No-bake Baileys chocolate truffles

Baileys chocolate truffles make the perfect after-dinner treat. There’s no baking involved – just mix, roll and coat and you have the perfect ending to a festive dinner party or a romantic dinner for two. Or why not whip up a batch and package them in a pretty box for a homemade gift with a difference.

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The perfect after-dinner treat

Let’s face it, there’s so much work involved in the kitchen during the festive season that anything that helps cut down on the cooking is bound to be welcomed with open arms.

When you’ve been cooking up a storm, preparing canapes, appetisers and mains, you don’t want to be spending any more time making a dessert than you need to. That’s where these delicious little truffles come into their own. You can prepare them a few days in advance and just keep them in a covered container in the refrigerator. And when the guests have eaten their fill you can just bring out a plate of these.

These chocolate truffles have quite a dense texture, and they are not too sweet. They are flavoured with just a hint of Baileys, which makes them the perfect after-dinner chocolates.

I think you are going to love these Baileys chocolate truffles:

• they are easy to make;
• they don’t need any baking;
• the kiddies can help with the rolling and coating;
• they make the perfect light make-ahead dessert;
• and they are incredibly moreish.

And let’s not forget the youngsters. Just swap out the Baileys for a couple of tablespoons of cream, cover with coloured sprinkles and the kiddies can tuck in too.

A bit like brandy balls

When I was little, I remember my Dad bringing home brandy balls from the local German delicatessen. These were much larger than these truffles but had the same texture and they were covered in chocolate sprinkles. My Mum cut off a small piece for me to taste, but I didn’t like them very much. My tastes have changed since those days, and I have to say, I LOVE these Baileys truffles 🙂

What do you need?

To make these Baileys chocolate truffles, you only need 4 main ingredients plus coconut and sprinkles for covering.

• biscuits – the choice is yours. I live in the UK and I used Nice biscuits, but you can use any plain sweet biscuit. If you can get hold of a packet of Biscoff, these would work well. And if you live in the US, I believe graham crackers would be the ones to use. South African readers can use Tennis biscuits, or even a packet of Marie biscuits.
• cocoa powder – for the chocolate flavour you will need cocoa powder. I used cocoa powder from the supermarket, labelled ‘for drinking and baking’. It doesn’t need to be anything special.
• condensed milk – this binds everything together and provides the sweetness.
• Baileys liqueur – I used the original flavour, but chocolate Baileys would add extra chocolate flavour to the truffles. If you are making these for children, substitute the Baileys with heavy or double cream.
• Shredded coconut and sprinkles – for coating the truffles.

Quick tip – If you have forgotten to buy Baileys (eek!) you can make your own too. My friend Karon has a great recipe for homemade Irish Cream Liqueur on her website. Why not give it a try.

How to make them

Start off by placing the biscuits in a plastic ziploc bag and crushing them with a rolling pin until they are well crumbled. If you have a food processor you can just whizz them around in there instead.

Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl. If you are going to be making some for the youngsters, divide the crumbs between 2 mixing bowls.

Now add the cocoa powder and the condensed milk. Once again, if you are making these for children just divide the cocoa powder and condensed milk between then two bowls. Then add either the Baileys, or the cream.

At this point, you need to get your hands in and mix everything together very thoroughly. You will end up with a ball of sticky dough that sticks to your hands. Place it in the refrigerator to harden for half an hour or so. You will find it easier to roll into balls if you do this.

Once the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and roll it into balls, about the size of glass marbles. Roll the balls in either coconut, chocolate sprinkles or coloured sprinkles. I normally roll the adult version (with Baileys) in coconut or chocolate sprinkles, and leave the coloured sprinkles for the kiddies version (with cream).

Place each ball into a small paper case, then refrigerate in a covered container until ready to serve. You can keep these in the refrigerator for up to a week. Just let them come to room temperature before serving.

As you will see from the image below, my biscuit crumbs still had tiny bits of biscuits in them. This is perfectly OK – as the truffles stand, the condensed milk and Baileys (or cream) will soak into the crumbs and soften them.

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Your questions answered

Other recipes

If you enjoyed these chocolate truffles, why not try some of my other sweet treats?

• Dom Pedro – a delicious cocktail made with Baileys and ice cream.
• Walnut crescent cookies – a German Christmas treat also know an Vanillekipferl.
• Boozy black forest trifle – a deliciously different trifle made with chocolate.
• Peppermint fridge tart – one of the most popular dessert recipes on the blog.