Truffle Shells

Premade truffle shells are a great alternative to creating your chocolate truffles from scratch. They are basically spherical hollow chocolate shells with an opening on one side so you can easily fill them with any fluid ganache, caramel, praline, fruit coulis, liqueur, or cream filling. You can buy chocolate truffle shells in a variety of cocoa compositions and sizes. They are most commonly available in a one-inch diameter shell size in dark, milk, and white varieties.

Empty truffle shells are ideal for making your own chocolate gifts in a jiffy. They are also a convenient option for small chocolate businesses to cope with times of peak demand. Because they are machine made, their size is perfectly standardised, which allows for a more consistent final product. Another advantage is that you can use them for very soft, gooey fillings that would otherwise be difficult to enrobe in chocolate. Truffle shell filling and sealing trays can further speed up production and make filling truffles easy and clean.

You don’t necessarily need to buy pre-made truffle shells from the market. You can also make them on your own, provided you have the right chocolate mould. A truffle shell mould is usually a two-piece magnetic mould which snaps into place once the chocolatier has deposited a layer of chocolate inside the mould cavity to create a hollow casing. After you fill the chocolate shell, flood the top with tempered chocolate to seal it and then enrobe the entire piece. To give your chocolate truffles the perfect finishing, roll them in cocoa powder, chocolate shavings, vermicelli, or garnish with fruit and nuts.