Best Chocolate Truffles

Pastry expert Dominique Ansel takes the extra step to greatness: His Armagnac-spiked truffles are dipped in melted chocolate before being dusted with cocoa powder. The crunchy outer shell and tender ganache inside are an irresistible matchup.

F&W's Melissa Rubel Jacobson sets out bowls of flavored ganache and dishes of coatings so guests can create their own truffles to give as gifts. The combinations are endless -- from a peppermint filling with chocolate cookie crumbs to a rum filling with coconut.

Joan Coukos of Manhattan's two-year-old Chocolat Moderne is a self-taught chocolatier. Her bittersweet truffles are coated with a variety of flavorings, including blends of Chinese and Mexican spices.

These chewy, sprinkles-coated balls (called brigadeiros in Portuguese) are more like chocolate caramels than French-style truffles.

Belinda Leong made many kinds of ganache (a rich, smooth chocolate-and-cream mixture) during her time at the venerable Pierre Hermé pâtisserie in Paris. Here, she slow-roasts white chocolate, which adds an enticing caramel flavor to the supercreamy ganache filling in her truffles.

Christina Bhan and Paula Barbosa of My Sweet Brigadeiro (mysweet.com) make 20 different versions of these chewy Brazilian candies, including traditional Rich Chocolate and Pecan-Cinnamon.