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 โfancyโ 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 timeโฆI 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 makeย 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?ย Or there's always the classic,ย Meyer Lemon Bars.ย And if you're a purist, did you know you can make Candied Meyer Lemons?
These are absolutely amazing!!!
These are gorgeous! I can’t believe they’re so easy to make, they look professional! Yum, I wish I could try some right now. And I love the lemon + chocolate combo.
Chocolate and Meyer lemon?! And they look very fancy!
Many thanks for introducing me to Chocoley. Went to their site and loved it!
Your chocolates turned out beautifully! You’re right, now I’m thinking Valentines Day. Can making chocolates be as easy as this?
Happy Holidays, Sue. Wish I was on your holiday list! ๐
These chocolates turned out so beautiful, Sue.
What a great combination and they are soooo pretty! Lemon is my favorite ๐ and I love chocolate too – so this is a perfect treat. Have a very Merry Christmas Sue!
You make it look so easy! happy holidays. GREG
These are wonderful!! I only wish I’d thought to do this with a little more time before Christmas. I may make some and just give them out for NYE instead – why not, right? I love that you chose a Meyer Lemon filling. Just beautiful, thank you for sharing!! I’m off to check out all the different molds ๐ Happy Holidays!
thanks Kristy — I’m gearing up for a slam dunk on ‘Valentines Day! Have a wonderful week!
Wow, your chocolates look so professional. I’d love to be more proficient at making chocolates like this. The Meyer lemon filling sounds delicious. Happy Holidays, Sue!
I really can’t take credit, the molds are cheap and wonderful, the chocolate just pops out like that ๐
I’m not a sweet eater, but we always buy a few good quality chocs at Christmas. Yours look delicious; I might try to find a mold for my wife!
Thanks Cro! Quality chocolates are getting outrageously priced, am I right? I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday.