The other day I had planned to make these White Chocolate Meyer Lemon Truffles, which have always been a big hit with clients. But just my luck, the store was fresh out of Meyer lemons, and I simply didn’t have the time to go hunting them down at every store in town. Bummed, but not defeated, I improvised and decided to make these Grapefruit Vanilla Bean Truffles instead, and I was so thrilled with how they turned out that I had to share the recipe! I just love happy accidents.

Don’t they remind you of pretty little snowballs? That’s why I think they’d make great holiday treats, but truthfully these would be divine any time of year.

The recipe is pretty much identical to the Meyer Lemon truffles, which is great because it’s a very simple one and comes together in under ten minutes. I simply swapped out the lemon zest and juice for grapefruit, and mixed in vanilla bean seeds at the end for good measure, because grapefruit and vanilla are a match made in heaven. LaVanila knows what I’m talking about. Is it weird that these truffles were possibly, partly, subconsciously inspired by one of my favorite ranges of luxury body care items? Whatever, the combo works for truffles too, in a big way.

One thing to be aware of as you’re rolling the truffles is that they will begin to melt from the heat of your hands, so you’ll want to move pretty quickly through that step before the mixture becomes un-workable. It can be a bit of a sticky job so wearing rubber gloves can be helpful in that regard. And definitely let them set in the fridge before serving them so they’re not too soft.

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Grapefruit Vanilla Bean Truffles

The recipe is pretty much identical to the Meyer Lemon truffles, which is great because it’s a very simple one and comes together in under ten minutes. I simply swapped out the lemon zest and juice for grapefruit, and mixed in vanilla bean seeds at the end for good measure, because grapefruit and vanilla are a match made in heaven. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword grapefruit truffles, vanilla bean truffles, white chocolate truffles

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Chilling 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Servings 30

Calories 100 kcal

Ingredients

• 9 ounces good quality white chocolate
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• Zest of one grapefruit
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter cubed
• Pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean seeds scraped
• 3 teaspoons grapefruit juice
• Superfine sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Finely chop the white chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Set aside.
2. Add grapefruit zest to cream in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer, taking care not to boil. Remove from heat.
3. Add butter and salt to white chocolate, then pour hot cream mixture into bowl. Melt over a saucepan with simmering water until smooth (do not allow water to touch glass bowl). Add vanilla bean seeds and grapefruit juice and stir to combine. Chill mixture for at least 4 hours.
4. Using a teaspoon or a small cookie scoop portion out 1 inch balls of ganache mixture. Roll in your hands to form a ball (quickly, as it will begin to melt from the heat of your hands).
5. Immediately sprinkle each truffle with the sanding sugar and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 5 minutes before serving (will keep for up to two weeks when stored in an airtight container).

Recipe Notes

definitely let them set in the fridge before serving them so they’re not too soft.