Chocolate truffles have become so ubiquitous, you might wonder if there’s any reason to make them at home.

Well, yes, there is.

First of all, you probably know that if you can buy the stuff in bulk at a warehouse club, it’s probably not going to be the tastiest candy you ever ate. And if you go to a specialty shop for a more luxurious selection of, say, grand cru truffles with wild coconut ganache and a hint of fleur de sel, you’re going to be spending as much money as you might on a real truffle, the kind pigs find in the woods and great chefs use in recipes for pate de foie gras or Tournedos Rossini.

Second, because even though they look lovely and elaborately decorative, as if they took artistic talent and oodles of time, truffles are amazingly easy to make. Which makes them very good candidates for at-home cooking, where you can control the kind of chocolate as well as the cost.

The classic chocolate truffle is simply this: a flavored, chilled, chocolate ganache (blended softened chocolate and cream) that has been shaped into a small ball and rolled in cocoa. The candy’s resemblance to the fungi it’s named for is easily apparent. There’s some mystery as to how and when the chocolate versions were first invented, but most food historians agree it was in France, where world renowned chefs relied on the earthy, aromatic vegetable kind to enhance the haute in haute cuisine.

Nevertheless, chocolate truffles made it big in the States, particularly in the last couple of decades. There’s some confusion about them at this point because, as with most foods that get reinvented and then re-reinvented over and over, in some circles truffles have come to mean a chocolate shell stuffed with any sweet center. But a true truffle is filled with ganache, not cream, caramel, nougat or jelly. Traditionally, truffles are roundish, although these days they come in a variety of shapes.

Any kind of chocolate would work for a truffle recipe, but if you’re going to make your own, why not get the best chocolate you can afford? It doesn’t have to be the most expensive, but quality does make a difference.

Forget labels such as bittersweet or semisweet. What you should look for is chocolate that is about 60 percent cacao, which has about the right level of sweetness.

For most of us, the best way to judge the chocolate is to taste it. Judge both flavor and texture, avoiding chocolate that feels greasy or grainy in your mouth. Good chocolate also has an almost mesmerizing perfume.

You can make truffles using milk chocolate or white chocolate, too, although the recipes must be adjusted (to use less cream) because of the higher moisture content of these varieties.

To make truffles, chop the chocolate, then mix it with hot cream and blend them together. By all means use a food processor, which makes short shrift of the job.

After cooling the cream-melted chocolate just a bit, stir in the flavorings and, if you prefer extra richness, some softened butter and/or egg yolks. Truffle flavorings can be almost anything you like, from rum, champagne or brandy, to spices (such as cinnamon, cardamom or cloves) to minced dried fruit (such as crystallized ginger or cranberries) to nuts (including ground hazelnuts) to espresso powder, extracts (vanilla, almond, rosewater, etc.) to less common flavor boosters such as bacon and chili pepper.

Refrigerate the mixture until it is cold enough for you to shape it into balls — use your hands (wear disposable gloves), a melon baller or pastry tube. This part of the process takes time, but don’t be tempted to hurry things up. The most luxurious truffles are small, just a bite or two.

After you’ve shaped the balls, put them in the refrigerator to firm up before you roll them in coatings, such as unsweetened cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, crushed toasted coconut, confectioners’ sugar, candy vermicelli, crushed praline or melted chocolate.

Chocolate truffles

 1/2 pound 60 percent dark chocolate

 3/4 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

 1/2 cup cocoa powder (or confectioners’ sugar, praline powder, crushed toasted coconut, ground toffee, sprinkles, finely ground nuts, crystallized sugar)

Grind or chop the chocolate into small pieces using a food processor. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, until the liquid is hot and bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir to blend ingredients or whirl in the processor until thoroughly blended. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate for 45 minutes or until cold. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or aluminum foil. Using cold hands, a spoon, melon baller or pastry tube, shape small amounts of the ganache into balls about  1/2- to  3/4-inch in diameter. Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll the balls in cocoa powder to coat them completely. Roll the balls a second time in one of the other coatings. Makes about 3 dozen truffles.

Best eaten within a week or two of making. Store in the refrigerator.

RUM TRUFFLES: Substitute 4 teaspoons dark rum for the vanilla extract.

MOCHA TRUFFLES: Add 2 teaspoons instant coffee powder to the cream as it is heating. Stir to dissolve.

CAPPUCCINO TRUFFLES: Add 1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder,  1/8 teaspoon cinnamon,  1/8 teaspoon nutmeg to the cream as it is heating. Stir to dissolve. Roll first in cocoa, second in confectioner’s sugar.

CANDY-ORANGE TRUFFLES: Substitute 2 tablespoons orange flavored brandy for the vanilla extract plus  1/3 cup ground candied orange peel to the truffle mixture before the 45 minute refrigeration.

RASPBERRY TRUFFLES: Substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons raspberry liqueur for the vanilla extract plus  1/2 cup mashed raspberries to the truffle mixture before the 45 minute refrigeration.

ORANGE CHILI TRUFFLES: Add 1 tablespoon grated orange peel and  1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper with the vanilla extract.

MILK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES: Substitute milk chocolate for dark chocolate and use  1/2 cup cream.

WHITE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES: Use 7 tablespoons cream.

AMARETTO TRUFFLES: Make white chocolate truffles but substitute 2 tablespoons Amaretto plus  1/4 teaspoon almond extract for the vanilla extract. Roll truffles in crushed toasted coconut, ground toasted almonds or chocolate vermicelli.

GINGER MACADAMIA NUT TRUFFLES: Make white chocolate truffles but substitute 1 tablespoon ginger brandy plus 1 tablespoon crushed crystallized ginger for the vanilla extract. Roll truffles in crushed macadamia nuts.

Ronnie Fein writes for the New York Times News Service. She is also a cookbook author and cooking teacher in Stamford, Conn. Visit her food blog, Kitchen Vignettes, at www.ronniefein.com.