Vegan Truffles

The chocolate truffle is traditionally made with a chocolate ganache center coated in chocolate or cocoa powder, usually in a spherical or curved shape. Ganache (literally translated from the French word for "fool") is a mixture of chocolate and dairy (milk, butter, heavy cream, etc). And while ganache has origins as early as 1850, the chocolate truffle as we know it is a far more recent application, dating from the mid 1980's. And, as you can imagine, the vegan truffle is even younger.

For a vegan truffle, ganache can be made by boiling soy milk and pouring over chopped chocolate. While the ratio of chocolate to cream can vary depending on the ganache's intended use, for a vegan truffle a rough ratio of 2:1 (vegan chocolate to soy milk) is optimal.

Below is a vegan truffle recipe we've had success with. Please enjoy!

10 ounces vegan chocolate
4 ounces tofu, pureed
4 ounces soy milk
1/2 tbsp soy margarine
1/2 tbsp glucose syrup

For the ganache, chop the chocolate into small pieces and, using either the microwave or stove top, soften (melt) in a 2-quart mixing bowl.

Puree the tofu in a food processor until it is very smooth and set aside. No lumps should be visible.

Bring soy milk to a gentle boil and add it to the chocolate, gently folding until well-combined.

Fold in the tofu puree, soy margarine, and glucose syrup until well combined. The margarine should be completely melted and incorporated into the mixture. Feel free to dabble with the texture of the ganache by adjusting the ration of soy milk to chocolate. The more chocolate you use, the firmer your ganache.

Cover the surface of the ganache with plastic wrap and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. It can then be refrigerated overnight.

Form truffle balls from the ganache and coat with couverture or confectioners coating and colored sugar crystals.