Learn how to make the best Earl Grey chocolate truffles with this easy recipe infused with Earl Grey tea. These make a great homemade gift for Valentine's Day or other holidays!
In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the tea leaves over medium—high heat. When the cream has almost come to a boil (steamy and hot), take it off the heat and let it infuse for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, chop the dark chocolate. Transfer the chopped chocolate to a metal or glass bowl.
When the tea has steeped sufficiently, check the temperature of the cream. Make sure it's at 70 °C (158 °F). If it's not, heat it again on the stove, then strain the cream mixture over the chocolate, pressing the tea leaves into the strainer to extract all the cream.
Let the chocolate+cream mixture stand for 1–2 minutes to allow for heat transfer. Whisk the cream/chocolate mixture until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. You can use an immersion blender.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (placing the wrap directly on the surface of the ganache), and chill it for about 2–3 hours until the mixture is firm enough to scoop and roll into truffles.
Scoop and roll truffles in small, 12 gram portions. You will get about 22–24 truffles. Use gloved hands to roll the truffles between your palms.
Toss each truffle in the cocoa powder to coat it, tapping off the excess.
Store the truffles in an airtight container.
Notes
For the tea leaves, I have tested this recipe with loose-leaf Earl Grey tea and Earl grey lavender tea.
For the chocolate, I have tested this recipe with Saint-Domingue Cacao Barry (70% dark chocolate) and also Cacao Barry Ocoa (70% dark chocolate).
Optional: Add 28 grams (2 tbsp) of butter to the emulsified ganache to temper it and create a smooth finish.
To make firmer truffles, use a higher ratio of chocolate to cream, like 290 grams dark chocolate for 170 grams (⅔ cup) whipping cream.
Other flavours to try: infuse cream with lemon or orange zest, masala chai, lavender or rose buds, cinnamon or chilli.