Easy Peppermint Truffles with a rich, decadent chocolate center! The perfect Christmas candy recipe. No candy thermometer needed.
Once you find out how easy it is to make homemade truffles, you’ll want to try all of our truffle recipes. Eggnog Truffles and Pumpkin Pie Truffles are two more favorites for the holiday season.
Why This Christmas Candy is Best
Peppermints and chocolate. Does anything taste MORE like Christmas than that?
- These Peppermint Truffles have a rich cocoa flavor flecked with crunchy peppermint pieces.
- We use both white chocolate AND dark chocolate.
- You only 5 ingredients and NO candy thermometer!
- Truffles are a great way to us broken or crushed candy canes!
These Peppermint Truffles are so simple to make but the joy they bring me is enormous.
As a gift for a friend, a party dessert or an addition to your annual cookie trays, this homemade candy is guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit.
Ingredient Notes
- Ghirardelli chocolate morsels – These are melted with heavy cream to create the creamy truffle centers.
- Chocolate melting wafers – We use both white and dark chocolate for variety. If you prefer to use all white or all dark, go for it!
- Peppermint candy canes – Crushed with a rolling pin or mallet, the peppermint pieces add crunch and cool minty flavor to chocolate truffles.
Easy Assembly
Many people—even experienced bakers—think truffles are difficult to make.
I’m here to demystify it for you. You don’t need any special equipment or professional confectionary skill when you use this method.
The first step is to melt chocolate chips and heavy cream together in the microwave. Refrigerate this mixture for an hour, then drop balls of it onto a baking sheet. Freeze until solid.
From here, you can assemble the truffles right away or keep them frozen for later.
Here’s how to assemble truffles:
- Melt the chocolate and white chocolate wafers in separate bowls.
- Use a toothpick to dip the frozen truffle centers into melted chocolate.
- Drop the dipped truffles onto the baking sheet. Press candy cane pieces on top right away before the chocolate begins to harden.
That’s it! Told you it was easy.
Tips and Tricks
- After dipping the truffles in chocolate, tap off excess melted chocolate on the side of the bowl, or with a spoon. This gives the truffles a neater appearance.
- Do not leave the mixture for the truffle centers in the fridge for too long. You want it firm, but still soft enough to scoop into balls.
- If you won’t be assembling the truffles right away, transfer the frozen centers to Ziploc freezer bags, then return them to the freezer until ready to use.
- Not a fan of peppermint? Skip the candy cane topping to make plain chocolate truffles instead!
Recipe FAQs
These peppermint truffles are fine to store at room temperature. You can chill them if your kitchen runs warm and you find the chocolate coating is beginning to soften.
Do NOT skip the freezing step! Freezing keeps the centers from melting when dipped in the warm melted chocolate.
You can, but the results won’t be as good. Melting wafers are tempered so that the chocolate sets up smooth and clean. Chocolate morsels used for baking have added ingredients that interfere with the setting process of melted chocolate.
I used a measuring spoon to measure out 1 tablespoon of filling for the centers. After freezing and dipping, the truffles are a little bigger than 1 inch in diameter each.
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Peppermint Truffles
Ingredients
- 2 packages Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Morsels 10 ounce each
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 10 ounces Ghirardelli White Chocolate melting wafers
- 10 ounces Ghirardelli Melting Chocolate
- 6 Peppermint Candy Canes Crushed
Instructions
- In a glass bowl, combine chocolate morsels with heavy cream. Microwave for one minute. Stir until smooth. If not completely smooth, heat by 15 second intervals, stirring between each interval.
- Once smooth, refrigerate for about one hour, until chocolate is slightly firm (soft enough to scoop, not hardened).
- Scoop by 1 tablespoon onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Freeze for about an hour (or overnight).
- Melt white chocolate and chocolate wafers in separate bowls according to package directions.
- Using a toothpick, dip each frozen truffle into the melted chocolate, tapping on the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Drop onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Immediately add crushed peppermint and repeat until all truffles are dipped. Store in airtight container.
Notes
- Freezing the truffles before dipping in chocolate allows them to take on the coating without melting the center.
- Make ahead. We often make the truffles centers ahead of time. After step 3 (and one hour in the freezer), remove the truffles and place in a ziploc freezer bag. When ready to serve and enjoy, remove from freezer and continue with step 4.
Fantastic recipe. They turned out wonderful. Super easy as well.
I love everything about this. Chocolate, peppermint, fun video…you nailed it, girl!!!
I’ve always loved those truffles, but never knew how to make them. You’ve so well presented this recipe that I feel obliged to succeed. Thanks for sharing. Wish me luck 🙂
Oh my these look sooo good!
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This peppermint truffle sounds delicious! I admit I am also of the “anti-coconut” group. I like the flavor but not so much the texture. Would this truffle work if I used all white chocolate? Also, does this treat need to be kept in the fridge? I am thinking about using white chocolate because I actually know people who are not fond of regular chocolate. Thank you in advance. 🙂
It should work. Just make sure to use a good quality white chocolate (not morsels) as it melts better. Let me know if it turns out!!
I love truffles, it is one of my favorites parts of holiday baking! These look so easy, going to have to try them like this, this year! Great job on the video too!
The truffles look amazing! And love your nails btw 🙂
These look incredible! Pretty, delicious and easy? Perfect for this busy time of the year!
These look amazing! Love the video! You rocked it!
Such gorgeous truffles, Aimee! I love some peppermint truffles this time of year (or any other time of year, honestly).
We don’t have Fannie May out here, but I think there’s another company with the same name that does financial stuff. I’d rather have the candy!
These look fantastic. And I loved the video!