These delicious and elegant salted chocolate truffles are actually quite easy to make at home!

salted dark and milk chocolate truffles on a plate

I love a box of fancy chocolates as much as the next gal, and lucky for me I don’t have to head to the candy shop to get my chocolate fix. Homemade truffles require just a handful of ingredients and a little time for rolling and dipping— it’s a fun project anyone can do!

These truffles have a fudgy dark chocolate center, a coating of either dark or milk chocolate, and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt for an irresistible combination of sweet and salty flavors. They’re rich, indulgent, and impressive enough for special occasions!

5 ingredients for salted chocolate truffles

Only 5 Ingredients!

Here’s everything you’ll need to make these salted chocolate truffles:

  • Bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate for truffle filling
  • Milk and/or semi-sweet chocolate for dipping
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Vanilla extract
  • Flaky salt

truffle filling mixture in a bowl
truffle centers on a sheet pan ready for dipping

How to Make These Salted Chocolate Truffles

  1. Melt chocolate. Melt dark chocolate in either the microwave or over a double boiler (keep reading for more info on both).
  2. Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Stir into the melted chocolate until combined, mixture will thicken and look slightly grainy.
  3. Portion into rounds and chill. Use a spoon or cookie scoop to portion chocolate into desired truffle size. Roll in your hands until round. Chill in the fridge while you prep the chocolate for dipping.
  4. Melt chocolate for dipping. Melt dark and/or milk chocolate separately, tempering if desired (info on tempering below).
  5. Dip truffles in chocolate coating. Working quickly, dip chilled truffle rounds into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to roll rounds in the chocolate until covered, then lift out of the bowl. Gently tap fork on the edge of the bowl, letting excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Use a toothpick to scrape the chocolate on the bottom of the fork, then carefully use the toothpick to push the covered truffle off of the fork onto parchment or wax paper.
  6. Add flaky salt and let truffles set. Sprinkle tops of flaky salt while they are still wet so salt will stick. Let truffles set up at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

dipping truffles in chocolate

Two Ways to Melt Chocolate

Both methods work just fine, but using the microwave will be faster, while using a double boiler will you give you more control and reduce the chance that you’ll burn the chocolate.

In the microwave— Start with chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring after each.

Over a double boiler— Add chocolate to a double boiler, or heat-proof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water (make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water). Stir frequently until chocolate is melted.

If chocolate gets too hot it will scorch (burn), seize up, and get very thick. Once it gets to this point, there’s no saving it and you must throw it out and start it over. So don’t let it happen! Watch your chocolate carefully, and remove it from the heat when it’s mostly melted but a few lumps remain. A vigorous stir should melt the rest of the chocolate.

finished salted chocolate truffles on wax paper

The Best Chocolate for Dipping

There are several options when it comes to choosing a chocolate coating for these salted chocolate truffles. They’ll all work fine, though some will look and taste better than others, and ultimately the choice is up to you!

Compound Chocolate— It’s chocolate-flavored but isn’t actually chocolate as it’s made with vegetable oils and flavoring. It’s often called “dipping chocolate” or “candy melts”. It melts down easily and sets up beautifully, but it doesn’t have great flavor.

Real Chocolate— It’s made with cocoa butter and chocolate liquor (check the listed ingredients!) and will have much better flavor, but may harden with a streaked or dull finish unless tempered. (Brands like Nestlé, Baker’s, and Ghirardelli)

Couverture Chocolate— This is real chocolate with a higher percentage of cocoa butter, and it should be tempered if used for dipping or coating. Tempering is a process of heating and then cooling chocolate to stabilize the cocoa butter. It gives the chocolate a smooth glossy finish, satisfying crunch, and doesn’t instantly melt on your fingers. (Brands like Valrhona, Callebaut, and Scharffen Berger)

I recommend using real or couverture chocolate for these truffles, and if you are concerned about the appearance, try tempering! Here’s an excellent tutorial on tempering chocolate with lots of great info.

finished salted chocolate truffles on wax paper

Tips for this Recipe

  • Using chocolate in uniform pieces will help it melt evenly.
  • The kind of chocolate you use for these truffles is ultimately up to you, but I recommend splurging! Higher quality (and more expensive) chocolate will produce the best results, while low-cost options won’t be as elegant or delicious.
  • Chocolate and water should never mix! A drop of water or steam will cause chocolate to seize and become lumpy.
  • This recipe was originally adapted from The Pioneer Woman, and if you need help with dipping the chocolate her post has plenty of photos to walk you through it.
  • If using real chocolate, do not chill in the fridge to set up as this will actually cause the chocolate to soften and it won’t have that satisfying crunch when you take a bite.
  • Truffles should be stored in a cool place, like a pantry, and will keep for up to a few weeks. They do not need to be refrigerated.

bite taken out of truffle on plate

More Chocolate Treats to Love

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Recipe originally published December 2009.

bite taken out of truffle on plate

Salted Chocolate Truffles

Servings: 36 truffles
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Set Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients
 

  • 1 lb semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 8 oz milk or semi-sweet/bittersweet chocolate (or half and half, see Notes)
  • Flaky sea salt , for sprinkling

Instructions
 

  • Heat the dark chocolate in a double boiler placed over simmering water or in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir until smooth, do not overheat or chocolate will burn and seize up.
  • Remove from heat and stir in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Mixture will be thick and slightly grainy.
  • Use a spoon or small scoop to portion mixture into desired size for truffles (mine were about 1 tablespoon each). Use your hands to roll into balls. Chill in the fridge while you melt chocolate for dipping.
  • Melt the milk or dark chocolate (or both in separate bowls) in the microwave or over double boiler.
  • Dip the truffle balls in the chocolate until completely covered. Use a fork to remove truffles from the melted chocolate, letting excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Transfer to parchment or wax paper with the help of a toothpick .
  • Sprinkle with flaky salt and let chocolate set up at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  • Store truffles in a cool dry place for 1-2 weeks.

Notes

Notes:
  • You can use real chocolate or "dipping/candy coating" chocolate for the chocolate coating, per your preference. Please read above blog post content.
  • I used 4oz milk chocolate and 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate so I had half and half dark and milk chocolate-coated truffles.
Calories: 146kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 16mg, Potassium: 148mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 39IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 1mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise
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