Need some help with chocolate truffles.

[flamin lib]

Made some truffles but they're too soft at room temp.

9 oz semi sweet chocolate
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Melt, refrigerate and roll into tsp size balls. Coat with 1/3 cup powdered sugar, 2 tbs cocoa, 2 tsp ginger and 1 tsp cinnamon.

They're so soft that they absorb the coating. They're even soft right out of the fridge. Any suggestions on changes to firm them up? Should I try to coat them in semi-sweet chocolate?

For the next batch I'll add some ginger and cinnamon to the truffle mix, I think it adds a lot to the flavor. The pepper is just great! Just when the sweetness of the chocolate wanes the heat comes into play.

[wildflower]

1. What kind of cream cheese did you use?

Is it also soft out of the refrigerator? If the chocolate has had enough time to cool and reset, I'm thinking maybe the cream cheese isn't firm enough in the refrigerator for the two together to be firm enough.

Also, doesn't the molasses in brown sugar add softness? Someone else here can help me on that one.

[flamin lib]

2. It's the regular 8 oz block. Phily style I guess. I hadn't thought of the

brown sugar being an issue but it makes sense. I used it to add some maple flavor--the original recipe called for powdered sugar.

Thanks!

[Warpy]

3. The brown sugar is definitely the problem.

I'm sure they'll be delicious even with a gooey coating instead of a powdery one. This is one mistake that will be more than edible, they'll be addictive.

However, if you want them to look right, use powdered sugar next time.

[hippywife]

4. Actually I think it's

the cream cheese. If you had used butter, it would have hardened the truffles in the fridge.

This ganache recipe is the one I use to make truffles:

http://www.joyofbaking.com/ganache.html

If you think about it, cream cheese never actually hardens in the fridge at all. :hi:

[housewolf]

5. I'm wondering if it could be the proportion of cream cheese to chocolate

The recipes I've looked at for cream cheese truffles mostly tend to have a chocolate to cream cheese ratio about 3:2 (3 parts chocolate to 2 parts cream cheese; ex. 12 oz chocolate to 8 oz cream cheese) to 2:1 (16 oz chocolate to 8 oz cream cheese).

But then, none of them included sugar (with the sweetness coming from the chocolate), so the sugar could very well be the problem too.

In answer to your question, if you dipped them in chocolate it would help contain them and make them a little less messy to eat, but the insides will still be soft.

[flamin lib]

6. Thanks to all. I think I can have better success next time and I'll definately

keep you all posted.

It is a wonderfully edible mistake so it'll take awhile to eat it before I start the next version.

BUT THERE WILL BE A NEXT VERSION!!!!!

[Tesha]

7. I think it's the sugar...

Substitute for powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon cornstarch


Brown Sugar Substitute
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses plus 1 cup granulated sugar.

replacing the cornstarch (in the powdered sugar) they called for
with molasses (in the brown sugar)

would likely make a big difference - but boy! do they sound delish!