A chocolate truffle is one of life’s small but decadent pleasures. With its delicate shell and melt-in-your-mouth center, it’s a treat that invites you to pause and savor.
How did these little spheres of chocolate bliss come to be—who invented the chocolate truffle, and how has it evolved over the decades? We explore these questions ahead.
Learn about the history of chocolate truffles, their origin, and why they’re one of the most beloved confections in Europe and across the world.
What Is a Chocolate Truffle?
In its simplest form, a truffle chocolate is a bite-sized confection with a soft ganache center (a chocolate-and-cream emulsion). Usually round and dusted in cocoa powder, nuts, or a hard chocolate coating, truffles are known for their luxurious texture and rich flavor. They earned their name because they resemble the prized fungi of the same name.
Truffles come in several varieties, including:
● Classic round chocolate truffles rolled in cocoa powder
● Milk or dark chocolate truffles hand-finished with spices, nuts, and salts
● Variations filled with spices, spirits, liqueurs, or nut butter ganache
What Is Inside a Chocolate Truffle?
An actual chocolate truffle has one defining feature: ganache. This filling is a smooth, creamy blend of chocolate and warm cream, sometimes enriched with butter or infused with flavors. Once cooled, ganache becomes firm enough to roll yet soft enough to melt easily on your tongue.
Inside a truffle, you might find:
● Pure dark chocolate ganache
● Ganache blended with fruit purées, nuts, or floral essences like rosewater
● Nut-based ganache, such as hazelnut or pistachio
Other types of filled chocolates may look similar, but if there’s no ganache inside, it’s not an actual truffle.
How Are Truffles Made?
Truffle making starts with the ganache. First, warm cream is poured over finely chopped chocolate. After a few minutes, the mixture is stirred until it transforms into a shiny, velvety emulsion. Some chocolatiers add butter for extra silkiness or infuse the cream with herbs, spices, or liqueurs before combining.
Once the ganache is ready, it needs to chill until it firms up enough to scoop. From there, the process continues:
● The chilled ganache is portioned and hand-rolled into small balls.
● Each ball may be dusted in cocoa, rolled in chopped nuts, or dipped in tempered chocolate to create a crisp shell.
● Optional garnishes like edible gold leaf, sea salt, or dried petals are added.
Where Do Chocolate Truffles Originate?
The origin story of chocolate truffles is wrapped in a bit of mystery. Two names are common in the lore: Auguste Escoffier and Louis Dufour.
One story credits famed French chef Auguste Escoffier. It is said that sometime in the 1920s, a student in Escoffier’s kitchen accidentally poured hot cream into a bowl of chopped chocolate. The mixture thickened, and the apprentice discovered he could roll the mass into rough spheres (which presumably tasted delicious!).
Another version traces the treat back to Christmas Day in 1895 in Chambray, France. Pâtissier Louis Dufour found himself short on holiday confections. Thinking quickly, he made a batch of chocolate ganache, rolled it into balls, dipped them in melted chocolate, and finished them with cocoa powder. Customers were charmed, and his invention took off.
Why Are Chocolate Truffles Called Truffles?
The name “truffle” is connected to the rare fungus they resemble. The word “truffle” comes from the Latin word tuber, which means “lump” or “swelling.”
The chocolate version mimicked the shape and dense interior of black truffles, which were a delicacy in French cuisine. By choosing the name truffle, early chocolatiers (whether intentionally or unintentionally) linked their creation to indulgence and sophistication.
Vosges Haut-Chocolat: The Classic Truffle, Elevated
Today, truffles come in many forms. They may be crafted with dark, milk, or white chocolate, hand-rolled or molded, or infused with global flavors like matcha, chili, or curry masala—as in the Vosges Exotic Truffle Collection.
But no matter how modern the variation, every truffle traces its lineage back to a French kitchen. And everyone who makes them still begins with the simple act of pouring warm cream over chocolate and waiting for the magic to begin.
At Vosges Haut-Chocolat, our talented chefs have taken the art and science of truffle making to the next level. Inspired by our global travels, our chocolate truffle collections feature ingredients such as cask-aged balsamic vinegar, Kalocsan paprika, and Sri Lankan Ceylon cinnamon—each carefully chosen to surprise and delight the palate.
Each step of our truffle-making process is done with care and intention, from making the ganache and hand-finishing the truffles to tying the ribbon on each signature box.
Explore our collection of chocolate truffles and experience this classic chocolate confection, elevated.
● Exotic Truffle Collection (32 pieces, 16 pieces, or 9 pieces)
● The Dalmore™ Scotch-Infused Chocolate Collection (9 pieces)
● Dark Chocolate Truffle Collection (16 pieces or 9 pieces)
● Milk Chocolate Truffle Collection (16 pieces)
● High-Phenolic Olive Oil and Dark Chocolate Vegan Truffle Collection (16 pieces)
● The Dalmore™ x Vosges Pairing Collection (12 pieces)
● Vegan Truffle Collection (9 pieces or 4 pieces)
● I.G.P. Piemonte Hazelnut Praline Bonbons (9 pieces)
