/30/2009

I love Earl Grey, and I love these truffles! My only complaint is how messy, messy, messy these are to form into balls.

• Ashley1977

• 波特兰,或

• 12/17/2008

i have to say that these tasted great. it was a pain in the ... to shape into balls without having them melt and look oddly misshapen. just because of the rolling issue, i probably won't make these again.

• Anonymous

• 4/1/2008

I used specialty tea bags instead of loose tea, and they turned out great! The chocolate is so smooth and nice. The truffles are rich but not too sweet, and so easy to make. I'll definitely be making these again.

• Callirhoe

• Iowa City, IA

• 12/30/2007

I've been making truffles for over 20 years and this is my favorite recipe. Just be sure to use a fresh, good quality tea. Tea bags don't cut it. If you are going to pair them with other truffles, champagne truffles, chestnut truffles and Grand Marnier truffles make a nice assortment.

• springhop

• Tampa, FL

• 12/23/2007

An excellent flavored truffle with a sophisticated and subtle flavor. The kind and quality of tea make all the difference in the world--high quality, fresh loose tea is key. Bagged tea will likely end up bitter or lacking in flavor. Even buying loose tea at the store may not result in good flavor. If you have a tea shop in town, like I do, they are likely to have the freshest tea you will find.

• Anonymous

• Seattle, WA

• 12/18/2007

I didn't have bittersweet chocolate so used a combination of unsweetened and semisweet. This was not a successful substitution.

• Anonymous

• Seattle, WA

• 12/6/2007

These truffles tasted great - I used Valrhona dark chocolate (61%). I was afraid they wouldn't end up sweet enough, so I rolled the truffles in a mixture of cocoa powder and powdered sugar. My chief complaint was the coating completely melted into the truffles when they were brought to room temperature. Didn't affect the taste but they were rather unsightly. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to avoid this problem? I want to make this recipe again for a bridal shower I am giving, but I sure don't want them to look like last time! Plus, Valrhona is hard for me to come by, and I only have enough for one more batch!

• mw1

• columbus

• 6/27/2007

One of my favorite truffle recipes. I've often added dried lavender to the tea with fantastic results. Sometimes I replace the tea with herbs and a drop or two of citrus oil (tangerine-lavender and rosemary-lemon work well).

• sshellman

• Tampa, FL

• 4/27/2007