Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

Every now and again a simple recipe comes along that totally blows you away. This is that recipe. Whether you’re hoping to impress that special someone or simply come up with a delicious snack, these Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles will hit the spot!

What is a Chocolate Truffle? 

A traditional chocolate truffle is a luscious confectionary treat with a rich ganache center, often rolled in Dutch cocoa powder.

What is ganache, you ask? 

Ganache is made by combining high quality chocolate with heavy cream that has been heated. 

I use ganache for a variety of things. It’s useful in my ganache frosting, of course. But, until today I’d never used it as a center (or filling) in a candy. 

Fancy Truffles are Easy to Make

I’ve been on a roll for weeks making truffles. I started with my Red Velvet Truffles, (just in time for Valentine’s Day). Then I came up with a great recipe for Valentine Oreo Truffles.

I even made a batch of Lemon Oreo Truffles, just for fun. All of these truffles started with other things–like cake or cookies. And all were covered in a chocolate coating.

(Full disclosure: They were all a bit rustic because I’m anything but fancy and covering truffles in chocolate doesn’t come naturally to me.)

But when my friend Anita informed me that she had a Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle recipe simple enough to whip up in just a few minutes, I was all in!

These Dark Chocolate Truffles are different from any I’ve made in the past. They’re truly “fancy,” in the best sense of the word.

Some Folks Just Have a Knack for Fancy Things

That’s my friend Anita. She’s the hostess with the mostest. Every time I visit her home it looks like something from a magazine. The decor is dreamy. The gardens? Exquisite.

The food she serves is magazine-worthy. Truly. Even my Earl Grey tea is served in the prettiest tea cups with matching floral saucers.

As I said. . .some people just have a knack.

So, it shouldn’t have surprised me that Anita came up with the recipe for these Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles. And I have to confess, now that we’ve made them together, I’m starting to realize that “being fancy” isn’t always as hard as it looks!

If you love the rich flavor of chocolate ganache, you’re going to flip over these delicious truffles. Best of all, they’re simple to make and only take four ingredients! 

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Ingredients

You will find a full recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make fancy truffles. These are simple ingredients you probably have on hand.

Hey, I told you that being fancy wasn’t as hard as it looks!

• quality semi-sweet chocolate
• heavy whipping cream
• raspberry preserves
• Dutch cocoa powder

That’s it! Just four ordinary ingredients. But, when combined, they’re completely extraordinary!

How to Make Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

Measure out a cup and a half of quality chocolate. You can use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you might want to make sure you’ve got a really good brand of chocolate, since this is the key flavor of the dish.

Place in a medium heat-proof bowl and set aside.

Place whipping cream in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until it nears the boiling point. No double boiler necessary!

(Stop it short of boiling.)

Pour hot cream over chips and allow to sit for a couple of minutes.

Stir until smooth.

(Alternatively, you can place chocolate and cream together in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30-second intervals until melted. It should take 1 1/2 – 2 minutes total.)

Make sure you get all of the lumps out of the ganache.

Add two tablespoons of preserves into the chocolate mixture.

Stir well.

Place creamy chocolate ganache in refrigerator for an hour to thicken.

Once ganache is the consistency of toothpaste, it’s time to scoop.

Use a melon scoop (melon baller) to make balls of chocolate. (Can you even imagine the flavors of deep chocolate in this little bowl?)

Really, the size of the balls is your choice. I have a traditional cookie scoop and a smaller one, as well.

This recipe should make a dozen truffles, so aim for 12 balls of chocolate. We placed ours on wax paper but you could use parchment paper if you like.

Place cocoa powder in a bowl (or on a plate) and roll the balls in the powder.

We decided to go extra-fancy and serve our truffles on a plate that was all decked out for the upcoming Valentine’s holiday. Check out those luscious raspberries!

Only the finest for these decadent dark chocolate raspberry truffles!

Leftover truffles should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They can also be frozen up to two months if you’re not eating them right away.

What to Expect from these Raspberry Chocolate Truffles

As I mentioned above, these were so easy to make! They came together with no effort at all.

They’re absolutely luscious! I even felt fancy taking my first bite.

The rich dark chocolate is the real star of the show but those raspberry preserves add just the right amount of sweetness.

The cocoa powder on the outside is what makes you feel like you’re getting a real treat. Okay, so it’s a little messy, but who cares? Even the most posh guest will be happy to wipe cocoa powder off of her lips. And her blouse.

I could have eaten more than one, for sure, but made myself stop! For, while these are loaded with flavor and creamy texture they’re also loaded with Weight Watchers points!

I can’t wait to make this easy homemade treat again and again. Now that I know how simple they are, I’ll be able to impress my guests with “fancy” treats, too!

Variations on this Recipe

My mind is already reeling for ways to change up this recipe. Here are some of my thoughts:

Freeze-dried raspberries: Dice up a few of these and toss them in. Yum! Delicious rich truffles!

Almond Joy Truffles: Add half a cup of shredded coconut and half a cup of almonds, finely ground together. (You can use a food processor for this. I have a great contraption called a Thermomix that is terrific at finely processing nuts and coconut.) Add half to the interior of the truffles and roll the exterior in the rest. If you like, you can use half milk chocolate and half dark.

Mint Chocolate Truffles: I’m thinking half semi-sweet chocolate chips, half mint chocolate. (Can you even imagine?) I might add a little bit of powdered sugar to the cocoa powder for an added bit of sweetness on the outside.

Cherry Truffles: Instead of raspberry preserves, add a couple tablespoons of tart cherry preserves. Then, when it’s time to scoop the chocolate, press a pitted cherry into the center. Roll in dutch cocoa powder.

Reese’s Truffles: Combine peanut butter chips and chocolate chips and then roll in chopped peanuts.

White Chocolate Truffles: Use white chocolate chips for the interior or coat in white chocolate coating for a different flavor profile.

Other Fancy Desserts from Out of the Box Baking

These creamy truffles are perfect for special occasions, but we’ve got lots of other options here at Out of the Box, as well! Here are a few “fancy favorites.”

Easy High Tea Recipes: If you’re looking for tasty recipes to make for your next big social event, this is the post for you. I’m going to give you several of my favorites, which you can proudly serve at a fancy tea, Mother’s Day, or other special occasion.

Almond Tea Cakes: These tea cakes are rich in almond flavor with the crunch of slivered almonds on top. They’re so easy to make because they start with a simple white cake mix. They’re perfect for an afternoon tea party or any time of day!

Strawberry Lemon Creme Scones: The juicy berries, the tartness of the lemon zest. . .wow! Talk about a flavor explosion! I simply loved these (so much so that I had to pass them on to a family member to keep from eating the whole batch. They’re definitely not Weight Watchers friendly!)

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That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this fancy (and simple) chocolate truffle recipe. I don’t know about you but I’m suddenly in the mood for chocolate.

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

Busy Monday

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.