White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

Christmas is not Christmas without candies, fudge and truffles. If I ever make truffles, I always do it during the holiday period. They are perfect for gifting and sharing. And the best part is that they consist f only a few ingredients and can be prepared very quickly. If you need a good gift idea, I think truffles are always a solution. 
I think I've mentioned before that intensely dark chocolate desserts aren't my favorite. Yup, that's why my truffles are white. I just love white chocolate. So much. Just like I love lemon. And the best thing happens when these two ingredients come together. These truffles are sweet, lemony and fresh. They're very soft and buttery as well, so I suggest keeping them in the fridge, or if you make them for a gift, give them in a little box. You don't want to mash them right? And yes, that happened to me. Don't repeat my mistake. 
Oh, and if you want a smoother consistency, leave the zest out. Of course, they will be less lemony. Personally, I don't mind the zest. Simply feel free to experiment.
And finally - merry Christmas! I wish you all a wonderful time!

White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

160g (1 cup) white chocolate 

70g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter 

45ml (3 tbsp) heavy cream

Pinch of salt

1 - 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

zest of 3 lemons (optional)

45g (3 tbsp) icing sugar 

Icing sugar, for rolling

1) In a small saucepan, combine together butter and heavy cream. Heat until the butter is melted. Turn off the heat, add white chocolate chips, cover and let sit for 2-3 minutes until the chocolate has melted. Stir the mixture until smooth.

2) Stir in salt, lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix in powdered sugar. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.

3) Once cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-4 hours until firm. 

4) Form little balls and roll them in powdered sugar. Store in the fridge.

Recipe slightly adapted from here.

Chocolate Truffles

 

Last week my friend asked me to make a gluten free dessert  for her mother's birthday. I was browsing my recipes and could not decide what to make. And then I remembered the chocolate truffles which I had made a year ago. Problem solved! I knew everybody would like these truffles. Although I was a little bit nervous about making them (I always feel worried when I make desserts for others). But finally they turned out wonderful. The next day my friend told me that her mother liked the truffles very much. Isn't it the most heartwarming compliment for a baker?

Here's the recipe

Chocolate truffles

 225g good quality dark chocolate

150ml heavy cream

1 tbsp cognac*

100g icing sugar

1 tbsp strong coffee, cold

cocoa powder, for covering the truffles

almonds**

cognac, rum or coffee liqueur***

dried plums or cherries***

*You can use any alhohol you like or leave this out. I used coffee liqueur.

**Original recipe didn't call for any nuts but I wanted to experiment. I took half of the truffle mixture and mixed it with coarsely ground nuts and left some for coating the truffles. You can use any nuts you like.

***First I didn't think dried fruit in the centre will taste good but after I tasted the truffle I was completely satisfied. The truffle is slightly bitter and the sweet fruit in the middle makes it perfect. I used dried plums but I think dried cherries would taste wonderful. You can use any fruit of your choice but it is important to choose soft and rich fruit. I believe you can also dip fruits in rum, cognac or liqueur to make it taste even better (I didn't try this). 

Makes ~40 bite size truffles

1.   In a heavy saucepan on low heat mix the chocolate with heavy cream until the chocolate is melted. Let cool to room temperature.

2.   Mix in the coffee, alcohol and icing sugar. Mix until smooth. (Now if you want to add nuts as I did, take half of the mixture and mix in the nuts.) Cover and refrigerate until firm.

3.  Form the balls and place a small piece of chopped dried fruit in the centre. Roll each truffle in cocoa to cover all sides (if you are using nuts, roll each nutty truffle in chopped nuts).

I couldn't take any more pictures because I made them in the evening and the next morning they were already in the box. Fortunatelly I got a chance to open it and make a couple shots before my friend took them. I hope you enjoy it!