Earl Grey Truffles are decadent and has orange, bergamot notes from Earl Grey tea in every creamy bite. They will make a lovely gift for the holidays, for dinner parties, or simply enjoy it with a cup of tea. The recipe is vegan and dairy-free!

Truffles are probably the easiest and underestimated dessert. For some reason, I gravitate towards them more during the holidays (it should really be a year-round thing). Last year, I shared a recipe for Fool Proof, 2 Ingredient Truffles I did for a cooking demonstration, which is super easy and absolutely fantastic. I used the same recipe as a guide for Earl Grey Truffles except these vegan and dairy-free. My friend Ruchi from The Tiffin Kitchen and I have been doing a monthly tea-focused collaboration and with holidays right around the corner, sharing these Earl Grey Truffles just felt right. Ruchi follows a dairy-free lifestyle so this is a little thank you to her for being such a wonderful friend this past year.

Earl grey is a quintessential black tea blend flavored with the oil of bergamot. Bergamot is a citrus fruit with the appearance and flavor somewhere between an orange and a lemon with a little grapefruit and lime thrown in. Calabria, in Southern Italy, is home to 80% of the commercially grown bergamot, followed by France and Turkey. Black tea used for Earl Grey is entirely up to the tea manufacturer and the tea master as it can be anything from Ceylon to Indian to African, or single blend or a blend of black teas from around the world.

I used Twinings Lady Grey for this recipe which has aromatic black tea blend and lots of orange, lemon, and citrus notes. Chocolate and orange combination is a pretty classic one and if you are into these flavors, I think you will enjoy it a lot. I couldn’t taste much of the black tea but orange/citrus notes shines through the rich, chocolate flavor in Earl Grey Truffles.

I like using ganache method for making truffles with 2:1 ratio for chocolate : heavy cream (or coconut milk for vegan, dairy-free alternate) and weigh each ingredient using a scale. Since the recipe calls for 2-3 ingredients, use the best ingredients possible, especially the chocolate so get that decadent Earl Grey Truffles.

There are lots of chocolate chips/chocolate chunks brands that are naturally vegan and dairy-free. Cacao and cocoa are two main ingredients we generally notice in chocolate products. Cacao is the seed (think of it as raw bean, minimally processed) from which chocolate is made and cocoa is a processed chocolate product, such as chocolate bars and powder. Cacao beans are processed with heat to roast them, the fat (cocoa butter) is then removed and what’s left is typically ground into a powder to form cocoa powder.

To keep things vegan and dairy-free, read the ingredients list to make sure it doesn’t contain milk, or milk-solids as the ingredient. Also, if you are concerned about allergies and cross-contamination, Enjoy Life is a brand that is free of dairy, nuts, gluten, and soy.

Heavy cream, which is 35% fats is typically used for making truffles but for vegan, dairy-free alternate, coconut milk from a can (~ 25% fat) is a wonderful substitute. The coconut flavor is non-existent in the truffles and are masked by the chocolate and bergamot flavors which I really appreciate.

So essentially you will need few basic ingredients, everyday kitchen tools, and 1 hour of your time to make these Earl Grey Truffles. These will last in the fridge for 7-10 days and can be gifted to your loved ones, make it part of your holiday table for your friends and families, or simply enjoy them with your cup of tea.

Earl Grey Truffles (Vegan and Dairy-Free)

For 1 dozen chocolate truffles

Ingredients
5 oz coconut milk from a can
1.5 heaping tablespoon Earl Grey tea leaves
8 oz chocolate chips or chunks (I used about 60% cacao)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
pinch of Maldon salt
cocoa powder, to roll

Directions

1. Bring a sauce pan to a gentle simmer with coconut milk and Earl grey tea leaves for 2-3 minutes. The milk will turn slightly brown/pale.

2. Add chocolate, coconut oil, and maldon salt to a medium heat-proof bowl such as glass or metal.

3. Use a fine mesh strainer over the bowl and pour the warm coconut milk over the chocolate and set aside for 5-7 minutes.

4. Whisk until smooth and shiny and mix everything well.

5. Pour the chocolate ganache into a shallow pan or a baking dish and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.

6. When ready, remove the ganache and scoop about 2 tablespoon each using a small cookie scoop. Roll each ball until smooth and place on a plate. Refrigerate for additional 30 minutes.

7. Roll each truffle with cocoa powder.

8. Transfer the coated truffles into a container with lid and keep it refrigerated for at least 2 weeks.