Chocolate Walnut Truffles
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Walnut-coated on the outside and rich in the middle, these chocolate walnut truffles are also known as chocolate balls with nuts. Dulce de leche sweetens and binds the mixture, so there’s no need for heavy cream and you only need 5 ingredients.
Walnuts and raisins add texture, making them firm enough to roll and easy to handle once chilled. They store nicely in the fridge or freezer, which makes them great for preparing ahead.
How to make chocolate walnut truffles without heavy cream
Like I have already mentioned, these truffles don’t contain heavy or whipping cream. Dulce de leche (a caramel-like sauce popular in Latin America) is used instead, and it gives the mixture a rich, fudgy-like texture.
A quick overview
These chocolate balls with nuts are easy to roll once the mixture is chilled.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine ½ of the finely chopped walnuts, chopped raisins, dulce de leche, melted chocolate and butter.
This mixture will be quite sticky, so let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before you start rolling them into balls.
Use a teaspoon to measure out the amount. Two teaspoons should be plenty. Smaller is better as they are rich. They will turn sticky again, so be quick when rolling, but don’t stress about it.
Roll all of them and then roll each ball in the remaining chopped nuts.
They will need chilling, either in the fridge from 1 hour up to overnight, or in the freezer.
Recipe Q&A
Yes. This recipe is basically chocolate balls with nuts, just shaped like truffles and rolled in chopped walnuts.
No. Chocolate-covered walnuts are usually walnut halves dipped in chocolate. These are truffles made from a chocolate mixture, then rolled in chopped nuts.
Try it in dulce de leche hot chocolate or use it to make dulce de leche chocolate cups.
Absolutely. Dulce de leche truffles can be made 3 to 4 days in advance and kept in the fridge or freezer.
A few notes before you start
- Taste test one or two walnuts first. If they taste bitter, stale or “off”, don’t use them. Buy a new bag instead.
- Pecans work as a substitute for walnuts with no other changes.
- Raisins, sultanas or dried cranberries all work well. Cranberries add more tartness, raisins and sultanas are sweeter.
- Use dark or bittersweet chocolate (55 to 70%) since dulce de leche is sweet. Skip milk chocolate if you want the truffles to stay balanced.
- Chop the walnuts and raisins with a knife or food processor. I prefer a food processor as it gives you a finer and more even texture. Plus, it is faster.
- The smallest cookie scoop is too large to use. A teaspoon is the best option.
- They won’t melt when removed from the fridge, but they will slightly soften within 30 minutes or so. On hot days, keep them chilled until ready to serve. Or better yet, store them in the freezer and serve from frozen. They are delicious, fudgy and ready to eat right away. It’s my favorite way to enjoy them.
More bite-sized sweet treats
- Dark Chocolate Truffles – With 2 ingredients, these are as simple as they can get, yet rich and flavorful.
- Irish Cream Truffles – Perfect for any green-themed party or Saint Patrick’s Day celebration.
- Chocolate Covered Dates – My favorite sweet treat I love to keep in the freezer and grab whenever I feel like I need something sweet.
- Raffaello Coconut Balls – Coconut and almond in one bite, rolled in coconut and perfect when you want something sweet without turning on the oven.
- Bounty-Style Chocolate Bars – Chocolate-covered coconut bars with that familiar candy-bar feel, great to stash in the fridge or freezer.
Watch how to make chocolate walnut truffles
Chocolate Walnut Truffles Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ounces dark chocolate 55 to 70% (60 g), see note 1
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (30 g), see note 2
- 1¼ cups walnuts (110 g), see note 3
- ¼ cup raisins (40 g), see note 4
- ½ cup dulce de leche (150 g)
Instructions
- Set up a double boiler: Add about 1 inch of water to a small pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Place a heatproof bowl over the pot (the bowl should not touch the water). Add the chocolate (2 ounces) and butter (2 tablespoons) and stir until melted. Remove the bowl from the heat.
- In a food processor, pulse the walnuts until finely chopped. Stir half of the walnuts into the melted chocolate and reserve the other half for coating.
- Pulse the raisins (¼ cup) until finely chopped.
- To the bowl with melted chocolate and walnuts, add the chopped raisins and dulce de leche (½ cup). Stir until well combined.
- Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.
- Line your worktop with parchment paper. Scoop about 2 teaspoons of the mixture and roll into a ball. Place on the parchment. As you roll, the mixture will soften and turn sticky. Don’t worry about it. If it gets too sticky to roll, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes, then continue.
- Roll each truffle in the reserved walnuts, then place on a plate or baking sheet.
- Chill for at least 1 hour before serving. You can also freeze them.
Video
Notes
- Any chocolate between 55 to 70% cocoa works great here.
- Salted butter can be used as well.
- Walnuts can be substituted with pecans.
- Raisins can be substituted with sultanas or cranberries.
- Scoop with a teaspoon. A small cookie scoop is too large here.
- Storage: Store walnut truffles in an airtight container in the fridge, or in a resealable bag in the freezer. They are best enjoyed chilled, including straight from the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and may vary based on ingredient brands, substitutions, and portion sizes.
Thanks, will make these very soon. I presume that Dulce de leche is condensed milk boiled in the unopened tin for 3 hours (caramel)? 😊
Hi Kathleen. It is not the same but very close. Usually, you can swap Dulce de leche with caramel and vice versa. Now, for this recipe I used Dulce de leche because it is thick (very thick). If the caramel is too runny, this may be an issue and your truffles might be too soft to hold their shape well. Now, I have not tried using boiled condensed milk here so I am afraid I cannot say whether this substitution will work or not. If you do give it a go, please let me know!
Thanks for your response. I will try to achieve a thick caramel by boiling the condensed milk for a while longer
Will let you know if my truffles are a success🙂
Do so please! I will be waiting for your feedback, Kathleen.
I love all kinds of truffles, and these are among some of my favorites
Yay! That’s so good to hear, Donna! They are my favorite too.
Dark chocolate truffles <3 ma hubby loves it so much
It’s hard not to love chocolate truffles, isn’t it? :)
Can we make the same without caramel sauce?
I haven’t made these without caramel. I am sure you can make them but you would have to change a few things in the recipe such as amounts of ingredients and maybe even process. I am not sure how much time you would need for the chocolate mix to set in the fridge, a better option could be mixing the chocolate with double cream instead of butter so. You would have to play around to get it right.
I love truffles! Adding dark chocolate and walnuts . . . y.u.m.! Sharing your recipe and hopefully making my family some of these this weekend!
~Laurie
Hi Laurie! These are my favorite truffles! Just make sure they are well chilled and you’ll be in for a treat! Thanks for the comment and share!