Recipe: How to make perfect chocolate truffles

These easy-to-make truffles are some of the finest you can get and make a fantastic present for friends or hosts. They're coated in best-quality milk chocolate with a delicious dark ganache filling inside.

Once you've mastered the recipe, you can experiment to your heart's contentopt for a smooth milk-chocolate filling or use one of Green & Black's flavoured bars, then roll the finished truffles in chocolate flakes, desiccated coconut or chopped hazelnuts.

Chocolate truffles (makes 20)

Ingredients

• 100ml double cream
• 40g light soft brown sugar (leave this out if you decide to go for milk-chocolate-filled truffles)
• 100g dark chocolate broken into pieces (I'm a fan of Menier 70% Chocolat Patissier)
• 20g slightly softened butter, cut into small cubes
• 200g milk chocolate broken into pieces (again, Menier Swiss Milk Chocolate is very good)
• Cocoa powder for dusting (if you like)

Method

* Pour the cream into a non-stick saucepan and add the sugar. Warm over a low heat until bubbles start to form. Simmer very briefly, then take off the heat and leave to cool for a minute or two.

* Place the dark chocolate and butter into a large heatproof bowl and melt together over a pan of boiling water, making sure the bottom of your heatproof bowl doesn't touch the surface of the water. Take off the heat.

* Pour the cream-and-sugar mixture onto the chocolate and stir until they're fully combined. Cover the bowl with clingfilm, and when it's cooled a little pop it in the fridge to set. This will take at least a couple of hours

* Once the mixture has hardened, scoop out teaspoonfuls, roll them into little balls using your hands, then place on a plate. Cover with clingfilm and return to the fridge. Line one large or two small baking trays with baking parchment.

* While the truffles are chilling, place the milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water and melt it, just as you melted the dark chocolate. Take the bowl off the heat and leave its contents to cool for around five minutes. You want the chocolate to still be runny but not so hot that it will melt the truffle ganache when it comes into contact with it.

* Take your plate of truffles out of the fridge. Using a cocktail stick, spike one and dip it into the melted milk chocolate, swirling it around to coat evenly. Drop your coated truffle onto the baking tray, and repeat with the rest of the truffles. Dust with cocoa powder if you like.

* Leave the truffles to cool, but don't put them in the fridge, as this will cause the chocolate to lose its shine.

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