Believe it or not these Meyer Lemon Filled Chocolates are super easy to make at home, and you can customize the chocolate and the filling in countless variations!
Make fancy molded chocolates easily, at home!
I was going to include the word ‘fancy’ in the title of this post, because these candies do look awfully fancy, but then I thought you’d get the entirely wrong idea about them, they’re a cinch to make! I was amazed at how quickly I was able to create these gorgeous filled chocolates, it was as easy as melting the chocolate…the mold does all the work, and you get to take the credit…good deal! I set aside an afternoon for the project and I was finished in no time…I actually had time to wrap the stack of presents that I’ve been tripping over all week. I’m sorry, but cookies are so yesterday, my friends are getting chocolate for Christmas.
Making your own filled chocolates taps into those candy fantasies that set in when we were kids…remember Gumdrop Mountain? And just like anything else you make homemade, you can actually make better candy than you can buy, with fresher, higher quality ingredients. AND you can do it so much more affordably. Last Christmas I was browsing in a fancy little shop and as I was checking out, there were uber cute chocolate candies for sale on the counter. I grabbed one and popped it in my mouth before asking how much…they were $6 A PIECE!! Never again… now I make my own.
You can find melting chocolate, molds, and even flavor extracts to make an endless variety of candies in your own special favorite flavors. Check large craft and cooking stores, or find lots of choices online. Me? I dream of citrus, so I made a dark chocolate candy filled with tart Meyer lemon. To. Die. For.
If you can melt chocolate, you can make these filled candies
You can choose from tons of different shaped molds, I like these small intricate shapes. All you have to do is melt the chocolate, fill the molds about half full, and then swish the chocolate around with a small paintbrush to coat the entire surface. That sets up in the fridge briefly, and then you can add your filling. My filling is a very intense lemon, and it’s more liquid than a cream, so I drizzled it in and then topped it with a final coat of chocolate. The whole thing takes just minutes to do and I was amazed at how easily the chocolate pops right out of the molds. They have a gorgeous sheen to them, too.
I wanted a very lemony filling for these, so I just mixed pure Meyer lemon juice with confectioner’s sugar for a super tangy flavor. You could also make a lemon buttercream for a milder effect.
If you’re into this idea of making your own chocolates, why not go for the big guns ~ I’ll show you how to make Homemade Ferrero Rocher Truffles that are literally better than the originals. And if simpler is more your style, try my Grand Marnier Truffles ~ they don’t take any cooking skill at all!
Products similar to the ones I used for this project:
Meyer Lemon Filled Chocolates
Ingredients
- 2 cups dark chocolate melting wafers
- the juice of 1 Meyer Lemon
- 3 cups confectioner's sugar, approximately
- yellow gel food coloring, optional
tools
- candy molds
- a small paintbrush
Instructions
- Measure out about a heaping cup of chocolate pieces and put them in a microwave safe glass measuring cup. (I like to work in batches, so repeat for more candies)
- Microwave for 1 minute, then stir the mixture until it is smooth and glossy. Microwave in short 10 second bursts if it is not completely melted.
- Fill each cavity of your chocolate mold about halfway full. Use your brush to move the chocolate around so that it coats the entire surface of the mold. Put the mold in the refrigerator to set, this will only take about 15-20 minutes.
- Make your filling by measuring out your sugar and adding the lemon juice to it. Stir well until you have a thick glossy mixture. Add more sugar or more lemon as needed to get a good consistency for your filling. It can be more or less lemony depending on how thin you make it.
- Dab or drizzle a bit of the filling into each chocolate mold. Don't put in too much or you will have trouble covering it with the final layer of chocolate.
- For the top layer of chocolate, you will want to completely cover the lemon filling, so I found the best way was to drizzle the chocolate on in a back and forth motion to cover the whole surface of the filling, that way the filling stays in place better.
- When the molds are completely filled, rap them firmly on the counter a few times to get rid of any air bubbles, and put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes, or until set.
- To remove the candies, just flip the mold over and tap sharply on the counter, the candies will fall right out!
Notes
- Try filling these dark chocolates with a dab of homemade peanut or almond butter...mmmmmmmm!
- If Meyer lemons are your jam, there are lots more opportunities to incorporate them into dessert ~ how about a Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake? Or there's always the classic, Meyer Lemon Bars. And if you're a purist, did you know you can make Candied Meyer Lemons?
Thanks for pinning!
I saw this recipe on pinterest and thought it sounds delicious, but the last thing that I thought was that it might be something I would be making. Then I saw that it was your blog that had the post and the light bulbs went off.
So upon reading this I will not only get a mold or two, I am going to make this filling and also try adding a different layer in as well. Perhaps just a tiny drop of strawberry jam or lemon curd. It will make for a wonderful project.
I would love that this was closer to Christmas but I will surely gift it for Easter!