Composition, useful properties and harm of chocolate truffles. How is candy eaten and what recipes can you use in your home kitchen?
Chocolate truffles are sweet, round-shaped candies, often with a nutty flavor. This delicacy at all times of its existence was considered an elite dessert. Thanks to the beneficial properties of chocolate, sweets have a beneficial effect on the human body, enriching it with many nutrients. Despite this, there are several categories of consumers who should stop consuming chocolate truffles. Who can be harmed by sweets and how do you prepare them in your kitchen?
Composition and calorie content of chocolate truffles
The composition of truffle sweets includes a lot of ingredients, the main of which is the ganache filling - a chocolate cream with the addition of cream and butter. The stuffed candy is covered with chocolate glaze and rolled in cocoa powder. Instead of cocoa, modern producers often use crushed waffles or nuts. The standard flavor of ganache can also vary - it is supplemented with various flavors, for example, alcoholic beverages.
The taste of chocolate truffles is simultaneously chocolate, butter and vanilla, pronounced, sometimes with nutty notes.
The calorie content of truffle sweets per 100 g is 560 kcal, of which:
- Proteins - 6, 4 g;
- Fats - 39.4 g;
- Carbohydrates - 45.5 g;
- Dietary fiber - 0 g;
- Water - 0 g.
The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is 1: 6.2: 7, respectively.
Vitamins per 100 g of product
- Vitamin E - 2.3 mg;
- Vitamin B1, - 0.03 mg;
- Vitamin B2, - 0.06 mg;
- Vitamin PP (PP) - 1.6 mg.
Minerals in 100 g of product
- Potassium (K) - 187 mg;
- Calcium (Ca) - 28 mg;
- Magnesium (Mg) - 99 mg;
- Sodium (Na) - 7 mg;
- Phosphorus (P) - 95 mg;
- Iron (Fe) - 3 mg.
Health Benefits of Chocolate Truffles
Truffles with nuts are considered the most useful for the human body, as they are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and many other nutrients.
The main benefits of candy truffle for the human body:
- Reduces blood cholesterol levels and optimizes the work of the cardiovascular system - chocolate contains potassium, magnesium, calcium and other substances that have a beneficial effect on the work of the heart and blood vessels. Certain types of antioxidants and flavonoids protect a person from the formation of blood clots in blood vessels.
- It improves mood, fights depression and anxiety - it has been scientifically proven that chocolate contributes to the production of the hormone of joy and happiness in the human body; the sweet product contains substances such as serotonin, phenamine and more.
- Increases brain and creative activity, enhances efficiency - caffeine is responsible for these processes, which is quite abundant in chocolate.
- Strengthens bones, makes human teeth shiny, strong and free of plaque - chocolates are rich in fluoride, calcium and a lot of antiseptic elements.
- They expand blood vessels and have a hypotensive effect on the body - this effect is provided by candies, which contain alcohol, because it is known that in small doses this substance has a beneficial effect on humans.
Contraindications and harm of chocolate truffles
The harm of truffle sweets primarily lies in their high calorie content. Regular consumption of this delicacy in large quantities can lead to rapid and unwanted weight gain.
Some people report that chocolate gives them headaches. This property of cocoa has been scientifically proven: it contributes to the narrowing of blood vessels, which is what causes headaches. If you have a headache from dark chocolate candies, try treating yourself with white chocolate, because it does not contain cocoa.
In young children, an excess of chocolate increases nervous irritability. They start to indulge in and cannot concentrate on one activity. Such overexcitation can even negatively affect the baby's sleep. Therefore, do not give your child truffles in the evening or before bed.
Pediatricians do not recommend giving dark chocolate candies to children under 5 years of age. If parents, contrary to the recommendations, want to please their child with a delicacy, it is better to choose sweets made from milk or white chocolate.
Often, in the manufacture of chocolate sweets, manufacturers use vegetable fats, which during heat treatment are transformed into substances hazardous to human health. Also, unscrupulous confectioners can use synthetic dyes, thickeners and other harmful chemicals. Therefore, nutritionists advise buying only natural products in the store or preparing truffle candies yourself at home. Despite their certain "pretentiousness", they are prepared quite simply, quickly and in almost any circumstances they turn out delicious.
How to make candy truffle?
The preparation of truffles on an industrial scale using professional equipment consists of the following production stages:
- Preparation of mass for future sweets;
- Heating and whipping the chocolate mass;
- Forming sweets using special silicone molds;
- Cooling and sprinkling the truffles with cocoa powder;
- Packaging and packaging of ready-made chocolates.
According to the standard recipe, sweet truffles contain a large amount of dark dark chocolate, which is good for human health. However, each modern manufacturer has its own recipe for truffle sweets, so it often turns out that chocolate is not even present in their composition.
If you don't want to buy dessert from a dubious manufacturer, try making truffle candies yourself. To do this, use the standard recipe for a treat:
- Crumble 230 g dark dark chocolate into small pieces and place in an iron container. Remember that the taste of the candy will depend primarily on its quality.
- In a separate bowl, heat and bring to a boil 120 ml of cream and 120 ml of butter, cut into slices.
- Combine the creamy and chocolate mixtures, mix them thoroughly until smooth.
- Add 2 tbsp to the resulting mass. l. liqueur (you can use any kind of alcohol).
- Cover the candy blank with a tight lid and refrigerate overnight (or for several hours).
- Choose the product you want to sprinkle on the sweets: cocoa, ground nuts, coconut, finely grated chocolate, etc. Place the sprinkles in a flat plate. You can use several types of dressing at the same time.
- Remove the candy blank from the refrigerator and form many round balls out of it. The size of future chocolates depends solely on your preferences.
- Dip each candy in the prepared sprinkles and place on a baking sheet or tray lined with parchment paper.
- Cover the candies with a lid and refrigerate again.
- The candies are ready as soon as they set. Bon Appetit!
Advice from a seasoned chef! In order for the sweets to have a pronounced taste of cream, use sour cream with a fat content of at least 30% to make the treat.
The next truffle recipe will come to the rescue when there is no time for cooking, but you want to treat guests with homemade sweets. Even a child can make these sweets. One serving is 8-10 candies.
So, quick hand truffles:
- Whisk 120 g of soft butter using a mixer.
- Add 180 g of icing sugar to it and use the mixer again, beat until fluffy foam appears.
- Add 2 tbsp. To the mixture. l. cocoa and 1 tbsp. l. any alcoholic beverage (except pure vodka). Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
- From the resulting mass, mold candies and roll them in any sprinkling that you have at home.
- Let the sweets cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour and serve!
For lovers of non-standard delicacies, we provide a step-by-step recipe for truffles with dates. Sweets are prepared quickly and are optimal for people who follow the rules of a healthy diet. One serving of truffles, according to this recipe, is about 20 candies.
So, let's start cooking
- You will need a food processor or blender to make these chocolates. Mix 15-17 dates (pitted) in the bowl of a food processor, 4 tbsp. l. cocoa, 1 tbsp. l. water, a pinch of cinnamon, 100 g of coconut and the same amount of almonds. You can use chili peppers in place of cinnamon, and any other nuts you have in place of almonds. They should be peeled, but not fried.
- When all the ingredients have become a homogeneous mass, put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Please note that if the mass is too tight, you can add a little liquid to it - water, coffee or juice.
- Chilled dough easily rolls into balls. Roll the truffles out of it and sprinkle them with oatmeal, chocolate chips, or any other sprinkle.
- Send the candies to the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes and then serve to the guests!
On a note! Ready-made truffles should only be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container, otherwise they will dry out or deteriorate.
Truffle recipes
Chocolate truffles can not only be consumed ready-made, but also added to various dishes and drinks. We provide three simple recipes for desserts using sweets:
- Chocolate truffle cake … Chop 300 g of chocolate truffles with a knife. Put truffles in a metal container, 1 tbsp. l. cocoa powder, 50 g of butter and the same amount of cream. Place the container on the stove and stir the contents until it turns into a homogeneous mass. Cool the cream slightly. In a separate bowl, beat 3 chicken eggs with 75 g granulated sugar and a pinch of salt. Combine the eggs with the cooled cream and beat thoroughly with a mixer. Add 1 tsp to the resulting mass. baking powder and 0.75 tbsp. wheat flour. Bake the dough in one layer until tender. As a result, you will get a chocolate sponge cake, which can be eaten in its original form or smeared with cream and garnished with chocolate chips.
- Banana & Chocolate Truffle Cocktail … Soften 1 peeled banana with a fork. Melt 1 tbsp in a water bath. l. butter and 5 Truffle sweets. Combine in a food processor or blender 3 tbsp. milk, a pinch of cinnamon, banana and chocolate mass. Pour the finished cocktail into portioned glasses.
- Truffle cake … Prepare the biscuit cakes first. To do this, beat 5 proteins with 1/3 tbsp. granulated sugar. In a separate bowl, beat 6 yolks with 1 tbsp. sugar to clarify the mass. In a separate cup, dissolve 2 tbsp. l. cocoa powder with 2 tbsp. l. hot water. Add cocoa to the yolks. Pour 2 tbsp here. l. starch and 5 tbsp. l. flour. Mix the resulting mass thoroughly and add the already prepared proteins to it. Next, bake the cakes in the oven, spreading the dough into several portions, depending on the size of your baking dish. While the cakes are baking, turn to the cream. Bring 1/3 tbsp to a boil. cream and pour over the pre-crushed dark chocolate (150 g). Stir the cream thoroughly and refrigerate for several hours. It is optimal to leave the cream to harden overnight. Before assembling the cake, beat it well, and soak the biscuit cakes with syrup (brought to a boil 2 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar). The final stage of cooking: smear the cakes and sides of the cake with cream, decorate the dessert with truffle sweets.
Interesting facts about chocolate truffles
For the first time, confectioners learned how to make candy truffles in France. Who exactly owns the recipe for the delicacy and under what circumstances it was compiled is unknown. It is no coincidence that sweets are named after the mushroom of the same name, because outwardly they are very similar to a truffle.
In the days of the USSR, cone-shaped truffles, hard to the tooth, were especially popular. When there was a shortage of sweets in the store, they were made at home by amateur confectioners from the ingredients that were at home. Often, even infant formula was such a “handy tool”. In modern European countries, soft candies with a semi-liquid consistency are more popular.
Cooking truffle candies inspires pastry chefs from all over the world to accomplish culinary feats. So, the largest truffle candy is made in Germany, its weight is more than 196 kilograms.
One of the most expensive chocolate truffles is made in France. Instead of the standard filling, an expensive truffle mushroom is added to the candy. On average, such a dessert costs about 250 conventional units for 1 candy. Despite its high cost, the delicacy is not stored for long.
How to make chocolate truffles - watch the video:
Every housewife should definitely prepare truffle sweets with their own hands, because the recipe for the delicacy is extremely simple. Homemade dessert will benefit both adults and children if consumed in moderation. When buying chocolate truffles in the store, carefully read their composition on the packaging and do not take products containing synthetic additives.
