Key Lime Truffles
In our little part of Florida, we still have key limes on the tree – quite a few actually. I have been looking for an excuse to use them before they all get knocked off the tree or rot. The tree has given us several pies, gifts for friends, cocktails and tasty dinners this season. I made some truffles a few weeks back and the base ingredient was – Oreos. This got me thinking, why not try making a key lime truffle? Everyone loves key lime pie and this would be a lot more portable, maybe even some gifts for the upcoming holiday season?
This was an experimental twist on a pretty popular truffle recipe. I made some chocolate Oreo truffles last month and with the plethora of limes left on the tree I got to thinking how I could combine both. I was out grocery shopping when I found my answer. I saw vanilla flavored Oreos (Golden Oreos) and thought that would be the perfect base to the recipe. The truffle mixture came out a moister than I would have liked, but with some extra graham crackers a tasty treat was born!
Here’s the ingredients and recipe.
Key Lime Truffles
- On hand: 4-5 graham crackers
- Wax paper
- Cookie sheet
- 1 package – 8 oz package of cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 package (1 lb. 2 oz) – Golden Oreos, crushed
- 2 packages Dolci Frutta (hard chocolate shell) White Chocolate – (14-16oz)
- 2-3 limes (Persian), zested and juiced
- Juice yield: About 1/4 – 1/2 cup
- Zest yield – 3-4 tablespoons, divided (2tsps set aside for garnishing)
Directions
Begin by crushing Oreos in a sealable bag or food processor. I chose to use a rolling pin to roughly crush the cookies in a bag. Great way to relieve some stress!
The cookie’s cream filling will coat the inside of the bag, and to fix this just pop it in the freezer for a few minutes and crush away again.
To an empty bowl add:
- Crushed cookies
- Softened cream cheese (If the cream cheese is straight from the refrigerator, place in the microwave for about 8-10 seconds.)
- Lime zest
- Lime juice
Mix well. A pair of plastic gloves works well here. I added a 1/2 c of key lime juice but any amount of juice between 1/4 to 1/2 would suffice. In fact, I probably used too much juice – but the truffles were a nice tart lime taste. Add some crushed graham cracker if the mixture seems overly moist.
Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Portion and shape cookie mixture into 1″ balls. Place on wax paper. A small cookie scoop (#60, 2 tsp) makes this process go by even faster.
Chill in freezer for about 30 minutes to firm up the mixture before dipping.
Prepare the Dolci Frutta (or other good quality white chocolate) per the package’s instructions. The uniform pieces allow for even melting/cooking. Err on the side of caution and do not overcook in the microwave. Dolci does have instructions on their website in case you run into any problems, like your chocolate seizing. I was a bit frustrated that I could not get a smooth and thin enough consistency to coat the truffles, but it worked well enough. Next time I make these I will probably use the Wilton Candy Melts or BAKER’S White Chocolate (14-16oz of chocolate).
Dip key lime balls into melted chocolate. I wore some latex gloves (powder free) for dipping, but you could easily use two forks to roll the balls around in the chocolate. Tap off any extra chocolate and place truffles onto wax paper. Garnish with a few pieces of zest, OR mix the zest into the chocolate you’re going to use for dipping. I noticed after a few hours some of the zest on top of the truffle dried out. Other decorating options – finely crushed graham cracker or Golden Oreo crumbs.
Allow truffles to set for about an hour and then store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Best eaten around room temperature with a piping hot cup of coffee!
Pretty!!! and my god they tasted awesome! Just like key lime cake but with added bonus of chocolate covered goodness! 🙂
Yummy! I love key lime and I LOVE key lime truffles! I think I’d sub in dark chocolate but only because I really don’t like white chocolate! Great recipe!
I would love to try these with dark chocolate, but as they are you almost don’t taste the chocolate. I LOVE black bottom key lime pie, and the key lime pie slices dipped in dark chocolate so why not dark chocolate key lime truffles! Thanks for stopping by!
i was thinking about doing the same thing… great minds think alike.. 🙂 i also tried one the other day… used the golden oreos, cream cheese, cinnamon and some of william sonomas pecan pumpkin butter covered in white chocolate sprinkled with pecans… they were ridiculously good!!
Can you freeze these ahead of time for a party?
I’ve froze them and if anything, you might see a little bit of sweat/condensation on them as they come to room temperature. Move from the freezer to fridge to serving to help lessen the condensation and make the containers as airtight as possible. Good luck!