Lemon Truffles
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Smooth and creamy truffles full of lemon flavor and rolled in bright and sunny sprinkles. Easy to follow instructions will make you feel like a candy-making expert!
A long long time ago, I was honored to be asked to feature a recipe from my dear friend Sally’s cookbook, Sally’s Candy Addiction. I was told I could choose literally any recipe to publish on my own site, and this lemon truffle recipe totally stuck out to me like a sore (beautiful lemon) thumb.
Since 2015, this recipe has lived on my blog and is frequented by regular readers and Pinterest-finders alike. I have made these white chocolate lemon truffles several times over the years, and I figured it was time to give the whole post and the photos a major update.
Are you familiar with Sally? She’s fabulous. And she has taught me so much about baking and blogging and quality TV and biscotti and WordPress scheduling plugins (wait, what? #bloggerfriendlife).
Sally’s book is filled with all kinds of candies: truffles, toffees, brittles, TAFFY, marshmallows, fudge. I mean, I think I you can get a cavity just thumbing through the pages (<– does this make me famous?).
Every picture makes my mouth water and every recipe makes me believe that I, too, can be a candy expert.
But… I decided to start small and easy and work my way up to the harder recipes. The lemon cream pie truffles on page 89 practically screamed “MAKE MEEEEE!” with their cute little lemon slices and colorful sprinkle coatings.
Umm, sprinkle coating. Did you read that? A COATING of SPRINKLES. Yeah. How could I resist?
When I say these adorable lemon truffles are easy, I’m being totally serious. This is not some ploy to get you to make them or my way of pretending that “oh my gosh, this recipe with 8 thousand steps and 43 ingredients is a piece of cake.”
Only 5 ingredients (one of which is sprinkles, which, let’s be honest, is a food group), a few simple steps, and wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, you’ve just made TRUFFLES.
WHAT IS A LEMON TRUFFLE?
A truffle is simply a ball of chocolate ganache, sometimes flavored with extract, and coated in chocolate, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, nuts, sprinkles, or other garnishes to lock in that soft, creamy ganache interior.
They are considered a candy, and as far as candy making goes, I think they’re one of the simpler things to make that look, sound, and seem fancy to the consumer.
If you’re looking to get started with candy making, truffles are a great place to start! And they’re May’s No Bake of The Month feature!
HOW TO MAKE LEMON TRUFFLES
You’ll start by putting quality chopped white chocolate (or my personal fav– Ghirardelli melting wafers) and softened butter into a bowl.
You’ll heat some heavy cream until it just starts to boil, whisk in some lemon extract (carefully– it will bubble up!), and pour that mixture over your chocolate/butter. Then, you’ll stir this mixture gently in one direction until completely smooth.
THESE TRUFFLES ARE MADE WITH GANACHE
What you’re actually making is ganache, which is an emulsion (the combination of 2 things that don’t normally mix). Heating the cream and allowing it to melt the chocolate/butter suspends the fats and oils in the liquid of the cream.
If you tried to mix cream directly into melted chocolate, you’d have one big mess and a bunch of seized chocolate. This method of melting the chocolate and butter creates the velvety smooth ganache center that sets truffles apart from other candies like buttercreams and other filled chocolates.
Stirring gently and slowly creates the smoothest, most decadent truffle center possible.
After you have a smooth white chocolate lemon ganache, you’ll cover the bowl with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface of the chocolate.
COVERING GANACHE WITH PLASTIC WRAP KEEPS IT SMOOTH
Covering the warm ganache with plastic wrap insures no film develops on the surface of the cooling mixture. You’ll allow this ganache to come to room temperature before chilling it for at least 6 hours. I always chill my ganache overnight to be sure it is good and chilled and ready to roll.
HOW TO FORM THE TRUFFLES
Once you’re ready to get trufflin’, simply roll into balls, give them a nice little dunk in some powdered sugar or sprinkles, and then place them on a baking sheet. That’s it!
See? Easy. You just need a little time and patience. But the method? Pshhh… Piece of cake lemon pie!
I always keep mine chilled, but you can certainly enjoy them immediately or save them for later. We also usually stick some in the freezer, and our future selves are always grateful for that hidden treat!
These lemon truffles (which, like I mentioned, are actually called lemon cream pie truffles in Sally’s book) are always a major hit with taste testers.
They are unbelievably smooth, tart and sweet, and just the right size for the perfect little treat. They are a great complement to a cookie tray or dessert spread, and you can change up the coating for varying aesthetic or texture purposes.
I don’t know about you, but I am a giant lemon fan and these lemon and white chocolate truffles always come to my mind when I think about my favorite special lemon treat.
I hope you’ll give them a try and find that you really can make candy without a bunch of fuss… And impress your friends!
More Favorites from Fresh April Flours
Lemon Truffles
Ingredients
- 14 ounces (398g) quality white chocolate1 coarsely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup (180mL) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- powdered sugar or sprinkles for coating2
Instructions
- Place white chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Place the butter on top. Do not mix. Set aside.14 ounces (398g) quality white chocolate1, 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter
- Pour heavy cream into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the lemon extract (carefully– it will bubble up).¾ cup (180mL) heavy cream, 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- Pour the hot mixture over the white chocolate and gently stir with a wooden spoon3 in one direction. Do not stir forcefully.
- Once the mixture is completely smooth, cover it with plastic wrap pressed to the surface of the mixture. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (I always chill mine overnight). After chilling, the ganache mixture will be smooth and soft, but still manageable by hand.
- When you are ready to roll your truffles, line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Pour powdered sugar or sprinkles into a bowl and set aside.powdered sugar or sprinkles
- Measure desired amount of ganache based on how big you want the truffles to be (I use a melon baller, but you can also use a teaspoon measure), roll between your hands into a ball4, then roll in the sprinkles. Place on the baking sheet. Continue this process until you have used all of the ganache. Serve immediately or cover tightly and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- White chocolate: you must use high quality white chocolate in this recipe, and not white chocolate morsels or white melting candy, which don’t have the correct liquid ratio to make this ganache set up. My favorite brands of white chocolate bars are Ghirardelli or Lindt.
- Sprinkles: I like tiny non-pareils or sanding sugar for coating.
- Wooden spoon: it is crucial to use a wooden spoon as metal or plastic will retain heat and distribute it unevenly.
- Rolling truffles: I found it easiest to wipe my hands clean after making each truffle. This may sound tedious, but it helps keep things smooth and clean.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Maple walnut fudge
My favorite candy has to be my grandmother’s chocolate “candy”. Most people call this type of sweet fudge, but she called it candy. No marshmallow fluff in this recipe, super decadent! She’s been gone more than 30 years and I still miss her!
For sure! Lemon is a fun way to shake up thee truffle game.
Love how easy you’ve made this recipe with all the step by step directions. Oh they are good!
Amazing truffles. I love your step by step instruction and I gotta make these!
Hi Lynn, 2 questions, do you need to keep them refrigerated, here in Australia the average summer temp is 26-28 C 2nd what is the shelf life (not that I think they’ll last that long!, many thanks, M
Hi, Melodie– I would probably keep them in the fridge unless they seem to hold their shape ok at room temp. Personally, I like the taste/texture of them cold better, but you can be the judge of that 🙂
So we don’t need to use fresh lemons to make lemon truffles?
Nope!
I made the lemon truffles (used no sugar added white chocolate) for Thanksgiving, they were the hit of the party. I’m making them again for Christmas as gifts. Amazing!
Thank you so much, Nancy!
Hi Lynn,
I made the lemon truffles for Thanksgiving and they came out great. I made them again and they came out too soft. I couldn’t make balls out of them. I left the in the fridge 2 days instead of overnight. Could that be the reason? I followed the recipe exactly. There was one difference, first time I used higher end no sugar added white chocolate and this time I used less expensive regular whit chocolate. Your thoughts are appreciated.
Hi, Nancy– I’m not sure that chilling it longer is the problem. The culprit could be the chocolate choice, though, given you had success the first time. High quality chocolate is key!
I’m wanting to make these in the worst way, but I’m concerned about them tasting like Pledge smells, given that there’s only lemon flavoring in them. No zest, no juice, no lemon curd…Can you tell me if they’re tart at all?
Hi, Connie– that’s a valid concern, haha. There is no actual lemon in these truffles because of the nature of the filling, which would require a TON of moisture to get a strong REAL lemon flavor from juice or zest. I assure you, they do not taste like Pledge. They are a creamy and smooth sweet lemon flavor. I hope you try them!
Just made these and they are too runny….we can’t make them into balls, they fall apart. What did we do wrong?
Hi, Jessica– it’s hard to say since I wasn’t there with you, but runny ganache is typically the result of too much liquid. You can add in more melted white chocolate OR you can try freezing it, then rolling into balls, and then keeping them in the freezer if they don’t hold up in the fridge. Also, be sure you’re using high quality bar chocolate and not white chocolate chips. You’ll need actual chocolate, which contains cocoa butter. White chocolate chips contain milk which will increase the amount of liquid in your ganache. Hope that helps!
I have only 3 words for this recipe…Amazing … Amazing … Amazing. Absolutely a must try.
Thank you so much, Nancy!
I’ve got a question, can I use real lemon as well? And do you have more pralines recipes of any kind? Thanks a lot, it’s a great recipe!
Hi, Lotta– I would not advise using real lemon in this recipe as the addition of any extra moisture will affect the way the ganache sets up. And as far as pralines go, I have one recipe that uses pralines: a homemade praline ice cream. Enjoy!
Can I add lemon looking? Not sure where they get their yellow color
Hi, Suzan– I”m not sure what the question is.
What’s the best way to store the lemon truffles? How long will they keep?
Hi, Shari– these truffles will last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator, though keep an eye on condensation. Storing in an airtight container will help. You can also freeze them for up to 6 months. Hope that helps!
You have chocolate melting wafers in your narrative and photo, but specifically advise against them in the recipe. Which option is better?
Hi, Linda– pure white chocolate is the preferred choice. Those circular wafer you see are white chocolate that I got at a specialty candy store! Good eye, though!
I made the Lemon Truffles according to the recipe and after two night in the fridge, the batter is like butter milk. Thick but not at all what was expected. I am drinking it, not rolling it. I used Lindt white chocolate bars. I tripled the recipe. Needed the truffles for tomorrow. Throwing the batter out!
Hey, Judy– bummer to hear this, but I’m not sure what to tell you. The recipe is pretty straight forward and I’ve made these truffles a few times myself with the same success. You can see there are comments of folks who have had this recipe work for them, too. My only guess is that tripling the recipe messed with the intended results, though I can’t be sure since I’m not a candy expert. I do know that doubling things like cake recipes can sometimes result in wonky ratios simply because of the presence of ingredients in higher quantities. Lastly, there’s always the scenario where you just didn’t emulsify the mixture properly. Again, I’m not sure what to tell you since I wasn’t with you, but that’s what I have to say.
I tried the recipe again with Hershey white chocolate chips, whipping cream and butter. Again, it is too runny and loose. I had to freeze the batter and it kept melting. This will not do. Will never try this again. I doubled the recipe and it still did not work!
Hi, Judy– to be fair, I did mention in my reply that increasing the recipe (doubling, tripling, etc) is not always a great idea. I really don’t know what to tell you since I’m not there with you, but I do appreciate you trying again and reporting back.