A luxe addition to your next charcuterie board: Chocolate-covered goat cheese truffles. The tangy goat cheese pairs surprisingly well with chocolate. And the texture is perfect for spreading on a biscuit or cracker. Surprisingly affordable, too!

On a recent visit to the St. Paul Farmer’s Market, I stopped by my favorite goat and sheep’s milk cheese booth. That day, something new caught my eye: Individually packaged chocolate truffles.

But wait… at a cheese stand?

I found out they were fresh goat cheese truffles: Fresh goat cheese balls (some with cocktail cherries in the middle), covered with dark chocolate.

After trying it, I knew it was something I had to share with all of you. It’s a wonderfully decadent treat – that tastes like it cost a lot of money.

But I got you: I recreated these truffles for about 75 cents each – at today’s prices! (For reference, the truffles at the farmer’s market were $3.00 each).

What You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Covered Goat Cheese

The list of ingredients is pretty short and simple:

• Goat cheese: I purchased a 4-oz goat cheese logs for $1.89 each at ALDI. Each log is enough for 4 truffles – or more if you want to make them smaller. Sweetening the goat cheese is totally optional. I added about 1 teaspoon of sugar to 8 ounces of goat cheese.
• Chocolate: I didn’t use anything fancy here – just melted Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips. You can use any kind of chocolate chip you’d like, preferably on the darker side like semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate. If you like sweeter foods, you could use milk chocolate. Just make sure it’s real chocolate.
• Dried cranberries: I soaked dried cranberries in hot water to soften them up. This added a sweet element in the goat cheese center. But you could also use cocktail cherries or Peruvian peppers (sweety drop peppers).

That’s it. No cream cheese. No sea salt. Optional sugar to sweeten things up. You’ve got this!

The Process

The process of making goat cheese is pretty simple. Scroll down for complete recipe. Here’s the process, in a nutshell:

• Make goat cheese mixture: Start out with room temperature goat cheese. Combine with the rehydrated cranberries. Mix in (optional) sugar. This is the base of goat cheese truffles.
• Form small balls: Take about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If the cheese mixture is sticking to your hands, you can dampen your hands with a bit of water and proceed with making the cheese balls. Place in fridge for 1 hour to chill.
• Prepare double boiler: Place chocolate chips in a glass Pyrex bowl above a pot of simmering water. Place chocolate chips and coconut oil in the upper bowl. Allow chocolate to melt, stirring frequently.
• Dip: Take one chilled goat cheese ball and carefully roll it in the melted chocolate. Place on a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Proceed with rolling the rest of the balls in chocolate, allowing excess chocolate to drip off.
• Chill: Placed dipped chocolates in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to allow chocolate to set. Store truffles in refrigerator until ready to eat or add to a charcuterie board.

If you like gourmet goat cheese logs covered in cherries or cranberries, I think you’ll like these goat cheese truffles. The chocolate and goat cheese are a surprising and delicious flavor combination. 

Serving Suggestions

The finished truffles go great on a charcuterie or grazing board.

Serve the truffles with sweet crackers (like oat-based crackers typically served with cheese), biscuits, Raincoast Crisps (or their generic alternative) or ginger snaps. These also taste great served with strawberries.

Here’s the goat cheese truffle in action: Smooshed onto an oat cookie for the most delicious bite.

More Inspo For Your Holiday Charcuterie Board

In addition to these goat cheese chocolate truffles, here are a few ideas to round out your holiday appetizer platter:

• Chocolate dessert salami
• Christmas pickles
• Tropical cheese ball
• Homemade crackers
• Dark chocolate goat cheese brownies (for the goat cheese lover!)
• How to create a holiday grazing board