Easy Peppermint Truffles (5 Ingredients!)

A loaf pan filled with three different types of truffles: one with cocoa, one with powdered sugar, and one with crushed candy canes.

Easy Peppermint Truffles (5 Ingredients!)

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This easy recipe for Peppermint Truffles is made with just 5 simple ingredients and is perfect for gifting!

Course Dessert, Desserts

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Chilling time 2

Total Time 2 30

Servings truffles

Calories 93

Author Dorothy Bigelow

Equipment

#40 cookie scoop or heaping tablespoon

Ingredients

3 cups chocolate chips semi-sweet
1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For rolling:

Powdered sugar cocoa powder, crushed candy canes, candy melts, etc.

Instructions

To a medium saucepan, add the chocolate chips and a full can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir well.
Warm over low heat (or just a little bit higher than low), melting the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together until smooth and uniform.
Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the peppermint and vanilla extracts. Fold in gently until well incorporated.
Transfer the truffle mixture to a medium bowl and wrap tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic down against the surface of the chocolate, forming a seal. This will prevent a “skin” from forming on the top layer as it cools.
Place the bowl in the refrigerator and chill for approximately 2 hours, or until the chocolate is firm, yet scoopable.
Once the chocolate is set, remove it from the refrigerator and use a #40 cookie scoop (1 ½ - 2 tablespoons) or a heaping tablespoon to form balls of chocolate.
Roll each portion between your palms until it makes a smooth, round ball.
Add powdered sugar (and/or cocoa powder, crushed candy canes, etc.) to a shallow bowl (or tray).
Drop each chocolate ball into the powdered sugar, tossing it with your hands until it is well coated.
Once the truffles are coated, place them on a parchment-lined tray, cookie tin, or container.
Repeat until all of the chocolate has been shaped and rolled in the coating(s) of your choice.
Keep the truffles refrigerated until they are ready to serve. They should be served chilled, and kept refrigerated; this will help them hold their shape and texture, and they will store longer too!

Notes

Microwave method: Add the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring in between each interval to help the chocolate melt. This should take no more than 3-4 sessions. Once the chocolate melts easily during stirring, add the vanilla and peppermint extracts. Stir until well incorporated, then chill, shape, and roll as directed in the main recipe.

Note: Be careful that you do not overheat the chocolate, as overheating can cause it to “seize” and become hard, which does not make for good truffles.

If you chill for too long or your chocolate is too hard: If you accidentally forget about the chilling bowl of chocolate, or you find it too hard to scoop (this can happen depending on the brand of chocolate chips, if you used the microwave method, or if you chilled them for more than 2 hours), you can still rescue the batch! You can either leave the bowl out at room temperature for 2-4 hours to soften, OR you can reheat the mixture on the stovetop (I wouldn’t recommend the microwave; it’s too easy to overheat the chocolate at this point), then cover and chill again for 2 hours (or until firm, yet scoopable).

Variations:

Orange chocolate truffles: Use 1 tablespoon of orange extract instead of the peppermint extract.
Raspberry chocolate truffles: Substitute the peppermint extract for 1 tablespoon of raspberry extract (or bakery emulsion).
Chocolate coconut truffles: Substitute the peppermint extract for 2 teaspoons of coconut extract. Roll in shredded toasted coconut.

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