There is nothing that says Merry Christmas like a little box of homemade chocolate truffles. Bonus points if they are low carb, gluten-free and they don’t taste like it for even a second. And that, my friends, describes this chocolate coffee truffle recipe perfectly. Which is somewhat astonishing, since this one was one of those hope and pray experiments. Hope that my unsweetened chocolate didn’t seize. Pray that the mixture firmed up enough to be shaped into truffles and rolled in delicious coatings. A fingers-crossed endeavor all around. Honestly, I’ve managed to trick many of you into thinking that I know what I am doing when it comes to low carb cooking. But if you saw me in the kitchen, when I am taking a big gamble on something, you might reconsider that image. Sometimes I am working with a base recipe that I know will pan out regardless. But at other times, it feels like sheer dumb luck that I get good results. And in this case, better than good results. Insanely, decadently delicious results. Phew, dodged a bullet!
I’ve made low carb hazelnut truffles before, and they were very good but they didn’t have that dense, soft, slightly gooey sweetness I was looking for. Because I was attempting to make them with my low carb nutella recipe, they inevitably had a slight grittiness from the nut butter, and I don’t think I sweetened them quite enough. In short, they were good but didn’t quite live up to my expectations of what a chocolate truffle should be. But hey, no one ever said going low carb was easy.
Still, when I managed to nail my low carb sweetened condensed milk recipe, I suddenly had hope again. Because in the non low-carb world, the easiest truffles to make are those where you simply melt chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk together. Melt, stir, cool, scoop and voila! Chocolate truffles. I thought maybe, just maybe, the same process would work for low carb truffles. But I wasn’t perfectly certain, since unsweetened chocolate and commercial chocolate chips are very different creatures. Unsweetened chocolate is a tricky little devil and likes to seize at the slightest provocation…a little too much heat, a little too much liquid, and you end up with a gloppy mess that takes a lot of coaxing to smooth out again. And sometimes it downright refuses to do so.
However, I thought it was worth a try. I hate nothing more than wasting ingredients, but it’s the holiday season and my readers deserve truffles. Heck, I deserve truffles too! So I went at this very carefully. I wanted a little coffee flavouring, and I knew that some additional sweetener would need to be added. I chopped the chocolate very finely to help it melt, and I held back on some of it, thinking that too much would surely cause a seizure (no, not in me…in the chocolate!). But then I worried that I didn’t add enough and that it wouldn’t firm up properly when cool. And then I did the hope and pray thing.
And it worked. Far better than I even imagined, actually. They came out exactly like traditional truffles, both in consistency and taste. I can honestly say that you could give these to anyone and they wouldn’t have a clue that they were low carb and gluten free. And I had a little fun with the coatings. For some, I rolled them in a combination of cocoa powder and instant coffee granules, to amp up that coffee flavour. And for others, I rolled them in cacao nibs, to get some crunch. Other possibilities are chopped nuts or powdered sweetener. Whatever you want to make them pretty and festive. You deserve it!
- 2 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 cup Low Carb Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 6 oz unsweetened chocolate finely chopped
- 1/4 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener or powdered erythritol
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tsp instant coffee granules crushed a bit to make them less clumpy
- OR
- 1/4 cup cacao nibs
- OR
- 1/4 cup finely ground nuts of choice
-
For the truffles, combine coffee and water in a small bowl or ramekin and whisk to dissolve.
-
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine coffee mixture, sweetened condensed milk, chopped chocolate, powdered erythritol and butter. Whisk constantly until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat immediately (don't let it overcook, your chocolate will seize).
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Cover with plastic wrap flush to the surface and refrigerate 2 hours.
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Once mixture is firm, roll into scant 1-inch (or even less) balls and roll in your favourite coating(s).
Makes 36. Each truffle has 2.3 g of carbs and .9 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 1.4 g (these counts are based on coatings of cacao nibs or cocoa powder)
A serving is 2 truffles...if you can stop at just 2!!!
Amanda says
I need these!! Gorgeous! 🙂
Goldiegal says
Oh my gosh …… these look fabulous!! I’ll have to try them out this weekend.
Thanks so much.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
i need these too!!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
I have had no luck with truffles. Love these ones 🙂
Dawn says
Chopped nuts, I assume (not “rolled”). 😉 These look fabulous and I may just have to try them this weekend. I’ve got a batch of your low-carb sweetened condensed milk in the fridge right now.
Carolyn says
OMG, did I write rolled? Lack. Of. Sleep! I’ve made a promise to myself to keep the LC condensed milk on hand at all times. Very useful stuff!
[email protected] says
I need to try your low carb sweetened condensed milk. . .and then make these!
Rebekah Phillips says
Could I use 85% Lindt instead? Unsweetened choc is hard to find in AU. These look like a fab homemade xmas gift idea for school.
Carolyn says
Sure! But you might want to cut down on the additional sweetener a bit.
Eric says
I keep telling myself I have to make your condensed milk, now I have motivation before Key Lime Pie season rolls around again. I love truffles, and yes, they make superb gifts. Thank you.
Gerri says
Yes, yes, we all deserve truffles! Had the same problems with LC truffles you mentioned. Sometimes good, sometimes not good at all. Excited to try them with your sweetened condensed milk, which is heavenly.
Any tricks so erythritol isn’t gritty? I powder it in a coffee grinder & mix in it well, but it’s still gritty. Love the taste, but a smoother texture would be great.
Your photos are beautiful!
Carolyn says
Oh my dear…the only way to avoid the grittiness of granulated erythritol is to buy commercially powdered erythritol. Sometimes, it’s so fine, it’s like dust! Can you get any in your area or order it online?
Jeanette says
Who would think you could say low carb and truffles in the same sentence! Once again, Carolyn – brilliant!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
I am making lots of truffles for Christmas this year. I might have to make a batch of these too for my diabetic relatives!
Taking On Magazines says
Wow. Maybe it’s finickyness is one of the things that decided me to not like chocolate? I am so awed that you not only took this bull by the horns but conquered it so completely. They look amazing.
[email protected] says
I sure hope we are close enough that I will find a box of these in my mail box… Ahem. 😉
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
These look beautiful Carolyn; I’m wondering what the substitution would be if not having to do low carb; can I just use powdered sugar?
Carolyn says
If I were you, Barb, I would do canned sweetened condensed milk, and then maybe 2 or 3 tbsp of powdered sugar.
Priscilla | ShesCookin says
So glad that you’re taking risks in the kitchen to perfect low carb recipes for us, Carolyn 🙂 Your truffles look insanely delicious! Since I’m not a baker, I don’t cook much with chocolate, but I eat my fair share and the LC condensed milk recipe is brilliant!
Kim Bee says
These are stunning Carolyn. So happy to see a low carb, gf free truffle recipe. Love that you’re willing to take risks and come up with such amazing recipes.
Lauren at Keep It Sweet says
these sound amazing and your photos are gorgeous, carolyn!
Kim says
These look great – of course, all your recipes are wonderful! Can I use table cream (& sweeten it) in lieu of the low carb sweetened condense milk?
Carolyn says
Hi Kim…I am doubtful it will be quite thick enough. Add a 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum to help it thicken up properly. Whisk it well so it doesn’t get all gummy!
melanie says
I just made these- they are wonderful and taste like the real thing!! Thank you for the recipe! and the condensed milk recipe- awesome!
Melissa M says
Made these and the nutella truffles at Christmas and everyone LOVED them… no one knew they were low carb/sugar free!!
Diane says
now if only i could con you into making some and sending to me. 🙂 i would pay you for doing this for me!!!! omg. 🙂
Karen says
I would really love to know the complete nutrition on these.
Thanks!
Afischer says
I tried making these twice now and they will not firm correctly. It’s basically a delicious pot of goop at the end. I’m not exactly a novice in the baking/treats area and these are honestly exhausting. Do you have any tips for making sure the consistency is correct besides praying?
Carolyn says
What kind of chocolate did you use? If it’s too goopy, you might want to add cocoa powder to thicken it. But I’ve made this recipe numerous times so I am not sure beyond the brand of chocolate what the issue is.
Connie Narr says
Sounds so good. I think I will make them for Valentine Day.
You say: Each truffle has 2.3 g of carbs and .9 g of fiber
And a serving is 2 truffles.
Does that mean I need to double the carbs if I eat one serving of 2 truffle?
Carolyn says
Yes. Each serving will have 4.6 g of carbs and 1.8 g of fiber. So total NET CARBS = 2.8 g.
Debbie Lieber says
Thanks for a new recipe!! You are my Hero!! Could Splenda be subs for the erythritol?
Carolyn says
Probably. I don’t think the splenda will change the texture or consistency.