WHITE CHOCOLATE LEMON TRUFFLES: National White Chocolate Day!

Today is White Chocolate Day.  I've always liked white chocolate. When I was growing up, there were two special treats we used to buy at a favorite candy shop on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City: Toffee (English toffee) and White Chocolate. These were grown-up candies that were fresh and put into small individual boxes. As a child of 8 or 9, I was thrilled with these candies-so different from penny candy or a 5 cent candy bar.

Officially white chocolate is not chocolate because it doesn't contain chocolate liquor, although that status seems to be changing. White Chocolate does contain cocoa butter (along with sugar, milk solids, vanilla and lecithin). The most important thing to remember when buying real white chocolate is that it must contain cocoa butter. Some brands on the market, and many of those little disks you see, are really just vegetable fat. Real cocoa butter should be an ivory color. The 'fake' white chocolate is 'white'. Why bother with that. Go for the real thing. You'll be rewarded by flavor!

One other hint: White chocolate scorches easily, so always use a low heat. In the truffle recipe below, be very careful when combining the white chocolate with the cream (see note). 

So for White Chocolate Day here's an easy recipe for White Chocolate Lemon Truffles.

WHITE CHOCOLATE LEMON TRUFFLES

Ingredients 
1/4 cup unsalted butter
Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 cup quality white chocolate, chopped
1/2 tsp lemon extract or pure lemon oil
1/4 cup sparkling sugar (sanding sugar) for coating

Directions
Put white chocolate in bowl, set aside.
Melt butter along with lemon zest in small saucepan. Stir in cream and heat until bubbles just start to form at edges (do not boil).
Pour hot cream mixture over white chocolate. Add lemon extract and stir until smooth.
Cover mixture and refrigerate 2 hours or until firm enough to handle.
Scoop mixture out by heaping teaspoon fulls and form into balls.
Roll in sparkling sugar.
Freeze truffles 20 minutes or refrigerate one hour. Take out of refrigerator before serving.