Chocolate Peanut Butter Whiskey Truffles - Handle the Heat

Chocolate Peanut Butter Whiskey Truffles

  |  
February 22nd, 2021
5 from 6 votes
5 from 6 votes

Fudgy chocolate filling is amped up with a hint of peanut butter and a shot of whiskey then enrobed in a snappy chocolate coating. Every bite is heaven!

Yield: 25 truffles

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Tessa's Recipe Rundown...

Taste: Just the right amount of booze to enhance the classic combo of chocolate + peanut butter.
Texture: The filling is thick, smooth, and. fudgy while the chocolate coating and peanuts on top are wonderfully crunchy.
Ease: This recipe is a bit messy and requires several chilling periods but it’s a super fun weekend project.
Pros: Perfect treat for a boozy holiday like St. Patrick’s Day!
Cons: None.
Would I make this again? Absolutely.

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I think you’re going to LOVE these Chocolate Peanut Butter Whiskey Truffles.

easy homemade chocolate peanut butter whiskey truffles with peanuts sprinkled on top

If you’ve never tasted the combination of whiskey and peanut butter… you’re in for a treat.

Add chocolate to the mix? Well then you’ve got little balls of chocolate covered bliss in every bite.

This is a great adult treat for boozy holidays like St. Patrick’s Day. You can make them ahead of time and they’re super easy to transport.

homemade chocolate peanut butter whiskey truffles on parchment paper

Tips for Making Chocolate Peanut Butter Whiskey Truffles

Just 6 ingredients for these chocolate truffles:

  • Semisweet baking chocolate – not chocolate chips which don’t melt smoothly
  • Unsalted butter
  • Creamy peanut butter – use the conventional option with added oil, not the natural stuff!
  • Heavy cream
  • Whiskey (or rum)
  • Tempered chocolate

How to make chocolate peanut butter whiskey truffles:

peanut butter, chocolate, and butter in a heatproof bowl

  1. Make the truffle filling. In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate, butter, peanut butter, and cream. Remove from heat and stir in the whiskey.
  2. Refrigerate the truffle filling. This takes 2 hours or until solid enough to be scoopable (see more about scooping below).
  3. Roll into balls. Tips for shaping chocolate truffles are below.
  4. Chill the truffles until firm. This takes about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  5. Coat in chocolate. Dip the balls in tempered chocolate with a fork or chocolate dipping tool.
  6. Let the truffles set, then enjoy!

Do you have to use tempered chocolate?

bowl of tempered chocolate for coating chocolate truffles

In short, yes. Using tempered chocolate is the best way to ensure a smooth, shiny, snappy coating and truffles that stay nice and hard for days.

Truffles made without tempered chocolate will get overly soft and melty.

Be sure to check out my full article on How to Temper Chocolate.

If you don’t want to temper chocolate, you can instead melt 10 ounces of freshly chopped with 1 teaspoon refined coconut oil or shortening. Coconut oil and shortening are both firm at room temperature and solid when chilled. This will help the chocolate coating to set up better. You’ll just need to serve the truffles chilled.

How to shape truffles:

chocolate truffles being shaped in a cookie scoop and put on a piece of parchment paper

comparison of shaped vs unshaped homemade chocolate truffles

  1. Use a spring loaded cookie scoop, to make quick work of shaping perfectly uniform truffles. It’s important that the truffle mixture be chilled, otherwise it’ll just be a mess and your balls won’t hold their shape. Make sure the mixture isn’t so cold that it’s rock hard otherwise you may damage your scoop. More about cookie scoops in the paragraph below!
  2. Pop the scoops of truffle filling onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate until slightly hardened, about 15 minutes. This makes them MUCH easier to roll into smooth balls.
  3. Roll the balls between your palms to smooth into even spheres. Use disposable gloves to prevent your hands from melting the chocolate. Or, dip your hands in ice water every few minutes as you roll the truffles. If the chocolate begins to melt too much, return to the fridge.

More tips for making chocolate truffles in my How to Make Chocolate Truffles recipe!

Using a Spring-Loaded Cookie Scoop for Making Truffles

My cookie scoop is one of my most frequently used kitchen gadgets – and not just for cookies! Using a stainless steel spring-loaded cookie scoop saves you *so much time* in forming perfectly round, evenly-sized truffles. 

How to store truffles:

Truffles can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

More Chocolate Recipes to Try:

Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.

5 from 6 votes

How to make
Chocolate Peanut Butter Whiskey Truffles

Yield: 25 truffles
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Chilling time 2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
Fudgy chocolate filling is amped up with a hint of peanut butter and a shot of whiskey then enrobed in a snappy chocolate coating. Every bite is heaven!

Ingredients

For the truffles:

  • 8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1/2 cup (135 grams) creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons whiskey

For the coating:

  • 10 ounces (283 grams) tempered chocolate*
  • Finely chopped peanuts, for garnish, if desired

Directions

Make the truffle filling:

  1. Place the chocolate, butter, peanut butter, and cream in the heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is melted and smooth.
  2. Remove from heat. Stir in the whiskey.
  3. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 hours or overnight or until solid enough to be scoopable.
  4. Use a small 1-Tablespoon spring-loaded scoop to form mounds of chocolate onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

  5. Roll the mounds into balls with the palms of your hands. If the mixture gets too warm and melts, return to fridge for 15 minutes before continuing to roll.
  6. Return the truffles to the baking sheet and chill for another 30 minutes, or until firm.

Coat in chocolate:

  1. Dip the balls in tempered chocolate. For smooth results, use a fork or chocolate dipping tool to completely plunge the ball in chocolate. Lift up and tap the hand holding the fork to allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Use a toothpick to gently slide the dipped truffled onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
  2. Sprinkle with chopped peanut before the chocolate sets, if desired. Repeat with remaining balls, wiping off your fork with a paper towel after every couple truffles. Let the truffles set completely before serving or storing.
  3. The truffles can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe Notes

*If you don’t want to temper chocolate, you can instead melt 10 ounces of freshly chopped with 1 teaspoon refined coconut oil or shortening. You’ll just need to serve the truffles chilled.
Course : Dessert
Cuisine : American
Keyword : chocolate peanut butter whiskey truffles, chocolate truffles
Tessa Arias
Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Tessa Arias

About Tessa...

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)

Find Tessa on  

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Recipe Rating




  1. #
    Tammy — November 24, 2023 at 10:38 am

    These were fantastic! Tempering the chocolate takes some patience, but totally worth it.

  2. #
    Lisa — September 29, 2022 at 9:41 pm

    This recipe was delicious. I doubled the recipe and ended up with 80 truffles. I used Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey in them. They were rich and creamy and melted in your mouth, Will definitely be making these again.

  3. #
    K3elly — March 14, 2022 at 12:25 pm

    Mine didn’t look as pretty as the picture, but no one cared they were a big hit! I’m asked to make them all the time.

  4. #
    Suzanne Hummel — March 4, 2022 at 11:12 am

    Is there anything you can think of that would be suitable to use in place of the whiskey, or could it just be eliminated?

    • #
      Emily — March 8, 2022 at 11:32 am

      Feel free to omit! You may be interested in our regular Chocolate Truffles recipe as well, which includes many other customization ideas 🙂 Enjoy!

  5. #
    Nikki — March 8, 2021 at 4:23 am

    I like all the items related to the chocolate and Peanut Butter and the combinations of both are great. It also looks dilicious. I’ll try for sure.

  6. #
    Mary — March 2, 2021 at 1:49 pm

    These are delicious! My first time making truffles and tempering chocolate. Thanks to your guidance, I did pretty good for my first time. Some of my truffles were streaked. What causes this to happen?
    Thank you for a great recipe and tutorial. I think a Thermapen like yours would make things easier!

  7. #
    Malissa — February 25, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    These are great! Accidentally used reduced fat wafers but they turned out perfectly using this recipe as written. Can’t wait to give some as gifts.

    • #
      Tessa — February 26, 2021 at 11:14 am

      I’m so glad you tried these truffles out!

  8. #
    Mary — February 23, 2021 at 9:32 am

    What kind of whiskey do you recommend? Thank you!

    • #
      Elizabeth A Czebieniak — March 12, 2021 at 8:22 am

      What kind of whiskey should I use?

      • #
        Tessa — March 12, 2021 at 10:29 am

        Any kind of whiskey you’d like should work!

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