This Champagne White Chocolate Truffle recipe will make you want to bust out the bubbly! Luscious white chocolate is combined with champagne to produce silky-smooth truffles that melt in your mouth. These beautiful homemade truffles are perfect for any celebration!
🍾 Homemade Champagne Truffles
Looking for the perfect treat to celebrate New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day, or any other super-special occasion? Champagne White Chocolate Truffles to the rescue!
These from-scratch truffles are made with luscious white chocolate and a potent champagne reduction, so every bite is rich and creamy, with a subtle fruity undertone from the champagne. Best of all, they’re easy to make at home! You just need a handful of ingredients and a few hours (but a lot of that is chilling time!).
If you love the sound of these truffles, don’t miss my ultra-festive Disco Truffles, romantic Rosemary Raspberry Truffles, or these insanely good Caramelized White Chocolate Truffles.
Table of Contents
🧾 Ingredients
As you might guess, the two most important parts of this truffle recipe are in the title: champagne and white chocolate! Here’s what else you’ll need to make these truffles:
- White chocolate: Use REAL white chocolate, please! The full explanation as to why, and my white chocolate recommendations, are just below.
- Champagne: No need to break the bank–any bubbly that you enjoy drinking works here!
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream or whipping cream will both work. I prefer heavy cream because of the higher fat content. More fat=more delicious!
- Unsalted butter: If you use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.
- White candy coating: This is what I use to coat the truffles. You could use more white chocolate, but a) that’s expensive, and b) it would need to be tempered in order to be stable at room temperature. I like the convenience of using easy-to-find white candy coating instead.
- Edible gold leaf: This one is DEFINITELY optional! Gold leaf adds a gorgeous shine to these truffles, making them worthy of any special occasion. But if you don’t have any, you can decorate them with gold sprinkles, gold food spray, or any other decorations you’d like!
What is White Chocolate?
Not all white chocolate is created equal! In fact, those white chocolate chips you buy at the store from Nestle or Ghirardelli? Those aren’t white chocolate at all! If you look closely at the packaging, you’ll notice that many of them are called simply “white chips,” sans any mention of chocolate.
By definition, white chocolate must contain cocoa butter, the fat that comes from the cocoa pod. Cocoa butter is the secret sauce that gives all real chocolate its signature smooth, silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
White chips contain a different fat, usually palm kernel oil. They are designed to hold their shape when baking, and are typically much waxier and less flavorful than actual white chocolate.
Because of these differences, the white chocolate you choose for this recipe has a big impact on the taste and texture of the truffles. I strongly recommend using real white chocolate–either chopped up white chocolate bars, or real white chocolate chips. If you do use “white chips,” the recipe will most likely work, but the ganache might be difficult to work with and you might be disappointed in the final flavor.
White Chocolate Recommendations
For real white chocolate bars, I recommend Lindt white chocolate. It’s widely available in stores, reasonably affordable (when compared to other white chocolates) and produces delicious white chocolate truffles.
For real white chocolate chips, you will probably have to search online or in specialty stores. In my experience, it’s difficult to find real white chocolate chips in a standard grocery store. My favorite chips to use are Callebaut white chocolate chips, which I buy in bulk online.
What Champagne To Use?
Picking a champagne is easy–just choose a cheap one! This is no time to break the bank on a rare and exquisite drink–all of that nuance will be lost by the time we add a bunch of white chocolate, anyhow. Any affordable champagne or prosecco that you enjoy drinking will be a great choice in this recipe.
Looking for a non-alcoholic alternative? Check out the FAQ section below!
🥄 Equipment
You don’t need any specialty tools to make these champagne truffles, but you might find the rolling and dipping process easier with a few handy candy gadgets.
- Small candy scoop: Using a small scoop saves SO much time! You’re guaranteed to get round balls that are basically the same size, which is a lifesaver when doing lots of truffles. I use and like this 2 tsp scoop.
- Dipping tools: Sure, you can use a dinner fork to dip your truffles. But if you’re going to be dipping candy regularly, it’s worth it to invest in a good set of dipping tools. The thinner tines and specially-designed handles make it a breeze to get neat truffles every time.
- Small saucepan:Because the quantities of liquid in this recipe are so small, a small 1-quart saucepan is very helpful.
📋 Instructions
How to Make Champagne Truffle Ganache
- First: the champagne reduction! This is a fancy term for “simmering champagne until some evaporates.” So pour your champagne into a small saucepan, set it over medium heat, and simmer until about half of it evaporates away. What you’re left with is champagne with a more concentrated flavor.
- Now bring heavy cream to a simmer, and pour it over a bowl of white chocolate, butter, and salt. Let it sit for a minute to soften the chocolate, then whisk well. It will be very thick.
- Add the champagne reduction and whisk again. This is your “ganache.” Press a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the ganache, and refrigerate for at least an hour, until firm enough to scoop.
- Scoop 1-inch balls of ganache. Dust your scoop with powdered sugar when it starts to get sticky.
- Roll the balls between your hands to make them round. Use that powdered sugar again!
- Once all the truffles are formed, refrigerate them again until they’re firm enough to dip, about 1 hour.
Dipping and Decorating the Champagne Truffles
- Once the truffles are firm, melt the white candy coating, and use dipping tools (or a dinner fork) to dip the truffles. Set them on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper or parchment to harden.
- If you want to decorate with edible gold leaf, anchor the gold leaf down with a small brush, and use a sharp knife to tear a small piece of gold leaf from the larger sheet. Transfer the piece of gold leaf on the tip of the knife to the truffle, and use the brush to gently brush/press it on the outer surface.
💡 Tips and FAQs
Avoiding Cracks in the White Chocolate
It’s not uncommon to see small cracks in the outer shell of dipped truffles. These cracks usually happen because cold truffles were dipped in warm chocolate or candy coating. As the truffle centers warm up, they expand, and create cracks in the shell. There are a couple ways to avoid this:
Let the Truffles Sit Out Overnight
This is actually my preferred way to make truffles, but because it takes so much longer, I recognize it’s not practical for many people, and offer it as a variation instead.
After you roll the truffles between your hands, they’ll have a light dusting of powdered sugar on the outside. Let them sit on the baking sheet at cool room temperature overnight, until they develop a “skin” on the outside. This skin allows them to be dipped at room temperature, so they don’t have the same problem with expanding and cracking the coating.
This method works best when you are able to keep your room cool (under 70 degrees) and if you have the time to wait overnight.
Keep the Truffles Cold
If the truffles are always kept refrigerated, they are less likely to warm up and crack the coating. This doesn’t always prevent cracks, and I don’t recommend this as a first choice because the flavor/texture of the truffles isn’t as good when it’s cold from the refrigerator. But if you are continually frustrated with cracked chocolate shells, it’s worth a try!
Non-Alcoholic Variation
No booze? No problem! You have 2 options for this recipe:
- To make truffles that taste similar to champagne truffles, use a nonalcoholic sparkling juice. Trader Joe’s makes an excellent “Sparkling White Grape Juice Chardonnay.” It doesn’t contain any alcohol, but it isn’t as sweet as many sparkling apple juice brands, so it has a similar “bite” and tang to champagne. You can use it in the recipe as written, without any other adjustments.
- You can omit the champagne entirely and use an additional 1/4 cup heavy cream, for a total of 1/2 cup cream. This will make standard white chocolate truffles. From here, you can add 1 tsp of flavoring extracts (or more to taste) to jazz them up a little!
Storage and Make-Ahead Instructions
The ganache can be made up to a week ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator with a piece of plastic wrap pressed down on top.
Dipped truffles should be stored in the refrigerator, and can be kept for up to a week. For the best taste and texture, let them sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
❤️ More Candy Recipes You’ll Love
- Caramelized White Chocolate Truffles
- Disco Truffles
- Marbled Easter Egg Truffles
- Rosemary Raspberry Truffles
- Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate Truffles
- Easy Microwave Fudge
- Truffle-Topped Heart Cake
- Box of Chocolates Cake
- Truffle-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Breaking Bad Candy Recipe
Rosemary Raspberry Truffles
Truffle-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Leave a Review!
If you make this recipe, let us know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe below, and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram @elabau, or use #sugarhero on IG!
Don’t miss the web story showing How to Make Champagne Truffles – see the whole web story here!
Champagne White Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients
- 12 oz white chocolate, (2 cups) chopped, see Note below
- 4 fl oz champagne, (1/2 cup)
- 2 fl oz heavy cream, (1/4 cup)
- 2 oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 16 oz white candy coating melts, (2 2/3 cups)
- 2 sheets edible gold leaf, for decorating, optional
Instructions
- Place the chopped white chocolate in a medium heat-safe bowl.
- Pour 1/2 cup of champagne into a small saucepan, and gently heat it over medium heat until it simmers. Let it simmer until it is reduced by half (so you end up with 1/4 cup), about 10 minutes. One you have 1/4 cup of concentrated champagne, remove it from the heat and pour it into a bowl.
- Pour the heavy cream into the same small saucepan and heat it over medium just until it starts to simmer. Once simmering, immediately pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate.
- Let the cream soften the chocolate for one minute, then whisk everything together until the chocolate is melted. The mixture will be very thick.
- Pour the reduced champagne into the white chocolate mixture and whisk until it is incorporated. Add the butter and salt, and whisk until smooth. Press a piece of plastic wrap on top of the white chocolate, and refrigerate until it is firm enough to scoop, about 1 hour.
- Once firm, use a candy scoop or a teaspoon to form small 1-inch balls. Dust your hands with powdered sugar, and roll the balls between your hands to get them perfectly round. Refrigerate the truffles until firm.
- Melt the white chocolate candy coating. Once completely melted and smooth, use a fork or dipping tools to dip each truffle in the white chocolate coating, and replace it on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
- Refrigerate the tray to set the white candy coating, for about 15 minutes.
- If you would like to decorate your truffles with edible gold leaf, anchor the gold leaf down with a small brush, and use a sharp knife to tear a small piece of gold leaf from the larger sheet. Transfer the piece of gold leaf on the tip of the knife to the truffle, and use the brush to gently brush/press it on the outer surface. Repeat with a few more small pieces of gold leaf until the truffle is decorated, then repeat with the rest of the candies.
- Store Champagne Truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. For the best taste and texture, let them sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Measuring Tips
Our recipes are developed using weight measurements, and we highly recommend using a kitchen scale for baking whenever possible. However, if you prefer to use cups, volume measurements are provided as well. PLEASE NOTE: the adage “8 oz = 1 cup” is NOT true when speaking about weight, so don’t be concerned if the measurements don’t fit this formula.
Want to learn more about baking measurements and conversion?
This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to give this a try! So excited!
Thanks, Beth! I hope you love them–let me know how they turn out for you!
These truffles look stunning. I bet they would make a lovely homemade gift all wrapped up.
LOVE that idea! (Would also love it if someone gave them to me…) 😉 Thanks Dannii!
This truffles recipe is so unique and fancy! These would be wonderful for parties or wedding showers.
Thanks Sharon! Agreed that these would be amazing edible favors for a special occasion!
This was really ahh-mazing! My kids couldn’t stop thinking about it!
Aaahhh I love hearing that! Thanks for the feedback Toni!
Oh my goodness, these are so beautiful! As soon as I saw them, I immediately thought they were perfect for New Year’s Eve parties … but you’re so right that they’re a lovely idea for celebrating Valentine’s Day, too! Heck … even for celebrating ANY day!!
Haha I couldn’t agree more! Any day’s a party with these babies! Thanks Shelley!
I made these truffles to put on top of a white chocolate mud birthday cake. Everybody loved them! They were so easy to make. Very indulgent, very delicious and loads of people asked me for the recipe!
Hi Nicki! I’m so thrilled to hear that you loved the truffles–using them as as cake topper is genius!
Such an elegant and festive treat to welcome in the new year! Love white chocolate so I know this will be a treat I make for years to come!
I agree these champagne white chocolate truffles look like the perfect new years treats. We plan on hosting a few ppl so well definitely make this. I love the gold decoration too!
Thank you! They are such a fun treat for gatherings!
These are so gorgeous! Pinned to make next weekend..can’t wait!!
Thanks Kristen! I love the gold leaf decor on them 🙂
Absolutely stunning! I am definitely trying these and would be packing them for my friends as well. So decadent.
I love that they taste as good as they look 🙂 Come back and let us know how they turned out!