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Brownie Truffles are what happens when a pan of fudgy brownies and a chocolate covered cherry fall in love, baked brownies blended with cherry kissed cream cheese, wrapped around a whole maraschino cherry, and dipped in chocolate with the stem sticking out like a handle. I brought them to a potluck just to watch people’s faces at the first bite, the cherry reveal never misses. If my oreo truffles are your go to, these are the fudgy upgrade.
A box of brownie mix and a jar of cherries, hiding in a bakery worthy candy.
Brownie Truffles Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 30 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 24 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 24 truffles
- ⚡ Calories: 188kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Deep fudge brownie wrapped around sweet cherry pop
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, the freezer does the hard part
Quick Answer
Bake a 9×13 pan of brownies from mix and cool completely. Beat 4 ounces of cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of maraschino cherry juice, crumble in the brownies, and mix until smooth. Flatten 1.5 tablespoons of the mixture in your palm, press a stemmed maraschino cherry into the center, wrap the mixture around it, and roll smooth. Freeze the balls 30 minutes, then dip each one in melted chocolate candy coating using the stem, let the excess drip, and set on parchment 10 to 15 minutes.
Jump to:
- Brownie Truffles Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Brownie Truffles
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Brownie Truffles FAQs
- Other Recommended No Bake Treats and Candy
- Chocolate Cherry Brownie Truffles
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Baked brownies are the truffle base. Crumbled brownies blended with cream cheese create a dense, fudgy dough that holds its shape around the cherry without any raw flour or eggs.
- Cherry juice flavors the dough. Two tablespoons of the jar juice tie the brownie wrapper to the cherry center, so the flavor reads chocolate covered cherry all the way through.
- The freezer sets the architecture. Thirty frozen minutes firms the balls so the warm melted coating cannot slump or crack them during dipping.
- Stems are functional, not decorative. Dipping by the stem coats the whole truffle without fork marks, and the excess chocolate drips clean off the bottom.
- Candy coating snaps, chips do not. Almond bark and candy melts are engineered to set hard and glossy at room temperature, which gives the crisp shell around the soft center.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The hidden whole cherry makes every truffle a little magic trick.
- Box brownie mix and five other ingredients, no candy thermometer anywhere.
- The stems double as built in dipping handles, making these easier than my oreo truffles to coat cleanly.
Key Ingredients
One baking aisle box plus the candy aisle basics.
- Fudge brownie mix: Baked per the box in a 9×13, then crumbled into the truffle dough.
- Cream cheese: Four ounces bind the crumbs into a rollable fudge dough.
- Maraschino cherries with stems: Twenty four whole cherries for the centers plus 2 tablespoons of the juice for the dough.
- Chocolate candy coating: Twenty four ounces of almond bark or candy melts for the crisp shell.
- Eggs, oil, and water: Whatever the brownie box calls for.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
The wrap and dip formula loves a costume change.
- Dip in white chocolate coating and drizzle with pink for Valentine’s Day.
- Add a teaspoon of almond extract to the dough for an amaretto cherry vibe.
- Skip the cherries and roll plain brownie balls, then top with sprinkles.
- Prefer the cookies and cream direction? My oreo truffles use the same roll and dip method.
- Roll the dipped truffles in chopped nuts or crushed candy canes before the shell sets.
How to Make Brownie Truffles
- Mix and bake the brownies per the box directions in a 9×13 baking dish. Let them cool completely.
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, combine the cream cheese and maraschino cherry juice.
- Mix until smooth and evenly pink.
- Crumble the cooled brownies into the bowl.
- Mix with the hand mixer until the brownie and cream cheese mixture is smooth and holds together.
- Take 1.5 tablespoons of the mixture, flatten it in your palm, make an indentation, and press a stemmed cherry into the center. Form the mixture up around the cherry.
- Roll it into a smooth ball with the stem poking out the top.
- Place the balls on a parchment lined sheet tray and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Melt the candy coating per the package. Working with a few frozen balls at a time, dip each one by the stem, let the excess drip, scrape the bottom on the bowl edge, and set on parchment until the shell hardens, 10 to 15 minutes.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Cool the brownies completely. Warm crumbs melt the cream cheese into a sticky paste that will not roll.
- Blot the cherries dry. A quick pat on paper towels keeps the juice from splitting the dough wrapper.
- Keep the balls frozen until the moment they dip. Take out only 2 or 3 at a time, warm truffles shed crumbs into the coating.
- Thin thick coating with a teaspoon of shortening. A fluid coating gives that thin, professional shell.
- Scrape the bottoms on the bowl edge. It prevents the puddle feet that make truffles look homemade in the wrong way.
- Work over parchment, always. Set each dipped truffle down gently and do not move it until the shell fully hardens.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Pile the brownie truffles on a cake stand with the stems up, the little red handles make them the most grabbed dessert at any party.
For Valentine’s Day or Christmas trays, nestle them in mini cupcake liners beside my chocolate fudge, the cut open one goes front and center for the cherry reveal.
Serve them after dinner with coffee, or plate two with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and call it a chocolate covered cherry sundae.
Store brownie truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, the cream cheese in the dough wants the chill. Serve them fridge cold or after 10 minutes on the counter. They freeze up to 2 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator so the shells do not sweat.
Brownie Truffles FAQs
Brownie truffles are bite size candies made by blending baked brownies with cream cheese into a fudgy dough, rolling it into balls, and dipping them in chocolate coating. This version hides a whole stemmed maraschino cherry inside each one, so they eat like a cross between a brownie and a chocolate covered cherry.
Usually warm brownies or too much liquid. The brownies must be completely cool before crumbling, and the cherries should be blotted dry before wrapping. If the dough still feels sticky, chill it in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes, cold dough rolls into smooth balls without coating your hands.
Absolutely, the base recipe makes wonderful plain brownie truffles. Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls, freeze, and dip as directed, you will get about 30 instead of 24. Sprinkle the tops before the coating sets or add a contrasting drizzle to dress them up.
Chocolate almond bark or candy melts are the easiest, they melt fluid, set hard and glossy at room temperature, and never need tempering. Real chocolate chips taste great but set soft and streaky unless tempered, if you use them, add a teaspoon of shortening and keep the truffles refrigerated.
They are a great make ahead candy. Finished truffles keep a week refrigerated in an airtight container, and the undipped balls freeze up to 2 months, dip them frozen whenever you need a fresh batch. For parties, make them 2 to 3 days early, the flavor actually improves as the cherry perfumes the brownie.
Off the spoon it should fall in a smooth ribbon that disappears back into the bowl within a few seconds. If it mounds up, it is too thick and will glob on the truffles, stir in a teaspoon of vegetable shortening at a time until it flows. Never add water, even a drop seizes candy coating instantly.
Made these Brownie Truffles? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me the reaction to the cherry surprise!
For another truffle the kids can help roll, our golden Oreo Balls come together with just six ingredients.
Chocolate Cherry Brownie Truffles
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix plus ingredients needed for brownies
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- 24 maraschino cherries with stems
- 24 ounces chocolate candy coating
Instructions
- Mix and bake the brownies per the back of the box in a 9×13 baking dish. Let cool completely.1 box brownie mix
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, mix the cream cheese and cherry juice.4 ounces cream cheese, 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
- Crumble up the brownies and place them into the bowl. Using the hand mixer, mix until smooth.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take 1.5 tablespoons of the brownie mixture, place it into your hand and make an indention in the center. Place a cherry into the indention and form the brownie mix around the cherry.24 maraschino cherries with stems
- Roll into a little smooth brownie ball.
- Place them on the prepared sheet tray and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Melt the candy coating in a medium-sized bowl per the directions on the back of the packaging.24 ounces chocolate candy coating
- Taking just a couple of the bombs out of the freezer at a time, dip them into the chocolate using the stem to help until coated, letting any extra drip off. Scrape the bottom on the side of the bowl, so there is not a lot of excess coating.
- Place it onto another parchment-lined sheet tray.
- Repeat with the remaining bombs, and let them sit out until the chocolate coating hardens, about 10-15 minutes.
- Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.
Notes
- Cool Brownies Completely: Make sure the brownies are at room temperature before mixing them with cream cheese to get the right consistency.
- Use a Small Cookie Scoop: This helps make evenly sized brownie balls and speeds up the process.
- Work in Batches: Keep most of the brownie balls in the freezer while dipping a few at a time to prevent them from getting too soft.
- Melt Chocolate Carefully: Use a microwave-safe bowl and melt the chocolate coating in 30-second increments, stirring each time to avoid burning.
- Remove Excess Chocolate: Gently scrape the edge of the bowl when lifting the truffle to remove extra chocolate and prevent pooling.
- Decorate Quickly: If adding toppings like sprinkles or nuts, do so before the chocolate sets.
Nutrition
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Hi, checking to see what size brownie mix is to be used (how many ounces) since there are so many different sizes to box mixes these days – many thanks, hope to make this for the holidays!