Truffles are one of my favorite treats to make. They’re easier to make than most people think, so everyone is in awe when you bring some over. They don’t have to know that the truffles weren’t that hard to make. Recently, I made dark chocolate lime truffles.
Many lime truffle recipes will specify key lime, because people expect that in lime recipes. I did not use key limes. I could have, but those things are tiny! It’s much easier to use a larger lime. I picked some up at a local store for this recipe.
I generally prefer molded chocolates to rolling truffles. It’s just so much easier, in my opinion. Plus you get that lovely gloss with very little effort. You also don’t have to wait for the filling to solidify. In fact, it’s better if you don’t. It’s much easier to fill a mold with a runny filling than one that is solid.
It all starts with a lime.
Roll the lime back and forth on the counter, putting a little pressure on it. This loosens up the insides so that you get more juice from it. I wash it after, then zest the lime. I suggest using a microplane or the very fine shred holes on a box grater to get the zest. You do not want the white pith, just the green part of the peel.
Once I have enough zest, I cut the lime in half and juice it.
Remember, these are not tiny little key limes. If you’re using key limes, you will need more of them. A single key lime will not give you enough zest or juice. They do have a stronger flavor, and can be worth the effort, but that wasn’t the mood I was in.
Stir the lime zest into a half cup of cream in a small saucepan. Put it over medium heat until the edges start to bubble. Put a lid on the saucepan and remove from heat. Allow to steep for 20 minutes.
While you wait for the cream to steep, soften white chocolate and butter together with just a little salt. They don’t need to be fully melted yet. 45 seconds in the microwave and a good stir should be enough at this point.
After the cream has finished steeping, reheat it to a simmer, with an occasional stir. Decide if you want to remove the zest or not. I don’t. I like a more tart flavor when I do lime, and my zest is fine enough that the truffles are still smooth. If your zest is a little bit, you may want to remove it by straining the cream through a fine strainer.
Whisk the cream and chocolate together until the chocolate is smooth. If you’re going to roll truffles, this mixture will need to be refrigerated for about 4 hours to solidify enough for rolling. I don’t do that, so we can head over to molding right away.
Melt 12 oz of dark chocolate, at least 60% cacao, but more if you like darker. I use the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between rounds. Do not overheat the chocolate, or the coatings won’t turn out right. When the chocolate is close to fully melted, you should be able to stir it a little extra and complete the melting process without heating it more.
I used my triangle molds for this one. It’s a very simple design, and it’s easy to remove the finished chocolates from the mold.
That’s a part of what I love about silicone molds. You can just push the chocolates out once they’re firm. It takes a little more work to get chocolate out of plastic molds. When it comes down to it, however, I choose my molds by the shape and size rather than the material they’re made of.
Spoon the melted dark chocolate into the molds. Tap the molds on the counter to work the bubbles out, then pour the excess chocolate back in with the rest. If you want a thicker layer of chocolate, let it sit for a minute or two first. I like thin coatings for most of mine. This keeps the focus on the flavor of the filling.
This is another point where silicone is nice. It’s flexible, so I can bend the molds and take better aim at the bowl as I pour the excess chocolate out. I gently shake the molds as I do this. Scrape the excess chocolate off the tops of the molds to help things along.
Spoon the lime truffle filling into the molds. You want this as close as possible to the top while leaving room for some chocolate at the top. Refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes to partially solidify the filling.
Top off with chocolate. Tap the molds on the counter to smooth off the tops, then fill in any gaps. Scrape off the excess chocolate, and refrigerate again for about a half hour.
When the chocolates are fully solidified you can remove them from the molds. Check one first to make sure that it comes out smoothly. If it gives you trouble, the truffles are not solid enough and need more time in the refrigerator.
I keep these dark chocolate lime truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator when they aren’t out for people to eat. They shouldn’t last long after that. I found that the flavor developed a little over the first day or two. They were a bit sweet at first, but the lime flavor really came through after they sat for a while.
My absolute favorite truffles are still my pomegranate truffles, but these are very good too.
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 regular lime, juiced and zested
- 10 oz white chocolate
- 1/4 cup butter, chopped into pieces
- dash salt
- 12 oz dark chocolate
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Combine lime zest and heavy cream in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until cream just starts to simmer. Cover and remove from heat. Allow to steep for 20 minutes.
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While cream and lime zest steep, combine white chocolate and butter. Melt in microwave for 45 seconds to get things started. Stir and add salt.
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Return cream and zest to medium heat and back to a slight simmer. If you want to remove the zest, pour the cream through a fine strainer onto the white chocolate. If you want the added flavor of the zest, pour the cream directly onto the white chocolate.
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Stir until white chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is smooth.
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If you want to roll truffles, refrigerate for at least 4 hours before you roll them. Refrigerate or freeze after molding, then melt dark chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between rounds, until fully melted but not too hot. Quickly dip truffles in dark chocolate.
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If making molded truffles, do not refrigerate truffle filling. Melt dark chocolate in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring between rounds, until fully melted. Fill molds with dark chocolate. Tap molds on counter to get the air out, then pour chocolate out of the molds.
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Carefully spoon truffle filling into molds. Keep the level just a little below the top. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to start solidifying the filling. Top with more dark chocolate after the filling is sufficiently solid. Tap the molds on the counter to smooth things out, and scrape off excess chocolate if possible.
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Refrigerate truffles until the chocolate has fully solidified. They should come out of the molds fairly easily. If they break or leave pieces behind, they need more time in the fridge.
