Name: Strawberry Truffles
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 3 medium fresh strawberries, trimmed; 2.33 cups (14 oz.) white chocolate chips (from 2 [11-oz.] pkg.); 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon); .25 teaspoon kosher salt; Red liquid food coloring (optional); 2 tablespoons pink sanding sugar; 2 tablespoons white sanding sugar

Strawberry Truffles — Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen

Active Time:

20 mins

Chill Time:

1 hrs 30 mins

Total Time:

1 hrs 50 mins

Yield:

Sweets for your sweet. This Valentine's Day, try a new spin on the usual chocolate-dipped strawberries. Our Strawberry Truffles are the bright treat that you've been missing. Made with fresh strawberries, lemon zest, and white chocolate, these truffles are sweet without being cloying, bright and lemony with a subtle strawberry finish. The sanding sugar coating adds a nice crunch, which gives way to a soft and luxurious interior.

Mix it up: one batch of this recipe can be split to make three different flavors of truffles. Our Tipsy Strawberry Truffles get spiked with brandy and vanilla, then rolled in freeze-dried strawberries for a cool speckled look. Our Creamy Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Truffles keep things warm and cozy with vanilla bean paste, which has a stronger, more sophisticated flavor than vanilla extract. Coat these truffles in melted white chocolate and drizzle on light pink chocolate (white chocolate dyed with red food coloring) for a cute decoration. Lastly, our Strawberry-Coconut Truffles are as easy as it gets. Simply substitute coconut extract for lemon zest and roll the finished truffles in shredded coconut. The resulting truffles look like adorable little snowballs. With all three variations, you'll have a whole box of assorted homemade truffles.

Ingredients

3 medium fresh strawberries, trimmed
2 ⅓ cups (14 oz.) white chocolate chips (from 2 [11-oz.] pkg.)
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Red liquid food coloring (optional)
2 tablespoons pink sanding sugar
2 tablespoons white sanding sugar

Directions

Place strawberries in a food processor or blender; process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed, about 30 seconds. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a small bowl, pressing pulp with the back of a spoon to release all juices; discard pulp. Measure ¼ cup strawberry puree.
Combine white chocolate chips, whipping cream, and ¼ cup strawberry puree in a medium-size heatproof bowl. Microwave on HIGH in 15-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted (mixture will be thick), about 45 to 60 seconds total. Stir in lemon zest and salt until well combined. Stir in food coloring, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1½ to 2 hours.
Stir together pink and white sanding sugars in a shallow dish. Scoop chilled white chocolate mixture into 24 portions using the large side of a melon baller or a small (about 1¼ inches in diameter) cookie scoop. Working with 1 portion at a time and using hands, roll each portion into a ball, and place in sugar mixture, tossing gently to coat fully. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 2 months. Let chilled truffles stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Or (if frozen) thaw truffles in refrigerator overnight.

Tipsy Strawberry Truffles

Prepare recipe as directed through Step 2, substituting 1 Tbsp. brandy and ¼ tsp. vanilla extract for 1 tsp. zest. Proceed with Step 3 as directed, substituting ¼ cup finely chopped (using food processor) freeze-dried strawberries (from 1 [0.8-oz.] pkg.) for sanding sugars.

Creamy Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Truffles

Prepare recipe as directed through Step 2, substituting 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste for 1 tsp. zest in Step 2. Scoop and roll chilled white chocolate mixture into balls as directed in Step 3. Microwave 1 (11-oz.) pkg. white chocolate chips in a medium-size heatproof bowl on HIGH in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until melted, about 1 minute total. Reserve 2 Tbsp. melted white chocolate in a bowl. Using a fork, dip truffles, 1 at a time, in remaining melted white chocolate until fully coated, allowing excess to drip off. Place truffles on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Stir red liquid food coloring into reserved 2 Tbsp. melted white chocolate until desired color is reached. Using a fork, drizzle pink chocolate mixture over the dipped truffles. (Or transfer pink chocolate mixture to a small ziplock plastic freezer bag, cut a small hole in corner of bag, and pipe over dipped truffles.) Let truffles stand at room temperature until chocolate sets, about 15 minutes.

Strawberry-Coconut Truffles

Prepare recipe as directed, substituting 1 tsp. coconut extract for zest in Step 2 and 1¼ cups finely chopped sweetened flaked coconut for sanding sugars in Step 3.