Smooth and creamy truffles bursting with fresh lemon flavor, these easy to make treats are perfect for the holidays. Lemon truffles are just what you need to brighten up your winter wonderland!
A box of chocolate truffles is one of my favorite gifts to get around the holidays or Valentine’s Day. Smooth and creamy, nothing is more satisfying than biting into a decadent truffle.
Making truffles yourself is surprisingly easy. It takes less than 20 minutes to make them, plus chilling time, which means your own home can become a chocolate shop anytime of the year. Both a delicious and dangerous scenario!
These white chocolate lemon truffles are one of my favorite varieties. White chocolate truffles are good on their own, but adding in fresh lemon brightens them up and takes them to a whole other level.
How to Make Lemon Truffles
Making these no bake lemon truffles is really quite easy, but I’m sharing a few tips to help you get gift-box perfect truffles.
The lemon truffle recipe actually has only a few simple ingredients, which means you will want high quality chocolate bars and not chips. It’s important to use good-tasting chocolate since that is one of the primary flavors in these lemon chocolate truffles.
To make the truffle base, place the chopped chocolate and cream in a medium heat-proof bowl. I like to use the microwave to combine the ingredients, stirring in between 20-second intervals until fully melted. You can also do this in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted.
Once fully melted, stir in the butter until completely combined. Then, stir in the lemon zest from 3 lemons and lemon juice. Cover the bowl and let chill in the refrigerator for 3 hours, or until firm. Don’t try rolling out your truffles now, since they need time to set before shaping into balls.
How to Roll Truffles
Before you begin rolling, make sure all your ingredients are ready. Combine the powdered sugar and lemon zest in a bowl, tossing well with your finger or a fork. Make sure to sift the powdered sugar to get a light, even coat on the lemon truffles.
Take out the white chocolate mixture from the fridge and scoop into small sections, about 12g each. I like to use a small ice cream scoop, teaspoon, or melon baller. Using your hands, form them into balls about 1-inch in diameter. If your hands become greasy you can dust them lightly in powdered sugar, so they won’t stick to the white chocolate truffles. Roll each ball in the lemon-sugar mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill again until firm.
There is one rule to follow when rolling truffles: keep things cool. This hold true not only for your lemon truffle mixture but also for your patience. When in doubt, take a break and let the truffles (and yourself) cool out in the fridge for a few minutes before continuing the rolling process.
Make sure to eat the truffles soon after removing from the fridge, otherwise they get soft. I like to store them in the fridge, taking them out right after a meal or for a sweet tooth fix. However you’re celebrating this holiday season, make sure these truffles are part of the festivities.
Other truffle recipes:
- White Chocolate Strawberry Truffles
- White Chocolate Oreo Truffles
- Pecan Pie Truffles
- White Chocolate Coconut Truffles
- Chocolate Caramel Truffles
- Chocolate Truffles
Lemon Truffles
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz.) white chocolate (from good quality chocolate bars, not chips), coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoons (15g) unsalted butter, softened
- zest from 3 medium lemons
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Coating:
- ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar , sifted
- zest from ½ lemon
Instructions
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Place chopped chocolate and cream in a medium heat-proof bowl. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until melted. Alternatively, set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. Then, stir the butter into the chocolate mixture until completely combined. Stir in lemon zest (from 3 lemons) and lemon juice. Cover the bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or until firm.
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Combine powdered sugar and zest (from 1 lemon) in a small bowl, tossing it well with your fingers or a fork. Take chocolate mixture out of the fridge. Using a small ice cream scoop, teaspoon, or melon baller, scoop out small sections and form them into balls with your hands (mine were 12g each, 1-inch in diameter, but you can make them any size you want). If they are soft, place in the refrigerator until firm. Roll each ball in the sugar-lemon mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm.
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Store truffles in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. Serve chilled.
Ian says
Thanks for the recipe.
Beautiful melt-in-the-mouth truffles. The whole family enjoyed these over Christmas.
Parvinder Aujla says
Thank you for sharing beautiful recipe,
Cristiana Vergara says
All of them looks wonderful, I’m going to try them👏👏
Tina says
I just finished making these truffles and they are AMAZING. Beautiful tangy lemon flavor, nice pastel yellow color, and a wonderful ganache texture. Instead of coating my truffles with confectioner’s sugar, I dipped mine in white chocolate. I will definitely be making these again. Thanks for the gift of this recipe!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Sounds delicious! Thank you for your kind words, Tina!
Maya says
Currently making them, they were in the fridge for 3 hours but shaping them was a sticky mess. Definitely doesn’t make 20
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Maya, we recommend keeping the truffle mixture in the fridge a minimum of 3 hours or until firm which could mean longer. Not all refrigerators cool at the same rate. I’ll also note, the recipe states you will want high quality chocolate bars and not chips. Using chips could also alter the texture.
Tina says
I have made this recipe with both lemon (dipped in white chocolate) and key lime (rolled in graham cracker crumbs) and it is spectacular both ways. The truffles have a nice soft texture and incomparable flavor. And the zest gives a pretty color…a nice sunny yellow for lemon, and a beautiful pastel green for lime. Thanks for the gift of this recipe!
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Oh my, Tina! Key lime just sounds heavenly! I hope you don’t mind if I borrow your idea and turn that into a recipe to share with others. Thank you for the gift of that idea!
Tayler says
How can I rescue this batch if it just won’t firm up enough to roll, even after refrigerating overnight?
Stephanie @ Pretty.Simple.Sweet. says
Hi Tayler, it sounds like your white chocolate had an issue? To rescue, you could try whipping it to create a frosting on top of cakes. You may need to add a little more cream for this work.