These spiced chocolate ginger truffles are flavored with Chinese 5-spice powder (cinnamon, fennel, clove, star anise and white pepper). The spice blend pairs beautifully with the crystallized ginger bits and gives the truffles a delicious and sophisticated flavor.
Check out more of our spiced ginger desserts!
I came across a recipe for an Asian 5-spice chocolate cake the other day and was intrigued by the idea. The author, chef Christian Thornton, suggests to serve the cake with ginger whipped cream and I applied those concepts to the chocolate truffles here.
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Why make this recipe?
These spiced dark chocolate ginger truffles have a delicious and unique, complex flavor from the ginger and the 5-spice powder. The small crystallized ginger bits give you something to bite into and add a nice texture contrast to the chocolate. The truffles are not very sweet at all and the anise comes through quite strongly. If you’re not a fan of the unique, licorice-like flavor of anise, then I predict you won’t like these truffles. If you are, I think you’ll love them.
What’s in the truffles?
The ganache for the truffles is made with Chinese 5-spice powder, salt, crystallized ginger, unsalted butter, heavy cream and bittersweet chocolate.
The truffles are finished with unsweetened cocoa powder.
Ingredient notes:
- Be sure to chop the chocolate very finely because the finer the chocolate, the easier it will be to melt it. This is the most labor-intensive part of the recipe but it is well worth it.
- Don’t use chocolate morsels, those have stabilizers in them that prevent them from melting properly.
How to make the truffles:
See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!
Step 1. In a small saucepan, heat up heavy cream, butter, spice and a pinch of salt.
Step 2. As soon as the mix starts to boil, pour it over finely chopped bittersweet chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes.
Step 3. Stir the mix until it’s nice and uniform.
Step 4. Mix in finely chopped crystallized ginger. Let cool to room temperature.
Step 5. Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for 3 hours to let the chocolate solidify.
Grab a melon baller, a 2-teaspoon metal scoop with spring-loaded handle or a simple spoon. Scoop out the chocolate and roll it into small balls with your hands. (You want to work quickly here because the warmth of your hands will start to melt the chocolate quickly.)
Step 6. Roll each truffle in cocoa powder.
Recipe notes & tips:
- If you end up with unmelted pieces of chocolate, get a small pot of water to boil and set the bowl with the chocolate on it. Let the chocolate warm up enough until everything is melted.
Frequently asked questions:
Keep the truffles in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them.
Serve the truffles cold and be careful not to inhale before biting into them!
You can store the truffles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
More delicious chocolate treats:
- Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse Frosting8 Hours 25 Minutes
- 10-Minute Individual Chocolate Trifles with Mascarpone10 Minutes
- Dark Chocolate Espresso Pots de Creme (no-bake)3 Hours 15 Minutes
- Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Ganache13 Minutes
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!
Full Printable Recipe
Spiced Chocolate Ginger Truffles
Equipment:
- measuring cups and spoons
- knife and cutting board
- saucepan
- rubber spatula
- plastic wrap
- melon baller OR spring-loaded 2-teaspoon scoop OR spoon
Ingredients:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
- pinch of salt
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Ghirardelli 60 percent cacao bittersweet chocolate baking bars)*
- ¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
- unsweetened cocoa powder to roll the truffles in
Instructions:
- Add cream, butter, spice and salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Pour the hot cream mix over the chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.
- Stir together until everything is well combined and no large chocolate clumps remain. (You may need to heat the mixture over a pot of simmering water to get rid of the last clumps.)
- Stir in the crystallized ginger.
- Cover and put in the fridge for 3 hours.
- With a melon baller, a spring-loaded 2-teaspoon scoop or a spoon, scoop out the chocolate. Quickly roll into balls with your hands.
- Roll each ball in the cocoa powder.
- Keep the truffles in the fridge until you're ready to serve them and don't inhale when you bite into them.
Notes:
Nutrition Information (Estimated):
Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.
Hannah Hossack-Lodge (Domestic Gothess)
What an interesting flavour combination, I have never thought to use Chinese five spice in sweet recipes but it does makes sense to as all it’s individual components work well in sweet dishes. Lovely photo too (as always) :)
Nicole B.
Thank you, Hannah! It didn’t know exactly what to expect but it turned out really well. :)
Kevin | Keviniscooking
These sounds spectacular! I love the candied ginger and use it often, its a refreshing pop of flavor and I bet works perfectly in these.
Nicole B.
Candied ginger is awesome, isn’t it? I always keep a bag in the pantry. Need to work on incorporating it into recipes more often.
Kim | Low Carb Maven
Wow! What a flavor pairing. I love gingered whipped cream and love the suggestion with the spiced chocolate. I must try this. As always, lovely photography. I sometimes spend an hour just looking at the pictures on your site. Thanks for a lovely recipe.
Nicole B.
That is SUCH a nice compliment, thank you so much, Kim, I truly appreciate it. :)