You Only Need 2 Ingredients For The Easiest Chocolate Truffles

Why spend more than $20 on a box of truffles when you can make your own at home? It only takes two ingredients: cocoa powder and condensed milk. To make them, first melt 1 can of condensed milk in a sauce pan over low heat. Once it's melted, remove from the heat, sift in ½ cup of cocoa powder, and stir until combined. Transfer the mixture to a bowl or baking pan and chill in the fridge for at least two hours to create a ganache. Then, shape the ganache into balls and roll them in cocoa powder.

Let's look more closely at these two-ingredient chocolate truffles. Condensed milk is just sugar and evaporated milk. You've probably heard of it before (it's what's used in dulce de leche). If you don't have any on hand, you can easily make condensed milk at home. For cocoa powder, you tend to have more in your pantry than you know what to do with, anyway. Cocoa powder is typically unsweetened, so try using Dutch process cocoa powder for this recipe since it's less bitter than normal cocoa powder.

Ganache is the difference between truffles and other chocolate treats, so it's important to get it right. Make sure both ingredients are well-combined before refrigerating it, or else you'll end up with chalky chocolate. For this recipe, the ganache might still be sticky after refrigeration, so dip your fingers in cocoa powder when shaping. 

Since these chocolate truffles are all ganache (minus cocoa powder on the outside), we have an opportunity to really elevate them. If you want to infuse more flavor in every bite, do it when you're making the ganache. Consider mixing in cinnamon to give it a warm vibe, for example. If you want to do a Mexican chocolate version, drop a pinch — and we mean just a pinch — of cayenne pepper. Add a little espresso powder to bring out rich, earthy flavors or add a splash of peppermint extract or almond extract if you're feeling bold.

To add texture to the exterior of the truffle, forgo the cocoa powder and try crushed Oreos, chopped nuts (your choice), toasted coconut, cocoa nibs, sprinkles, or peppermint bits. You could also see what's next to the chocolate chips in the baking aisle, like heath bar pieces. If you want to roll them in powdered sugar, you can, but remember these are made with sweetened condensed milk so they're already pretty sweet.

When forming the truffles after the ganache has been in the fridge, you could stuff them with whole, roasted nuts like hazelnut or almond. Just don't do anything weird, like fill them with Velveeta (believe it or not, there are some defenders of the cheesy chocolate truffle). You can do a lot with pantry staples you probably already have on-hand. Enjoy these easy, two-ingredient chocolate truffles. You'll thank us after your first bite.