Chocolate, Goat Cheese, and Wine (Oh My!)

There’s nothing like a little chocolate, goat cheese, and wine to make chilly days more festive and bearable.
There’s nothing like a little chocolate, goat cheese, and wine to make chilly days more festive and bearable. In previous articles, I’ve taught you about making goat cheese itself, so this article will focus on ways to make it even more special!
I often joke with friends that there are basically three food groups: chocolate, goat cheese, and wine. Of course, you can enjoy each separately, but why not combine them for something creative and delicious?
One of my favorite desserts is Chocolate Truffle Chèvre. Or, for a more decadent version of this chocolate goat cheese, Chocolate Chèvre Truffles. What’s the difference? The first is more like a chocolate-flavored bite of cheese (think chocolate cheesecake). The second is more similar to a piece of candy with the goat cheese as the creamy center. Either version is sure to delight.
Chocolate Truffle Chèvre:
- 4 oz. chèvre goat cheese
- 1/3 cup powdered, unsweetened cocoa (plus extra for rolling)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (plus extra for rolling)
- To start, make a batch of chèvre and then thoroughly chill it.
- Blend chilled chèvre with powdered ingredients in a food processor or with a fork. At first it will be very dry and won’t look like it’s going to come together. Usually with a little patience and continued blending, it will form one stiff ball of chocolate goat cheese.
- Scoop small spoonfuls (1-2 tsp each) from this larger ball and roll them into smaller balls.
- Roll these balls in a mixture of powdered cocoa and sugar to coat. Eat right away, refrigerate for up to two weeks, or freeze. If eating later, just before you serve them, roll them in another coat of cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
Variations: Instead of rolling in powdered cocoa and powdered sugar, roll your chocolate goat cheese in finely chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or raw or colored sugar crystals.
Chocolate Chèvre Truffles:
- Chocolate Truffle Chèvre from above
- Chocolate chips (milk, semi-sweet or dark — your choice!)
- Follow the instructions above for Chocolate Truffle Chèvre
- Once balls are formed, set them in a container lined with wax paper, put a top on the container, and freeze them for an hour or two.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl (start with about ½ cup of chocolate chips and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, and microwave for another 20-30 seconds. Stir again until fully melted).
- Dip the frozen chèvre balls into melted chocolate then set onto wax paper to dry.
- Eat now, or refrigerate for up to two weeks.
Variations:
- While chocolate is still wet, sprinkle a little kosher or Himalayan sea salt on top.
- Add espresso powder, or cinnamon with a little chili powder, into the chocolate truffle chèvre.
- Melt white chocolate chips instead of dark chocolate to dip your chocolate goat cheese in.

Here’s another idea for a decadent chocolate goat cheese dessert: Chocolate Chèvre or Chocolate Feta Brownies! Simply follow a recipe for making chèvre or how to make feta cheese. Next, whip up your favorite brownie recipe. Follow the instructions below to incorporate one or the other cheese into your brownies:
For Chocolate Chèvre Brownies:
- Pour half of the brownie batter into a prepared pan
- Combine 4 ounces of chèvre with ¼ cup honey, stirring till smooth and creamy (let warm up a little for best results).
- Spread the chèvre mixture over the brownie batter.
- Spread the rest of the brownie mixture over the top of the chèvre layer.
- Using a knife or spatula, swirl the brownie/chèvre mixture until you can see little swirls of chèvre popping out on top.
- Bake as indicated in your brownie recipe.
For Chocolate Goat Feta Brownies:
- Simply add about 1/3 cup of crumbled feta right into the brownie batter.
- Bake as indicated in your brownie recipe.
Now for the wine! Of course, you can simply enjoy a nice glass of wine with your delicious chocolate goat cheese, or you can actually add the wine to the cheese itself! One of the most famous versions is Drunken Goat Cheese, a semi-hard cheese that is soaked in wine after pressing. While this is a delicious way to enjoy wine and cheese together, it is a complex process and has to age awhile before eating, so I will save that one for a later issue of Goat Journal. Instead, I will show a few techniques for adding wine to a simple goat cheese like chèvre.
Version 1: Wine-Infused Chèvre
- Roll your homemade chilled chèvre into a log or disk.
- Place the log or disk in a small container and add about ¼ cup of your choice of wine. For a lighter version, you might try an oaky Chardonnay. For a pretty red version, I love Petite Syrah. But any wine will do.
- Let the cheese soak in the wine for a couple of hours in the refrigerator. The longer you soak it, the stronger the wine flavor will be.
- Remove the cheese from the wine, pat dry with a clean paper towel, and serve immediately with crackers or bread.
- Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze.

Version 2: Wine-Infused, Leaf-Wrapped Chèvre
- If you have fresh grape leaves, simply rinse then steam them for a few minutes. If you don’t have access to fresh leaves, you can buy prepared leaves at specialty food stores or online.
- Soak the prepared grape leaves in wine or other liqueur of your choice for at least 24 hours, or for several weeks for a more pronounced flavor.
- Roll your homemade chèvre into a small disk.
- Place the chèvre in the center of the wine-soaked grape leaf and fold the leaf edges over the cheese.
- Tie with a small piece of twine or raffia.
- Refrigerate for two to four weeks, then unwrap and enjoy (the longer you let it soak, the more wine flavor will be infused into your cheese).


These fun and tasty chocolate goat cheese and wine recipes should help get your creative juices flowing. If you have more fun ideas for how to incorporate chocolate and wine into your goat cheeses, I’d love to hear about them. E-mail me at kate@theartofcheese.com and I’ll include your recipes on my website at www.theartofcheese.com. Enjoy!