Salted caramel truffles are the kind of chocolate confection that make people lean in closer and ask, “Wait, you made these?” They look elegant, taste luxurious, and deliver that addictive sweet-salty contrast that’s impossible to resist. Despite their fancy reputation, these truffles are surprisingly approachable for home cooks willing to spend about 30 minutes of active time in the kitchen—plus some patience while they chill.
What makes this recipe special is the texture. The ganache shell is silky and melts on your tongue, while the caramel center stays soft and gooey even after setting. The flaky sea salt on top isn’t just decorative—it cuts through the richness and brings out the depth of both the chocolate and caramel. This is the recipe to pull out when you need homemade gifts that actually impress, when you’re hosting a dinner party and want a memorable finale, or when you simply want to treat yourself to something truly indulgent without the bakery markup.
*Before You Start: You’ll find more explanation here than a basic recipe. That’s intentional—the aim is to educate, not just instruct.
What Makes These Truffles Worth Your Time
❃ Only 5 core ingredients: heavy cream, sugar, butter, dark chocolate, and salt. No weird additives or hard-to-find stabilizers.
❃ Make-ahead friendly: These truffles hold beautifully in the fridge for up to two weeks, and they freeze perfectly for three months.
❃ Customizable coatings: Roll them in cocoa powder, drizzle with tempered chocolate, or leave them plain with just a sprinkle of salt.
❃ No special equipment needed: A good saucepan, a whisk, and a fridge. That’s it. No candy thermometer required if you know what to look for.
❃ Seriously impressive results: They look and taste like they came from a $40-per-box chocolatier, but cost a fraction to make at home.
Your Minimal but Mighty Ingredient Lineup
For the Salted Caramel Center:
• ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar. Regular white sugar works perfectly. Don’t use brown sugar here—it changes the texture.
• 3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter. Must be room temperature so it blends smoothly without breaking the caramel.
• ⅓ cup (80ml) heavy cream. Warm it slightly before adding to avoid temperature shock that can seize the caramel.
• ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt. Maldon or fleur de sel work beautifully. Skip table salt—it’s too harsh.
For the Chocolate Ganache Shell:
• 8 ounces (225g) dark chocolate (60–70% cacao). Use good quality chocolate here. Ghirardelli, Guittard, or Valrhona all work well. Chocolate chips won’t give you the same smooth texture.
• ½ cup (120ml) heavy cream. Full-fat only. Light cream won’t set properly.
• 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter. This gives the ganache a glossy finish and silkier mouthfeel.
For Finishing:
Flaky sea salt. For topping each truffle
Optional coatings: cocoa powder, melted chocolate for drizzling, crushed pretzels, or shredded coconut
Storage note: Keep finished truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll stay fresh for 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Let’s Make Them — Step by Step
1 Make the Salted Caramel
Add the sugar to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Don’t stir at first—just let it sit and start melting. Once you see liquid forming around the edges (about 3–4 minutes), gently swirl the pan to help the sugar melt evenly. Continue cooking until all the sugar has dissolved and turned a deep amber color, like the shade of an old penny. This takes 8–10 minutes total. Watch carefully in the final minutes—caramel goes from perfect to burnt quickly.
2 Add Butter and Cream
Remove the pan from heat and immediately add the butter. It will bubble aggressively—this is normal. Whisk until the butter is fully incorporated, then slowly drizzle in the warm heavy cream while whisking constantly. The mixture will bubble and steam, so pour carefully. Once smooth, stir in the flaky sea salt. The caramel should look glossy and pourable, not grainy. If it seems too thick, return it to low heat for 30 seconds and whisk again.
3 Chill the Caramel
Pour the caramel into a shallow dish or bowl and let it cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator for 1–2 hours until firm enough to scoop. You want it cold but still slightly pliable—like the texture of soft fudge. If it gets too hard, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before shaping.
4 Shape the Caramel Centers
Once firm, use a small cookie scoop or teaspoon to portion out the caramel into 20–24 small pieces (about 1 teaspoon each). Quickly roll each portion between your palms to form rough balls. They don’t need to be perfect—they’ll be covered in chocolate. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. This firm freeze ensures they won’t melt when you dip them in warm ganache.
5 Make the Chocolate Ganache
Finely chop the dark chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it just begins to simmer (tiny bubbles around the edges—don’t let it boil). Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it sit undisturbed for 2 minutes. This allows the chocolate to melt gently. Add the butter, then whisk from the center outward until completely smooth and glossy. The ganache should be warm but not hot—about body temperature is perfect for coating.
6 Coat the Truffles
Remove the caramel centers from the freezer. Drop one caramel ball into the ganache and use a fork to roll it around until fully coated. Lift it out with the fork, gently tap the fork against the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate, then slide it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle the top with a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt before the chocolate sets. Repeat with remaining caramels. If the ganache gets too thick while working, warm it gently over a double boiler or in 10-second microwave bursts.
7 Set and Serve
Refrigerate the coated salted caramel truffles for at least 1 hour until the chocolate shell is completely firm. For the best texture and flavor, bring them to cool room temperature (not warm) about 15 minutes before serving. The slight chill keeps the caramel center gooey while the chocolate stays snappy.
8 Optional Decoration
For a more polished look, drizzle the set truffles with melted chocolate using a fork or piping bag. You can also roll them in cocoa powder instead of the chocolate coating—just skip the ganache step entirely and roll the chilled caramel balls directly in Dutch-process cocoa powder for a rustic truffle style.
Tiny Details That Make a Big Difference
❃ Temperature control is everything. If your caramel seizes or becomes grainy, it usually means the cream was too cold when added. Always warm the cream to at least room temperature, ideally slightly warmer.
❃ Don’t skip the freezer step. Coating room-temperature caramel centers in ganache creates a muddy mess. The frozen centers stay intact when dipped and create that distinct layer separation that makes these truffles special.
❃ Use a kitchen scale. Weight measurements for chocolate and sugar give you consistent results every time. Volume measurements for chocolate especially can vary wildly depending on how it’s chopped, leading to ganache that’s too thick or too thin.
❃ Quality chocolate matters more here than almost any other recipe. Since there are so few ingredients, each one plays a starring role. Supermarket chocolate bars often contain stabilizers that prevent smooth melting. Look for chocolate labeled “couverture” or bars from the baking aisle with simple ingredient lists: cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter, maybe vanilla.
❃ For gift-giving, layer them in boxes with parchment. These truffles can stick together if stacked directly. Cut small squares of parchment paper to separate layers, and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to transport. They can sit at room temperature for several hours without issue, making them travel-friendly for parties.
What’s Inside (If You Care About the Numbers)
Based on 24 truffles:
• Calories: 145
• Total Fat: 10g
• Saturated Fat: 6g
• Carbohydrates: 14g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 12g
• Protein: 1g
• Sodium: 45mg
❃ Nutrition information is estimated based on standard ingredients and may vary depending on the specific products used.
Everything You’re Probably Wondering Right Now
➲ Can these be made with milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate?
Absolutely, though the ganache ratio needs adjusting. Milk chocolate has more sugar and less cocoa butter, so reduce the cream to ⅓ cup instead of ½ cup. The truffles will be sweeter and less intense, but still delicious. White chocolate works too with the same cream reduction, though it creates a much sweeter final product.
➲ Why did my caramel harden into a solid block instead of staying soft?
This usually happens when the caramel is cooked too long or at too high a temperature. Darker caramel = harder final texture. For soft, gooey centers, stop cooking when the caramel reaches a medium amber color (think iced tea, not coffee). You can also add an extra tablespoon of cream to keep things softer. If it’s already too hard, warm it gently with a bit more cream and let it re-set.
➲ How do these hold up at room temperature?
They’re stable for 3–4 hours at typical room temperature (68–72°F). In warmer conditions or summer weather, the chocolate shell may soften and lose its snap, though they’ll still taste great. For outdoor events or warm rooms, keep them chilled until the last possible moment, or serve them on a platter over ice.
➲ Can the recipe be doubled?
Yes, with one caution: make the caramel in batches rather than doubling the pan size. Large amounts of sugar take much longer to caramelize evenly and are harder to control. The ganache, however, doubles beautifully with no issues. You’ll just need more refrigerator space for setting the larger batch.
A Sweet Ending — Literally and Figuratively
These salted caramel truffles deliver on every level—they’re beautiful to look at, deeply satisfying to eat, and genuinely achievable for home cooks who might feel intimidated by candy-making. The combination of dark chocolate, buttery caramel, and flaky salt creates that balanced complexity that keeps you reaching for just one more. Once you’ve mastered the basic technique, the variations are endless: add a splash of bourbon to the caramel, roll them in crushed freeze-dried raspberries, or use different chocolates for the coating.
If you loved this recipe, try making Our:
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Drop a comment below if you make these and let everyone know how they turned out. Did you add any creative flavor twists? Tag your photos on Instagram or save this recipe to Pinterest so you can find it when gift-giving season rolls around. These salted caramel truffles have a way of becoming the recipe people ask you to make again and again.
Salted Caramel Truffles: Silky Chocolate & Gooey Caramel
Ingredients
For the Salted Caramel Center:
- ¾ cup 150g granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons 42g unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅓ cup 80ml heavy cream, slightly warmed
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
For the Chocolate Ganache Shell:
- 8 ounces 225g dark chocolate (60-70% cacao), finely chopped
- ½ cup 120ml heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon 14g unsalted butter
For Finishing:
- Flaky sea salt for topping
- Optional: cocoa powder melted chocolate for drizzling, or crushed pretzels
Instructions
- Make the Caramel: Add sugar to a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Let it melt without stirring, then swirl the pan gently. Cook until deep amber, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, whisk in butter, then slowly add warm cream while whisking. Stir in salt until smooth.
- Chill and Shape: Pour caramel into a shallow dish. Cool 15 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate 1-2 hours until firm. Scoop into 24 small portions (1 teaspoon each) and roll into balls. Freeze 30 minutes.
- Make the Ganache: Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream until just simmering, pour over chocolate, and let sit 2 minutes. Add butter and whisk until smooth and glossy.
- Coat the Truffles: Drop frozen caramel balls one at a time into ganache. Use a fork to coat completely, tap off excess, and transfer to parchment paper. Immediately sprinkle with flaky salt. Refrigerate 1 hour until set.
- Serve: Bring to cool room temperature 15 minutes before serving for the best texture. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
