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These Pistachio Truffles made with pistachio butter are so easy to whip up with just 5 ingredients. They’re the perfect no bake Dessert truffles for the holiday season and all your Christmas cookie exchanges.
This Pistachio Truffle recipe makes a nice small batch of candies that are easily made into a delicious snack for anytime nibbles. But this great recipe can be doubled, no problem, for gift giving.
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Pistachio butter
Have you tried pistachio butter? It’s OMG good! And it makes the best truffle recipe! It’s what’s inside those viral Dubai chocolates that everyone’s talking about.
Nutty, creamy, delicious, like nothing you’ve ever tasted before.
What is pistachio butter? It’s smashed up pistachios, just like peanut butter or almond butter. It may also be called pistachio cream.
Its only downfall is that it’s a bit pricey, and might be difficult to find.
My grocery store carries a store brand, which is really good. I’ve found it at Sprouts and all the health food stores. I’ve even found a handmade one at the farmer’s market. If you can’t find it at the store, buy it on Amazon with my affiliate link.
You can also make your own pistachio butter by toasting pistachios in the oven and then processing them in the food processor with a pinch of salt. But honestly, who has time for that?
Keep in mind that brands vary. Sometimes they add sugar, more salt, and oil. So, some may be sweeter or thicker or saltier.
For more great recipes using pistachios, check out my collection of Great Pistachio Recipes.
How do you make homemade truffles?
These Pistachio butter truffles are super easy to make. With just a little effort, you’ll get creamy, nutty, sweet, and delicious truffles that are the perfect bite for dessert. They also make great edible handmade gifts for the holiday season.
Be sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card below for full instructions and ingredient amounts.
make the filling
Using a sturdy fork, a hand mixer, or a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, pistachio butter, butter, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined and lightened in color.
I think for a small batch, just using the fork makes sense – you don’t have to dirty too many things. But if you were to make a double or triple batch, I’d suggest using a mixer to do the work for you.
Divide into 8 or 16 portions. For this step, just keep dividing the dough in half until you get the desired amount. I really like the smaller bite sized 16 pieces. But, with 8 pieces they are bigger, and might be more impressive as a gift or in a cookie tray. Your choice on the size.
You can also use a small ice cream scoop, about 1 tablespoon in size, to divide the truffle mixture into small balls.
Using your hands, roll into balls and place on a parchment paper lined tray. Freeze for 15 minutes.
melt the chocolate
This next step is to help you temper the chocolate so that it’s nice and shiny.
Microwave two thirds of the chopped chocolate in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup at 50 % power, stirring every 30 seconds, until nearly melted, about 2 to 3 minutes total. Stir in the remaining chocolate until melted and smooth. Return the chocolate to the microwave if not fully melted, and heat in 5 second blasts, stirring between each one, until smooth.
More tips on the chocolate dipping below.
dip them
Drop one pistachio butter ball in the melted chocolate. Using forks, gently flip the ball to coat it. Lift the truffle out using a fork and allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Place the truffle on a parchment paper lined tray.
Sprinkle truffles with something fun and pretty before refrigerating. Flaky sea salt like Fleur de sel gives a salty-sweet treat. Chopped nuts like chopped pistachios will give an idea of what’s inside. Roll the truffles in finely chopped nits so they’re completely covered. Sprinkles and cocoa powder are also fun toppings.
Garnish with chopped nuts or sea salt on top of the chocolate as desired.
For another great chocolate covered treat, check out my Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Crisps.
Repeat with remaining truffles. If you find that the dough is getting soft and you’re having trouble dipping it, pop it back in the freezer to harden up again.
Place the tray in the fridge, uncovered, until the chocolate has hardened, about 10 minutes.
Tips for dipping in chocolate
Dipping the truffles in chocolate might be the most intimidating part of this dessert. But don’t worry, it’s pretty easy, and even if they don’t look perfect, no one will care because of how delicious they are.
That being said, here are some tips for dipping the truffles in chocolate.
Temper the chocolate to make sure the finished truffle is shiny and glossy. Those instructions for tempering are in the recipe card.
And, tempering is just a fancy word for heating and cooling chocolate to stabilize it for making candies.
Be sure to use pure baking chocolate or chocolate melting wafers. Don’t use chocolate chips for this; they’re designed not to melt.
Look on the baking aisle for good quality chocolate. Semi-sweet, bittersweet chocolate, or milk chocolate will all work here.
Drop the dough ball in the melted chocolate, flip it over, and lift it out with a fork. Lightly shake the fork a bit over the melted chocolate to shake off any excess and let it drip down.
Place the chocolate coasted pistachio truffle on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. You can use a toothpick or another fork to slide the ball off the fork and onto the lined baking sheet.
If your chocolate is too thick, you can add a teaspoon of vegetable oil or coconut oil to it.
Try to work quickly as you dip the truffles. If you find that the dough is too soft you can place it back in the freezer for a few minutes to harden up.
If the chocolate turns hard, just pop it back in the microwave for about 10 seconds to melt it again.
Unique truffle flavors
Truffles are a great addition to any cookie tray.
You’ll want to try Salted Caramel Coffee Truffles, Cookie dough truffles, Cookies & Cream Football truffles, and my delicious Peanut Butter Cookie Truffles.
Yes, you may absolutely use different nut butters here.
Keep in mind some brands and types of butters are softer or sweeter than others, so you may need to add a little more sugar or butter, or keep the dough balls in the freezer to get them to harden up for chocolate dipping.
I would also recommend using a creamy nut butter rather than a chunky one to keep the filling soft and truffle-like. But you can also go with chunky if you prefer that.
Absolutely! This recipe makes a small batch, just 16 bite-sized truffles. If you want to share these, I highly recommend doubling or even tripling this recipe. The recipe card will do those calculations for you too!
Can I make these ahead?
Yes, this is a great make ahead dessert treat!
You can make the pistachio filling 1 day ahead of time. The shaped balls can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to 1 day prior to chocolate coating. They keep well for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
The completed truffles can also be frozen. Place them in a freezer safe air-tight container with parchment paper in between. Freeze the candies for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to eat them, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
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Recipe
Pistachio Truffles
Ingredients
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup pistachio butter
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- pinch salt
- 4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped
Instructions
- Using a sturdy fork, a hand mixer, or a stand mixer, cream together the sugar, pistachio butter, butter, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined and lightened in color.
- Divide into 8 or 16 portions. Using your hands, roll into balls and place on a parchment paper lined tray. Freeze for 15 minutes.
- Microwave two thirds of the chopped chocolate in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup at 50 % power, stirring every 30 seconds, until nearly melted, about 2 to 3 minutes total. Stir in the remaining chocolate until melted and smooth. Return the chocolate to the microwave if not fully melted, and heat in 5 second blasts, stirring between each one, until smooth.
- Drop one pistachio butter ball in the melted chocolate. Using forks, gently flip the ball to coat it. Lift the truffle out using a fork and allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Place the truffle on a parchment paper lined tray. Garnish with chopped nuts or sea salt on top of the chocolate as desired.
- Repeat with remaining truffles. Place the tray in the fridge, uncovered, until the chocolate has hardened, about 10 minutes.
- Truffles can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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