Lemon Balm Chocolate Truffles
Delectable homemade chocolate truffles gently infused with lemon balm. What a treat. The recipe is an easy one with milk chocolate ganache shaped into balls and rolled in cocoa powder. The result is a smooth and creamy truffle with a subtle fragrant tone.
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After my tea and chocolate tasting event last month, I was desperate to try making some ganache à la Marc Demarquette. Was it really so simple to make a ganache that didn’t split and such a delicious one at that?
I’d had an idea about using lemon balm as a chocolate truffle flavouring for a long time and my lemon balm was fast succumbing to winter’s chill, so it was now or never.
Lemon Balm Chocolate Truffles
I spent so long pondering on what I could use the ganache for, that I ran out of time to do anything other than just make it. I had some Chocolate by Trish to try, so with a bag of her milk chocolate 38% buttons to set me up for what I hoped was not going to be an ordeal, I set to.
As I had a load of fresh ground cherries recently harvested from our plot, I pushed one into the middle of each truffle. I thought this a good idea at the time and indeed the resulting truffles were very tasty, but unless you’re going to eat the whole batch in one sitting, fresh fruit just doesn’t keep very well.
I also thought it might be a good idea to try making the truffles in moulds, thus negating the need for rolling them in cocoa powder.
As can be seen from this photograph, they did not come out cleanly at all. But I did produce a beautifully shiny ganache which didn’t split – hoorah! As befits a cook’s chocolate, these buttons melted beautifully, producing a smooth but not quite liquid pool of deliciousness.
I nearly swooned as I licked out the warm ganache from the bowl. It was every bit as good as Marc’s, though I say it myself. Imagine a glorious mixture of creamy chocolate and toffee suffused with a subtle lemon undertone. That’s what I could taste. The lemon balm works really well, it’s present, but in no way dominates.
CT thought these were the apogee of unctuousness – definitely one to swirl around the mouth with a warm cup of tea. He thought the ground cherries, nice as they were, seemed a bit superfluous. I had to agree, these truffles are better savoured on their own with no distractions.
Ingredients
You really only need two ingredients to make chocolate truffles: chocolate and cream. However, this lemon balm recipe contains a couple of extras. And then there’s the cocoa powder for rolling them in. Although this step is entirely optional.
Chocolate
I like to make flavoured truffles with a high cacao content milk chocolate. Around 40% is about right. It’s mellower and smoother than dark. It also allows the subtle notes of flavours such as lemon balm to come through. Dark chocolate would just overwhelm it.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is a really useful herb to have in the garden. The leaves smell divine and it makes a lovely tisane. It normally rampages through gardens, so you have to watch it. However, now we’re in a dry part of the country, we have to nurture it.
If you don’t grow your own, perhaps you know someone who does. You only need a handful of leaves, so they can afford to be generous. It’s not an easy herb to buy, but you could swap it for mint if you can’t find any.
How To Make Lemon Balm Chocolate Truffles
Chocolate truffle making is surprisingly easy, if a bit messy. Really it’s just a case of mixing melted chocolate with double cream. However, there are a few things to bear in mind.
Step 1. Infuse Cream
If you remember, it’s a good idea to infuse the cream the day before you actually need it. However, most of us aren’t that organised, me included. But you will need to infuse it for at least two hours.
Wash the lemon balm leaves and give them a good shake to remove the water. Place in a small lidded saucepan along with the cream. Heat to just about boiling point, then turn off the heat and clamp the lid on the pan. Leave to cool, then infuse. If infusing overnight, leave the pan in a cool place.
Step 2. Melt Chocolate
Pour the chocolate buttons into a heatproof bowl. Half fill a small narrow saucepan with water, then place the bowl on top. Ensure the bowl isn’t sitting in the water. Bring the water to a near boil, then turn off the heat and leave the chocolate to melt.
Don’t worry if the buttons at the top don’t quite melt. They will later.
Step 3. Make Ganache
Bring the infused cream back to a near boil, then pour it through a sieve over the melted, or nearly melted, chocolate. Try to press as much of the cream out of the lemon balm leaves as you can.
Leave well alone for a couple of minutes to allow the cream to melt any remaining chocolate. Add the honey and gently stir from the inside out until everything is just mixed. This is the tricky part. Oftentimes if you stir too much you’ll split the ganache, so go carefully.
Leave the ganache to cool a little, then place in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
Step 4. Make Truffles
Once the ganache is stiff enough to roll into balls, you’re good to go. Sift the cocoa powder into a shallow bowl.
Either roll the set ganache into small balls between the palms of your hands or use a small trigger scoop*. I’ve found the latter method to be a lot easier and less messy. More of the ganache ends up as truffles rather than covering my hands.
Place the balls, a few at a time, into the bowl of cocoa powder and roll them around until covered. Transfer to a clean plate. Repeat until you’ve used up all of the ganache.
Place the truffles back in the fridge and leave for at least an hour to set. Once set, place in a covered container and store in the fridge for up to a fortnight.
Tips And Tricks
1. The first time I made these lemon balm chocolate truffles, I poured the melted chocolate ganache into moulds and hoped the set truffles would come out cleanly. It was a lesson learned – they didn’t. Ganache is just a bit too soft and sticky.
However, I’ve since sussed out that if you put the chocolates into the freezer for a couple of hours, they do come out cleanly. So if you’d rather have shiny topped truffles not coated in cocoa powder, try this method instead.
2. Swap the lemon balm for lemon verbena if you like. It has a slightly stronger lemony flavour, but works beautifully too.
3. If you can’t get hold of a good quality milk chocolate, swap 50-100g with dark chocolate. Or do as I often do and use 200g of 40% milk chocolate and 50g 70% dark chocolate anyway.
4. Coat these lemon balm truffles in a good dark chocolate and you have the most fabulous gift for a special occasion. If going down this route, try to temper your chocolate first.
Chocolate By Trish
Recently launched at Selfridges, Chocolate by Trish is a range of chocolate produced specifically for cooks. It thus comes in the shape of buttons (which weigh a handy 5g each), shards or dust, ie cocoa powder. The paper bags are waxed inside and have a re-sealable top.
Trish Deseine, the eponymous food writer behind the brand has also produced chocolate making kits. All of her products are available at Selfridges.
The buttons are well balanced, creamy, rich and for a milk variety, strongly chocolatey. I could quite happily have eaten the whole 350g bagful. Somehow, the flavour and mouth feel reminded me of a silky smooth good quality hot chocolate – nice!
I still have 100g of Trish’s buttons left so am looking forward to trying them in another guise. I would also like to try her 64% and 74% dark varieties.
Chocolate Update 2023
Sadly Trish stopped trading a few years ago. Her chocolate buttons were some of the best I’ve used. They not only tasted good, but melted easily.
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Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these lemon balm chocolate truffles, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for chocolate making?
Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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If you’d like more truffle recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Lemon Balm Chocolate Truffles. PIN IT.
Lemon Balm Chocolate Truffles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 150 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 3 sprig fresh lemon balm leaves
- 250 g milk chocolate (I used Chocolate by Trish buttons 38%)
- ½ tsp honey (I used Cornish heather honey).
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder optional
Instructions
- In a small pan, bring the cream to the boil. Turn the heat off. Throw in a handful of fresh lemon balm leaves and clamp the lid on. Leave for a couple of hours or more to infuse.150 ml double cream (heavy cream), 3 sprig fresh lemon balm leaves
- When you’re ready to make the truffles, gently melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot water.250 g milk chocolate
- Bring the cream back up to near boiling point again, then pour through a sieve over the chocolate. Squeeze as much of the cream out of the lemon balm leaves as you can, then discard them.
- Add the honey to the bowl, then use a whisk to gently stir, almost fold, the liquids together until you have a beautiful glossy mass. Stop stirring as soon as it’s mixed to avoid splitting the ganache.½ tsp honey
- Leave the ganache to set.
- Sift the cocoa powder into a shallow bowl.1 tbsp cocoa powder
- Either roll the set ganache into small balls between the palms of your cold hands or use a small scoop. Place the balls a few at a time into the bowl of cocoa powder and roll them around until covered. Transfer to a clean plate. Repeat until you've used up all of the ganache.
- For a cocoa free version, pour the ganache into chocolate moulds and leave to set. Once set, place in the freezer for an hour. You can then turn them out without fear of them sticking.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Post updated June 2023
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Recipe looks tricky but the result looks fab!
Have to try this recipe sounds Delicious 🙂
BlackBook – thanks for visiting and your kind comment
Mary – thank you, hope you come back and visit again
Maggie – thanks, I think I might need one of those chocolate making kits myself!
Dom – hey, another lemon balm tea drinker – it’s great stuff, but it does tend to take over. And it is especially good for flavouring chocolate I’ve now discovered.
Aforkful – thanks, that’s cheered me up – nothing like a bit of enthusiasm. Yes, the lemon balm is in our garden. Not sure how easy it is to obtain from shops, but if you know anyone who grows their own herbs, they are sure to have plenty of lemon balm to give away.
Phwoar! Who likes perfectly-shaped truffles anyway? 😉
Where do you get your lemon balm leaves from, or do you grow the stuff in your garden?
I have sooooo much Lemon Balm in the garden and very rarely use it for anything other than tea. Now I have this great recipe and an excuse to cook with chocolate…!
Oh yes! A definite winner here.
I had read that Trish Deseine was bringing out chocolate making kits and chocolates. These would make great Xmas presents.
What a beautiful chocolate treat!!
New to your blog but lovin’ it!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
these look so lovely and im sure it is to die for! thank you for sharing this.
Andhra – thank you
Kath -I’d been thinking about lemon balm for ages as a good flavouring for ganache so I was really pleased it worked so well. To be fair though, I don’t think making some ganache is going to clear your lemon balm for you 🙂 We’ve only a tiny patch but still have far more than we can use. We drink it in the spring and summer as a tea – it’s one of my favourites but is even better when combined with blackcurrant leaves. Keep meaning to dry some leaves for the winter, but have not yet managed it.
CityHippy – I know and I do want to crack it for Christmas, I just need a good clear spell of time when not much else is going on. I shall try to follow in your footsteps.
Johanna – thank you
Celia – yes, you’ve got that just right – it does make you feel rich and cosseted too. And actually, this would be wonderful served warm in a bowl with a group of friends/family dipping in with fruit or biscuits or spoons :0
Hazel – I’ve become a convert to tea and chocolate now.
Joanna – you get your bakery and I’ll have a think about the chocolates. Have to get that tempering sorted!
KitchenMaid – as I just said to Kath, lemon balm makes lovely tea.
Karen – thank you for your kind comment and thanks for following too.
Wow…these sound great. A very impressive chocolate treat!
Now I know what to do with that lemon balm in the garden! And yes, when is your range coming out?!
Ganache success! Yay! Sounds absolutely delicious. Will we be seeing you launch your own range of chocolates at some point ?
Oh wow, I can only imagine how wonderful the subtle lemon balm must be. Glad to hear these are being enjoyed with a warm cup of tea 😉
Homemade chocolate ganache is one of things in life which can make us feel rich, regardless of circumstances! It’s hard not to just eat it with a spoon, isn’t it? I love the idea of lemon balm flavoured ganache!
Thanks very much for your comment about my boys – I was really touched.
And your chocolates look lovely to me
Choclette….*whispering* you can do it. You know you can…temper, temper, temper. Just think of those delectable lemon balm morsels dipped into beautiful glossy, shiny, snappy, tempered chocolate. Cheer squad here and ready when you do 🙂
They look delicious. I will have to try your way of doing a ganache, the lemon balm flavour sounds good. Our garden is overrun with lemon balm, so if I could make a delicious use of it that would be a bonus.
Yummmmmmm.
looking nice thanks for share.