The rich aroma of dark chocolate meets the festive warmth of spiced fruit mince in this delightful treat that’s impossible to resist. This Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles Recipe blends classic holiday flavors into bite-sized, luxurious morsels — perfect for gifting or savoring with a cozy cup of tea.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients & Why They Work
- Make It Your Way
- Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles Recipe
- Top Tip
- How to Serve Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles Recipe
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Final Thoughts
- Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles Recipe
Why You'll Love This Recipe
I’ve always adored recipes that bring a twist to traditional flavors, and this Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles fit the bill perfectly. They evoke holiday nostalgia but with a luxurious chocolate coating that feels oh-so-special.
- Festive Flavor Fusion: Combining fruit mince with rich dark chocolate adds warmth and depth you won’t find in ordinary truffles.
- Make-Ahead Convenience: You can prepare these days in advance — perfect for a stress-free holiday season.
- Elegant Yet Simple: Despite looking fancy, the process is straightforward, even for beginner chocolatiers.
- Customizable Presentation: You can dress them up with cherries or let the chocolate speak for itself – ideal for gifting or festive entertaining.
Ingredients & Why They Work
The blend of creamy heavy whipping cream and high-quality dark chocolate creates the perfect ganache base, while the fruit mince introduces a lovely festive spice and fruity sweetness. Choosing the right type of chocolate and quality fruit mince really elevates these truffles.

- Heavy whipping cream: Using full-fat cream ensures a luscious, silky texture in your truffle ganache.
- Dark cooking chocolate (70% cocoa): The bitterness balances the fruity sweetness and spices, plus it melts beautifully.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds that cozy holiday spice that ties the flavors together.
- Fruit mince: I love homemade for its fresh, natural taste, but good store-bought fruit mince works well too — just pick one you enjoy eating on its own.
- Milk cooking chocolate: For coating, it gives a sweet, creamy contrast to the dark truffle center.
- White cooking chocolate: Perfect for drizzling or decorating – it adds a pretty touch and a sweeter note.
- Red glacé/candied cherries: They make the truffles festive and add a pop of color plus a chewy texture.
Make It Your Way
I like to tweak the amount of fruit mince depending on how intense I want the flavor – sometimes I add a touch more cinnamon for an extra festive kick. Don’t be shy about playing around with coatings: a dusting of cocoa or crushed nuts works beautifully too.
- Variation: Once, I swapped in orange zest into the ganache which boosted the freshness – it’s a nice twist if you like citrus flavors with your chocolate.
Step-by-Step: How I Make Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Step 1: Gently Melt the Cream and Chocolate Together
Start by heating your heavy cream in a small saucepan over low heat until it’s just about to boil, but don’t let it actually bubble – this helps prevent burning. Turn off the heat and add in the chopped dark chocolate, stirring gently until it melts fully into a smooth ganache. This step is key: if your chocolate overheats, it might seize and get grainy, so patience is everything here.
Step 2: Combine with Fruit Mince and Spice, Then Chill
After your ganache cools for about 5 minutes, stir in the ground cinnamon and fruit mince until evenly mixed. Pour this fragrant mixture into a lined dish and pop it in the fridge for 1½ to 2 hours until it firms up nicely but isn’t rock hard — perfect for scooping.
Step 3: Scoop and Shape Your Truffles
I find using a small ice cream scoop handy to get consistent-sized balls. If you find the mixture a bit too firm to roll, just let it rest at room temperature for 5–10 minutes, then press and roll firmly to compact. Placing the formed balls on a lined tray, chill them again for at least half an hour to let the shape set.
Step 4: Melt the Coating Chocolate and Dip
Melt your milk and white chocolates gently using a double boiler or microwave in short bursts, stirring frequently. Let the melted chocolates cool slightly to avoid melting your truffle centers when dipping. Using two forks, dip each ball completely in milk chocolate, remove excess coating by gently tapping on the bowl’s edge, then place back on the tray.
Step 5: Decorate and Set
Once the milk chocolate coating is set but still a little tacky, drop a small amount of the white chocolate on top and press half a glacé cherry onto each truffle for that classic festive look. Chill again until fully set — then you’re ready to indulge or wrap up for gifting.
Top Tip
After several tries, I’ve learned a few things that really make your Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles Recipe shine, so I’m happy to pass them on:
- Manage Ganache Temperature: Always cool the ganache before adding fruit mince — too warm and the mixture can get runny and tricky to shape.
- Melt Chocolate Gently: Using a double boiler prevents overheating and ensures smooth, glossy truffle coatings without graininess.
- Work Quickly, Chill Often: Take your time dipping the truffles, but refrigerate them frequently to keep the centers firm and prevent melting.
- Don’t Skip Lining the Dish: Using scrunched baking paper makes unmolding the truffle mix much easier and keeps your tray mess-free.
How to Serve Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles Recipe

Garnishes
I love topping the truffles with halved red glacé cherries—it lends a festive pop of color and a delightful chew. Sometimes, I sprinkle a little edible glitter or dust a few with cocoa powder for variety. These finishing touches make them festive and gift-ready.
Side Dishes
These truffles pair wonderfully with a warm mulled wine or spiced chai. I also enjoy serving them alongside a cheese platter with sharp cheddar and figs for a holiday gathering where sweet meets savory.
Creative Ways to Present
For holiday parties, I arrange the truffles in mini cupcake liners or beautiful holiday-themed paper cases. Another idea is to layer them gently in a glass jar tied with a festive ribbon — it’s a charming edible gift that looks as good as it tastes.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
Once made, I keep the truffles in an airtight container in the fridge — they stay fresh and flavorful for up to one week. I like to separate layers with baking paper to keep them from sticking together.
Freezing
I’ve frozen these truffles successfully in an airtight container for up to three months. The chocolate coating might develop a slight white bloom when thawed, but that doesn’t affect the flavor—just let them come to room temperature before serving.
Reheating
Since these are no-bake truffles, I don’t recommend reheating. Instead, bring them to room temperature to soften slightly, which makes the flavors and texture just perfect for enjoying.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! Store-bought fruit mince works fine. I recommend picking a good-quality, tasty brand, preferably vegetarian. Homemade fruit mince will add a fresher flavor, but store-bought is a great time saver.
For the ganache base, I use dark chocolate with about 70% cocoa solids for a nice balance of bitterness and sweetness, especially since the fruit mince adds its own richness. For coating, milk and white chocolates are perfect for their creamy sweetness and beautiful presentation.
You can store these truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. They keep well and the flavors deepen a bit over time! Just separate layers with baking paper to avoid sticking.
Yes, they freeze well for up to three months if stored in an airtight container. The chocolate might develop a white bloom after freezing, which is harmless. Just thaw them in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture.
Final Thoughts
This Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles Recipe has become one of my holiday staples — from the first smooth bite to the little cherry on top, it’s a beautiful mix of tradition and indulgence. I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy making and sharing these as much as I do; they really bring a bit of magic to the season. So grab your chocolate and fruit mince, and let’s add a homemade touch of sweetness to your Christmas celebrations!
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Christmas Fruit Mince Chocolate Truffles Recipe
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 18 truffles
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Western
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Christmas Fruit Mince Truffles combine rich dark chocolate and festive fruit mince for a decadent holiday treat. Coated in smooth milk and white chocolates, and topped with candied cherries, they are perfect for gifting or sharing at festive gatherings.
Ingredients
For the Fruit Mince Truffles:
- 125 ml (½ cup) heavy whipping cream
- 200 g (7 oz) dark cooking chocolate (70 % cocoa solids), finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅓ cup fruit mince (homemade or store bought)
For the Coating and Decoration:
- 180 g (6 oz) milk cooking chocolate
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) white cooking chocolate
- 9 red glacé/candied cherries, halved
Instructions
- Prepare dish: Line a small, flat dish (13 x 18 cm/7 x 5 inches) with non-stick baking paper and set aside a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
- Heat cream: Pour cream into a small saucepan and heat over low heat until just below boiling point, then turn off the heat.
- Add chocolate: Add the dark cooking chocolate to the hot cream and stir until melted and smooth.
- Mix fruit mince: Cool the mixture for 5 minutes, then stir in ground cinnamon and fruit mince until evenly combined.
- Chill mixture: Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and refrigerate for 1 ½ to 2 hours until firm.
- Shape truffles: Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop into small balls. If mixture is too firm, let it sit 5-10 minutes before rolling. Place each ball on the lined baking tray and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Melt milk chocolate: Break milk chocolate into pieces and melt over a bowl placed on barely simmering water, avoiding any water contact, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat once nearly melted and set aside to finish melting with residual heat. Alternatively, melt in microwave.
- Melt white chocolate: Repeat the melting process with white chocolate and allow both chocolates to cool for 15 minutes.
- Coat truffles: Dip each truffle one at a time into the melted milk chocolate, coating completely using two small forks to handle. Tap off excess chocolate and return to tray.
- Decorate truffles: If chocolate firms too quickly, gently reheat before continuing. When chocolate coating is set, add ½ teaspoon white chocolate on top of each truffle and place half a glacé cherry on top.
- Set and store: Place the tray in the fridge to set the coatings. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Separate layers with non-stick baking paper if stacking.
Notes
- Use full-fat thickened/heavy whipping cream (minimum 35% fat) for best flavor and texture.
- Prefer dark chocolate with 70% cocoa solids for the fruit mince truffles to balance the fruit mince's richness and alcohol content.
- Homemade fruit mince is ideal, but a good-quality store-bought vegetarian fruit mince can be used as well.
- Scrunch the baking paper before lining the dish to fit it easily; alternatively, use a bowl but chilling time may increase.
- Leftover melted chocolate can be mixed with nuts and set on baking paper for easy homemade treats or used to create chocolate freckles with sprinkles.
- Truffles can be frozen up to three months in an airtight container; chocolate may bloom but flavor remains excellent.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 truffle
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 20 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg


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