Lemon Coconut Cream White Chocolate Truffles & Healthy Lime Coconut "Cheesecake" Bliss Balls

Ahh 2015, what a crazy year for food! People wanted healthy, they wanted indulgent and they wanted everything in between. So if you have a group of friends that you want to make something delicious but last minute for as an edible Christmas gift but don't know what, I've got your bases covered. It's a naughty and nice chocolate truffle selection. For naughty we have a lemon coconut cream and white chocolate refrigerator truffle. And on the nice side we have healthy lime coconut truffles (that taste just like cheesecake!)!

A new friend of mine is the gorgeous beauty blogger Lilian Tahmasian and she and I recently did a recipe collaboration. She told me that the viewers on her youtube channel love healthy recipes so one afternoon we made something together. I knew immediately that we had to make these lime "cheesecake" bliss balls because they were easy to make and are done in a matter of a few minutes. But also because they taste...like cheesecake! It's crazy I know. Who would have thought?

But then another part of me thought about other people. People that like something a bit richer for Christmas and so I developed a refrigerator fresh truffle with lemon coconut cream rolled in shredded coconut. These are so melt in the mouth that they really need to be kept in the fridge much like Royce Nama chocolate squares.

Lilian is such a beautiful soul and when we met at a group function I immediately gravitated towards her and we got on so well and straight away knew that we had to collaborate together. We had such a fun time shooting the video and because it was such an easy recipe, there was no stress or pressure. Just pop into the processor, whizz and eat. And eat and eat...And perhaps there will be more collaborations in the future with this new dear friend!

Sometimes because you meet friends through other friends. A while back Belinda had arranged a dinner with Nick, Mr NQN me and her friend Charmaine. It wasn't until after dinner that Belinda whispered to me, "Did you notice that Charmaine stole your bread?".

I burst out laughing as Belinda described Charmaine's modus operandi. Because we had ordered a lot and were sharing everything, things got moved around on the table and things weren't as they should be. So my bread plate was on my right hand side where Charmaine was sitting. Belinda described how Charmaine had looked around and with a watchful eye on me, slid her fingers across and quickly thieved what remained of my bread roll! I think I laughed so hard that I cried when she recounted the story - yes I had noticed that my bread was missing but no I never gave it another thought!

Charmaine is known for getting a little carried away with food. Often Belinda will have to take food out from her grasp because she will forget she is sharing it. I did wonder why she didn't ask for a fresh bread roll though. "Are you sure she didn't mistake it for her own roll?" I asked Belinda and she shook her head with tears in her eyes from laughing.

Next time I'll bring Charmaine some of these truffles - she can choose naughty or nice! ;)

So tell me Dear Reader, do you like the sound of the naughty or nice ones? And have you ever pinched something from another person's plate? I've definitely taken fries! How is your Christmas week going?

Follow Lilian on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LilianTahmasian

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilianTahmasian1/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liliantahmasian/

Blog: http://www.liliantahmasian.com/

Refrigerator Lemon Coconut Cream White Chocolate Truffles

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott/Not Quite Nigella

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

• 175g/6.18ozs. white chocolate
• 75g/2.65ozs. butter
• 3 tablespoons coconut cream (thickest part)
• Zest from 1 lemon (you can also use an oil based lemon flavour like LorAnn's "Lemonade" but I preferred the taste of the real lemon)
• 1 cup shredded coconut to roll

Step 1 - Melt the chocolate and the butter together until melted and smooth. Add the coconut cream and the lemon zest. Stir well and refrigerate until just set (should be around an hour or so).

Step 2 - Sprinkle the coconut onto a shallow plate with edges. Have a platter ready to put the truffles on. Using a melon baller or teaspoon scrape out little balls of truffle mixture. Roll in the coconut.

Step 3 - Fancy upgrade: Melt 150g/5ozs of chocolate and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Omit rolling in the coconut and instead dip the truffles into the chocolate. Place on parchment lined tray to set completely.

Lime & Coconut "Cheesecake" Bliss Ball Truffles {Sugar Free}

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott/Not Quite Nigella

Preparation time: 5 minutes

• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup almond meal (ground almonds)
• 5 medjool dates, pitted
• 1-2 tablespoons lime juice and zest from 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut (for rolling)

Step 1 - Blend all ingredients together in a food processor with enough lime juice and vanilla bean paste to form a ball when it is processing. Take small pieces and roll into balls. Roll in the desiccated coconut.