Hojicha Chocolate Truffles (Printable)

Bite-sized dark chocolate truffles infused with roasted hojicha tea for a sophisticated Japanese-inspired dessert experience.

# What You'll Need:

→ Ganache

01 - 7 oz good-quality dark chocolate (60–70% cacao), finely chopped
02 - 4 fl oz heavy cream
03 - 0.35 oz hojicha tea leaves (roasted green tea), or 2 tbsp loose leaf
04 - 0.7 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
05 - 1 tsp honey (optional, for subtle sweetness)

→ Coating

06 - 3 tbsp hojicha powder (finely ground roasted green tea)

# Method:

01 - Place the finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside.
02 - In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream just to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, add hojicha tea leaves, cover, and let steep for 7 minutes.
03 - Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing on the tea leaves to extract maximum flavor. Reheat if needed until just warm.
04 - Pour the infused cream over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 2 minutes, then gently stir until smooth and fully melted.
05 - Add the butter and honey (if using), stirring until glossy and well incorporated.
06 - Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the ganache is firm enough to scoop.
07 - Using a small spoon or melon baller, scoop out portions of ganache (about 0.5 oz each) and roll into balls between your palms.
08 - Place the hojicha powder in a shallow bowl. Roll each truffle in the powder to coat evenly.
09 - Arrange on a parchment-lined tray. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Allow to come to room temperature before serving for optimal texture.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They taste like you spent hours at a fancy chocolatier, but you made them in your own kitchen in under three hours.
  • Hojicha has this roasted, almost nutty warmth that makes these feel sophisticated without being pretentious.
  • Rolling them is meditative and honestly kind of fun once your hands warm up the ganache a little.
02 -
  • Don't skip the steeping time or rush it—7 minutes is when hojicha tea reaches its perfect balance of roasted depth without harsh bitterness, and I learned this by under-steeping once and getting something that tasted thin.
  • Room temperature is everything: room-temperature butter incorporates smoothly, room-temperature hands shape the truffles without cracking them, and room-temperature serving temperature is when the ganache actually melts on your tongue the way it should.
03 -
  • If your hojicha powder is coarse, grind it one more time in a spice grinder or coffee grinder to make it fine enough to dust evenly without clumping.
  • Keep a damp cloth nearby while rolling truffles so you can wipe your hands between batches—clean hands roll smoother truffles with fewer fingerprints.
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