How to Make Lemon Truffles

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: August 10, 2021 References

Truffles are chocolate snacks that come in small, bite-sized balls, and can make for a delicious dessert. The lemon variation of the truffle imparts a sour and fragrant taste to these otherwise sweet treats. While lemon truffles can typically be found in most grocery stores, there are various methods that you can use to make your own at home. Depending on your preferences, you can easily create white chocolate lemon truffles, simple lemon truffles, or vegan coconut truffles by following the instructions and using the right ingredients.

Ingredients

Simple Lemon Truffles

16.5 ounces (467.76 grams) of lemon cake mix
7 tablespoons (103.51 mL) of butter, melted
1 tablespoon (29.5 mL) of lemon juice
1 teaspoon (6 grams) of lemon zest
3/4 cup (170 grams) of granulated sugar

Makes 24 truffles.

White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

79 milliliters (1/3 cup) of heavy whipping cream
1g (1/2 tsp) of lemon zest
142 grams of chopped white chocolate
57g (4 tablespoons) of butter
10 milliliters (2 teaspoons) of lemon juice
Powdered sugar for coating

Makes 24-30 truffles.

Vegan Coconut Lemon Truffles

1 1/2 cups (187.5 grams) of raw cashews or macadamia nuts
1 1/2 cups (90 grams) of dried coconut (extra for the coating)
1 lemon (juice, zest, and flesh)
1/4 cups (59.1 mL) light coconut nectar
2 tbsp (9.8 mL) virgin coconut oil
1 tsp (4.9 mL) ground vanilla beans
Pinch of salt

Makes 20 truffles.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:
Making Simple Lemon Truffles

1
Mix the cake mix, zest, juice, and butter together in a bowl. Combine 16.5 ounces (467.76 grams) of lemon cake mix, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon (29.5 mL) of lemon juice, and melted butter in a large bowl and mix everything together until it reaches a smooth texture. Use a spoon or your hands to work out lumps that the cake mix creates.^{[1]
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- You can purchase lemon cake mix at most major grocery stores.
- As an alternative, you can grind up lemon cookies in a food processor to replace your lemon cake mix.^{[2]
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2
Roll your dough into 2-inch (5.08 cm) balls. Continue to knead the dough until it thickens up enough so that you can roll it out into truffle balls. Once it hardens enough, you should be able to roll out 2-inch (5.08 cm) balls with your hands. ^{[3]
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- If your dough is crumbly and not holding together, add a teaspoon (4.9 mL) of butter until it holds.
3
Roll your dough balls in granulated sugar. Use the palm of your hand to softly roll each of your truffles in a separate bowl of granulated sugar. Continue to roll them until the entire surface of your truffles are covered in sugar. Set them on a cookie sheet when you're done rolling them.^{[4]
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4
Allow the truffles to chill overnight in the refrigerator. Setting the truffles in the refrigerator will help them set and will make them harder. Allow the dessert to warm up to room temperature before eating them.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:
Making White Chocolate Lemon Truffles

1
Cook the lemon zest and whipping cream over low-medium heat. Pour your lemon zest and whipping cream into a saucepan over your stovetop. Stir the contents until all of the ingredients are well-mixed. Continue to heat the mixture until small bubbles begin to appear around the edges of your saucepan, then take your pan off of the heat.^{[5]
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2
Pour the mixture over white chocolate and stir. Once the mixture begins to boil around the edges, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl of your white chocolate. This process will start to melt the white chocolate so that you can fully incorporate it into your truffles. Use a spoon to break up larger chunks of white chocolate and whisk the ingredients until your mixture is smooth.
3
Add the lemon juice and butter and continue mixing. Once your chocolate is fully melted, add 10 milliliters (2 teaspoons) of lemon juice and 7g (4 tablespoons) of butter to the bowl. Use a wooden spoon to crush down the butter and mix everything together. Stop mixing once the batter is smooth.
4
Place the mixture into the refrigerator for two hours or until firm. Spread plastic wrap over the surface of your bowl before putting the batter into the refrigerator. Chilling your truffle mixture will allow the batter to set and become more firm.
- If you are making truffles for later, you can leave your batter in the fridge overnight.
5
Roll your batter into balls. Remove the bowl from your refrigerator and use a spoon to scoop some of your truffle mixture onto a cutting board. Roll the dough into 2-inch (5.08 cm) balls by rolling the batter against the cutting board. If the balls are too sticky and the batter is coming off on your hands or cutting board, you can sprinkle powdered sugar onto your board to help you form the balls.^{[6]
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6
Roll the truffles in powdered sugar and let set in the fridge. Set aside a bowl filled with powdered sugar. Once you've formed the balls, you can carefully roll them in the sugar to coat them. After you coat them, the truffles are ready to eat. You can store truffles in the refrigerator for up to one week after you've made them, but let them warm to room temperature before you eat them.^{[7]
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- You can also freeze your lemon truffles if you need to store them for a longer period.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:
Creating Vegan Coconut Lemon Truffles

1
Blend your nuts in a food processor. Your cashews or macadamia nuts will act as the binder or flour replacement for your truffles. Grind them into a fine powder in a food processor before transferring them to a large mixing bowl. Make sure to remove lumps or large pieces because they can ruin the texture of your truffles.
2
Add in coconut products and continue to mix. Add your dried coconut, coconut nectar, and coconut oil to the mixture. Mix it with the nuts until everything becomes well incorporated. At this point, your batter should start to thicken.
3
Combine, vanilla, lemon, and salt to the bowl. Peel your lemon and squeeze out the juice. Use the peel to scrape off lemon zest. Add the 1 tsp (4.9 mL) ground vanilla beans and pinch of salt and continue to mix everything together. Whisk your bowl until the ingredients are all incorporated.
4
Roll the balls in coconut or nuts. Set aside some ground nuts or extra dried coconut and use that as a sweet coating over your truffles. When grinding nuts for the coating, do not grind them as much as you would to form the nut flour. Leaving larger pieces intact will add to the texture of your truffles.^{[8]
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- If you want saltier truffles, try adding a pistachio nut coating over them.
5
Put your truffles in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Allow your vegan truffles to set in your refrigerator for at least 15 minutes before eating them. Once they have hardened, you can take them out and serve them.