So these crunchy ones aren’t teeeechnically truffles … but if you ask a random person on the street what a truffle is, they are probably more likely to identify that it’s small, round and chocolaty rather than necessarily filled with something soft. That’s what I’m hoping, anyway, because ‘little, crunchy praline chocolate ball’ doesn’t flow off the tongue quite as well. The ganache ones, however, tick all those truffly boxes.

The reason I’ve made two different versions is because a) not everyone is partial to a crunch (not naming any names) and b) the feuilletine aren’t the easiest to get a hold of, so the ganache gives you an equally delicious option of what to do with your amazing, homemade praline paste.

On a Valentinesy note, if you’re not into big romantic gestures or, like most normal people, don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on some ridiculous stuffed Valentines toy that looks like a gift card personified and smells weird, making truffles for your loved one is a pretty wonderful way to say “I think you’re the bomb”.

Praline truffles, two ways: Crunchy Praline Truffles & Praline Ganache Truffles

Timings: Allow a couple of hours if you want to make both truffles, best to make them the day ahead of serving to allow proper chocolate setting time

Kitchen stuff: Baking paper or non stick baking tray, food processor, fridge space

Quantities: Crunchy praline truffles – makes about 30

Praline ganache truffles – Makes about 50

Hazelnut praline

250g granulated sugar

250g blanched & toasted hazlenuts

1 tsp vegetable oil (if making praline paste)

Praline ganache truffles

250g milk chocolate, chopped

125ml double cream

150g hazlenut praline

50 or so hazlenuts (if you want a nut centre)

Cocoa powder for dusting

Extra milk or dark chocolate for coating the truffles

Extra white chocolate for drizzling

Crunchy praline truffles

60g white chocolate

80g feuilletine, (basically little crispy flakes with a caramelly flavour), some say you can substitute cornflakes but I haven’t tried this myself

250g praline paste

Extra milk or dark chocolate for coating the truffles

Extra white chocolate for drizzling

Praline Paste

1. Add the sugar to a heavy based saucepan on a low heat with no water. Do not use a non stick pan. As it starts to melt and caramelise, you can give it a stir with a metal spoon until the caramel is clear and golden amber (see photos below). Add the hazelnuts to the pan and stir to coat them. Pour them out onto a non stick baking tray or onto baking paper on a tray. Leave to cool and don’t put it in the fridge!

2. When the hazelnuts are cool and the caramel has hardened, smash them up a bit and add to a food processor. Turn the food processor on to max and mix until ground into a breadcrumb consistency – this is hazelnut praline. This keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge.

3. To make praline paste, continue to process until oil starts coming out of the nuts then add the tsp veg oil and keep blitzing until you have a smooth paste. There’s your praline paste! To clean your pan, pour boiling water into the pan and let the caramel dissolve before pouring the liquid away and cleaning the pan normally.

If you’re making both truffle varieties, keep half as praline and blitz the other half into praline paste

Praline ganache truffles

1. To make your ganache, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Whilst the chocolate is melting, heat the double cream in a little saucepan until lightly simmering. Pour the warm cream into the melted chocolate and stir using a spatula or a spoon – no whisking as you don’t want air in your ganache.

2. Add the hazelnut praline to the cream and chocolate and mix together. Put the ganache in the fridge for a few hours to set. Once set, using a teaspoon, scoop spoons of the mixture, put a hazelnut into the centre and roll the ganache around the hazelnut into a ball. Coat the truffles in cocoa powder.

3. You can then eat them as they are or you can dip them in melted chocolate. To coat in melted chocolate, melt the chocolate of your choice in a heatproof bowl over simmering water then dunk the ganache balls in the chocolate. Drain them using a fork and leave to set on a sheet of baking paper. Once the chocolate has set, melt some white chocolate the same way (only a little needed). Using a spoon, drizzle the white chocolate across the truffles and leave to set. Keep in the fridge!

Crunchy praline truffles

1. Melt your white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, make sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir until all the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and let it cool slightly. Stir in the praline paste and the feuilletine flakes until all combined. Put the mixture in a shallow container and move to the freezer and let the mixture solidify. Once the mixture has solidified a bit, use a teaspoon to scoop spoons of the mixture and roll them into balls.

2. To coat in melted chocolate, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water then dunk the crunchy praline balls in the chocolate. Drain them using a fork and leave to set on a sheet of baking paper for the chocolate to solidify. Once the chocolate has set, melt some white chocolate the same way (only a little needed). Using a spoon, drizzle the white chocolate across the truffles and leave to set. Keep in the fridge, or even the freezer for serious crunch.

*Note on the chocolate coating – if you are familiar with chocolate tempering, please feel free to temper your chocolate when you melt it. I am not, so I didn’t, which is why my truffles were best kept in the fridge.