I have one more sweet citrus treat for the holidays and it’s the most decadent of all:  truffles of smooth white chocolate spiked with Meyer lemon zest.

White chocolate is hardly chocolate.  It has cocoa butter, but none of the cocoa solids that make for roasty, nutty real chocolate.  But simple white chocolate has its purpose:  it makes a great base for layering on other flavors, especially lemon.

I sampled and experimented with different types to perfect this recipe.  It was difficult, but I managed.  The Green & Blacks white chocolate bar was the best white chocolate I’ve ever tasted.  It’s creamy and buttery and filled with so many vanilla flecks.  Unfortunately it didn’t work well for truffles.  It was too sticky and difficult to scoop and roll, and the lemon was overpowered by the vanilla.

Maybe white chocolate chips would work better?  Nestle and Hershey brands were chalky, waxy and way too sweet.  Ghirardelli chips were not a whole lot better by themselves, but they were the clear winner for perfect Meyer lemon truffles.  They’re easy to melt, they firm up nicely, and they allow the Meyer lemon to shine through.

You can roll the truffles in any kind of sugar you like.  Decorative sanding sugar adds a little crunch and looks pretty, but if you like them completely smooth, use powdered sugar.

---

Meyer Lemon Truffles

Ingredients:

• 11 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• zest of 2 Meyer lemons
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup decorative or powdered sugar

Directions:

Set up a double boiler or make one by finding a heat-proof bowl that sits on top of a saucepan without touching the bottom.  Fill the bottom of the pot with an inch or two of water, but make sure that water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.

Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until it just begins to bubble (not a full boil).  Remove it from the heat and stir the lemon zest and lemon oil into the cream.

Heat the double boiler over medium-low.  Put the chocolate chips and butter in the bowl and stir until it’s melted and smooth.  Stir in the heavy cream, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.

Refrigerate the mixture for about an hour.  Scoop a teaspoon of the mixture.  It should be firm enough to roll into a teaspoon-sized ball.  (If not, refrigerate longer, if it’s too firm, leave it out for a few minutes.)

Put the sugar in a shallow bowl.  Form the balls and roll them in the sugar.  Store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from How Sweet It is.