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Bye, Cookies—These Homemade Dessert Truffle Recipes Are All Santa Wants This Year

These make incredible holiday gifts.

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gingerbread truffles covered in crushed gingersnaps and icing
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

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We love you pies and cakes, but sometimes, what we really want is a miniature sweet treat. Enter: truffles (not to be confused with the mushrooms by the same name). No, we’re talking about the delicious, round, two-bite beautiful balls of chocolate-y goodness often found tucked into foil in fancy chocolate boxes. What if we told you they’re actually crazy simple to make on your own? We like to keep a stash for ourselves as snacks, give some out as holiday gifts, serve them as simple, upscale after-dinner desserts… they’re kind of a great all-around sweet. Check out our 36 dessert truffle recipes for plenty of flavor ideas—we’ve taken them way beyond just milk chocolate.

At their simplest, truffles are simply rolled balls of chocolate ganache, dipped into chocolate, then decorated. There are many origin stories for ganache (“fool/foolish” in French), but the one we like best is the one about the chocolatier’s assistant who accidentally dropped heavy cream into a bowl of chocolate. His head chef called him a fool, Gordon Ramsay-idiot-sandwich-style, and history was made. You can keep things simple and stick with the classic combination of milk chocolate on milk chocolate, or swap in dark or white for a twist. You can also add different flavors, like our tiramisu truffles, our eggnog truffles, or our cereal milk truffles. Keep in mind you can always get creative with your decorations too—look to our Brazilian brigadeiros recipe for a variety of ideas.

Ganache is super-simple, but we’d understand if you don’t want to deal with heating milk, making sure your ganache is the right consistency, the whole shebang… Try one of our cheat truffle recipes instead! They come out tasting somewhere between between a cookie crust and a cake pop, and we. are. here. for. it. Our most popular version is a Oreo truffle made of cream cheese, Oreos, and vanilla, rolled into balls and dipped in melted chocolate. From there, you can branch out and try difference variations like our festive melted snowman cookie dough bites, our mini pumpkin cheesecake bites, or peanut butter truffles (if you're more of a PB lover) . Try out your own combinations, and have fun with it!

1

Chocolate Truffles

chocolate truffles topped with candy canes, sea salt, and cocoa powder
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: BROOKE CAISON

If you're looking for the most classic truffle recipe, then these chocolate truffles are what you should turn to. Not only a chocolate lover's dream, they're also completely customizable and so easy to make. Set them out at your holiday dinner, or make them for the sweetest homemade gift to give to loved ones and neighbors.

Get the Chocolate Truffles recipe.

2

No-Bake Cereal Milk Truffles

truffles coated in cereal pieces
PHOTO: RYAN LIEBE; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON

While drinking the milk at the bottom of your own cereal bowl is definitely a one-person treat, I wanted to find a way to share the cereal milk magic with others. Enter the cereal milk truffle: a honeyed white chocolate treat rolled in crushed cereal.

Get the No-Bake Cereal Milk Truffles recipe.

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3

Eggnog Truffles

eggnog truffles covered in powdered sugar on a grey slate background
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: JASON SCHREIBER

If you love eggnog (or even if you don't!), this recipe is for you. Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cream wrapped in white chocolate—what could be better?

Get the Eggnog Truffles recipe.

4

Melted Snowman Cookie Dough Bites

melted snowman cookie dough bites
PHOTO: JULIA GARTLAND; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

With this recipe, you can have your snowman and eat him too, regardless if there’s snow on the ground. Using our delicious edible cookie dough recipe, white chocolate ganache, and a couple of candy decorations, these melted snowman bites are the perfect sweet treat to bring to any holiday party.

Get the Melted Snowman Cookie Dough Bites recipe.

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5

Gingerbread Truffles

gingerbread truffles covered in crushed gingersnaps and icing
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

Truffles are the ultimate one-bite wonder, and these gingerbread ones have a delightful touch of holiday magic in each bite. Bonus: They’re rolled in crushed gingersnaps for a zippy ginger bite and a pleasingly crunchy texture.

Get the Gingerbread Truffles recipe.

6

Chocolate Coconut Balls

chocolate coconut balls
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: JASON SCHREIBER

If you love Almond Joy candy bars, then these no-bake chocolate coconut balls are calling your name. Packed with toasted almonds and two kinds of coconut, they are chewy, nutty, and totally scrumptious. Oh... and did we mention they’re also covered in chocolate?

Get the Chocolate Coconut Balls recipe.

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7

Tiramisu Truffles

tiramisu truffles
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON

Craving a sweet pick-me-up at the end of a meal? These tiramisu truffles are for you. Luscious espresso and mascarpone white chocolate ganache is coated in a crisp chocolate shell for a dreamy bite-sized dessert that’s sure to delight every coffee lover.

Get the Tiramisu Truffles recipe.

8

Peanut Butter Snowballs

peanut butter snowballs
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

These holiday treats coat peanut butter balls in sweet melted white chocolate, before being decorated with festive holiday sprinkles. Bite-sized and too adorable, this easy dessert is a perfect last-minute addition to your holiday spread, or as the sweetest homemade food gift for any PB + chocolate lovers in your life.

Get the Peanut Butter Snowballs recipe.

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9

Bourbon Balls

bourbon balls
PHOTO: ANDREW BUI; FOOD STYLING: JASON SCHREIBER

If you’re looking for a boozy treat to get the party started, these bourbon balls are calling your name. Made with finely chopped pecans, crushed vanilla wafer cookies, and of course, bourbon, these no-bake cookie truffles highlight the flavor of the bourbon while taming its typical burn.

Get the Bourbon Balls recipe.

10

Baileys Truffles

baileys truffles
Emily Hlavac Green

White and semisweet chocolate chips make these extra decadent! Our favorite part about them? They taste just like all our favorite Baileys cocktails, but you can eat more than one.

Get the Baileys Truffles recipe.

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11

Oreo Truffles

food, cuisine, dish, dessert, ingredient, chocolate truffle, bourbon ball, sweetness, chocolate, recipe,
PARKER FEIERBACH

Raid the cookie and candy aisles to jazz these up—a bit of crushed candy or changing up the variety of Oreo can add a fun boost of flavor and color to your truffles. Make sure to save a little extra too, so you can top each truffle with some crumbs.

Get the Oreo Truffles recipe.

12

Buckeyes

buckeyes
ANDREW BUI

Loaded with peanut butter and dipped in melted chocolatec, these buckeyes are basically a homemade Reese’s peanut butter cup in truffle form.

Get the Buckeyes recipe.

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13

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

mini pumpkin cheesecake bites
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: ADRIENNE ANDERSON

Move over, labor-intensive traditional cheesecake, there’s a new mini marvel in town: mini pumpkin cheesecake bites. These adorable morsels are not only the perfect size for snacking, they also pack a pumpkin-flavored punch that will keep you coming back for seconds (or thirds, who’s counting?).

Get the Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites recipe.

14

S'mores Cookie-Dough Truffles

s'mores cookies dough truffles
Bryce Johnson

These easy edible-cookie-dough truffles are the perfect no-bake summer treat. Eggless, and using graham crackers instead of flour, they're both safe to eat and extremely delicious.

Get the S'mores Cookie-Dough Truffles recipe.

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15

Sugar Cookie Truffles

sugar cookie truffles  delishcom
LUCY SCHAEFFER PHOTOGRAPHY

Got an excess of holiday sugar cookies? This is the BEST way to use them, even if they're iced. If you don't have extra sugar cookies, bake some off! The easiest route is to buy store-bought cookie dough, but if you have a recipe you love, go for it. The truffles will be even better for it.

Get the Sugar Cookie Truffles recipe.

16

Brigadeiros

brigadeiros in white baking cups
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: HADLEY SUI

Many a Brazilian birthday party has a dessert table that features these traditional fudgy, sprinkle-covered truffles, and it's pretty clear why. They’re delicious, adorable, and will disappear in seconds!

Get the Brigadeiros recipe.

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17

Keto Chocolate Truffles

keto chocolate truffles
EMILY HLAVAC GREEN

These keto truffles are surprisingly decadent. The secret ingredient? Avocados!

Get the Keto Chocolate Truffles recipe.

18

Orange Creamsicle Truffles

orange creamsicle truffles
Parker Feierbach

Since we made this insane creamsicle cheesecake, we've been kind of obsessed with the combo of oranges and cream. We're back at it with these super easy (5-ingredient!) truffles. Pro tip: They tend to lose their shape a bit at room temperature, so store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.

Get the Orange Creamsicle Truffles recipe.

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19

Turkey Oreo Balls

oreo balls decorated with candy to look like mini turkeys
PHOTO: RACHEL VANNI; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Behind the cute, edible turkey treat faces is a decadent mix of crushed Oreos and cream cheese dipped in a semisweet chocolate shell. The decorating doesn’t require piping or tweezer use, just a few supermarket-friendly items that bond with the setting chocolate coating.

Get the Turkey Oreo Balls recipe.

20

Piña Colada Truffles

piña colada truffles
Parker Feierbach

Can't decide between an after dinner cocktail or dessert? These easy truffles are the best of both worlds. They taste just like your favorite piña colada and are the perfect way to end a summer evening.

Get the Piña Colada Truffles recipe.

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