Raspberry & Ruby Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Fruity flavors and vibrant shades of pink, red, and purple make these ruby raspberry truffles an eye-catching dessert option for garden parties and summer celebrations.

You'll only need a few minutes to whip up these bite-sized chocolate treats, and you don't even need to turn on the oven (a plus on a sweltering summer day!) They're also suitable for gifting, require just five ingredients, and can be prepared several days in advance.

The hardest part about making this ruby truffle recipe? Allowing 2-3 hours for the ganache to set in the fridge. On the upside, you'll have plenty of time to relax and enjoy a color-coordinated beverage while you wait.

Ruby and Raspberry: A Perfect Pairing

Ruby chocolate, a new type of chocolate manufactured by Barry Callebaut, features a distinctive (and all-natural) shade of pink, as well as "fresh berry fruitiness" and a "slightly sour profile." Callebaut suggests pairing their RB1 ruby chocolate with earthy flavors such as saffron, basil, cinnamon, and mint, or even more adventurous ingredients like curry and wasabi.

As a recipe developer and pastry chef, I find that ruby's berry notes make this unique chocolate especially well-suited to fruit-focused couplings. And in fact, many chocolatiers and chocolate manufacturers now incorporate ruby into their product lines, often pairing it with ingredients like pomegranate, strawberry, mango, and passion fruit.

In this truffle recipe I've blended Callebaut's RB1 ruby chocolate with two forms of raspberries (freeze-dried raspberry powder, plus a homemade purée) and a hint of lime zest for a tart, fruity bite.

Tips for Preparing Ruby Truffles

When choosing your ingredients, opt for powdered freeze-dried raspberries rather than raspberry pieces or crushed whole berries. If you only have the latter on hand, use a food processor or coffee grinder to turn the pieces into a fine powder.

The chilled ruby-raspberry ganache should be firm enough to scoop, but not rock solid (think scoopable ice cream). The amount of chilling time required will vary depending on your refrigerator, so check the ganache periodically. And if scooping proves challenging, try dipping your melon baller in a mug of boiling water to make the process easier.

Making the Raspberry Purée

After blitzing the berries, add the purée to a strainer and use a bench scraper or the back of a metal spoon to push the mixture through the mesh. (Don't forget to scrape the underside of the strainer—most of the purée tends to collect here.) I recommend against skipping the straining step. In addition to giving the ganache an unpleasant texture, the seeds will get stuck in your teeth.

It's important to re-measure the raspberry purée after straining. Depending on your technique and the berries you've chosen, you might find yourself with a bit more purée than you need. Don't add extra liquid to the ganache mixture, or it might not set properly. Instead, save the leftover purée for your iced coffee, or stir it into yogurt or oatmeal instead.

Storing and Serving Ruby Truffle

Ruby truffles in cups photo credit Rebecca Frey

For optimal texture and flavor, allow the refrigerated truffles to sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes prior to serving. Softening brings out the creaminess and emphasises the contrasting flavors, creating a much more pleasant experience than biting into ice-cold ganache.

I like to present my homemade truffles in paper truffle cups. Inexpensive and readily available at most craft stores, truffle cups make serving less messy and add a professional finishing touch.

Ruby truffles will keep well in the refrigerator for about a week, but the longer they're refrigerated, the more raspberry powder they'll absorb. If this happens, simply re-roll each truffle in an additional layer of freeze-dried raspberries just prior to serving.

Ruby Raspberry Truffles Recipe

Ruby truffles and raspberries photo credit Rebecca Frey

Yields 20 1-inch round truffles

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fresh raspberries, strained and remeasured to 1/4 cup purée

1 1/2 cups Callebaut RB1 ruby chocolate callets (225 grams, or 8 ounces)

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons lime zest, packed

2 Tablespoons powdered freeze-dried raspberries, plus more for coating the truffles

Directions:

Place the raspberries in the bowl of a food processor and purée until smooth. If necessary, add a tablespoon of water to get the blades moving.

Pass the purée through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Remeasure to 1/4 cup purée.

Add the ruby chocolate callets to a double boiler. (If you don't have a double boiler, you can add the chocolate to a metal bowl and place it over a pot of simmering water to create a bain-marie, or hot water bath.)

Melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, combine the raspberry purée and whipping cream in a small saucepan. Gently warm the mixture over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in the lime zest.

Pour the warm cream mixture into the melted chocolate, and whisk briskly to combine. (As you whisk, you'll see the color change from pale pink to deep purple—this is normal!)

Whisk in the freeze-dried raspberries.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, or until firm enough to scoop.

Once firm, dip a 1-inch melon baller in hot water and scoop the ganache into 20 portions. Use your hands to shape the scoops into balls, then roll each ball in the freeze-dried raspberries.

Chill until ready to serve. Allow truffles to sit at room temperature for 15-30 minutes prior to serving.

Store ruby raspberry truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.