Creamy and fresh Peppermint Truffles on lollipop sticks are made with just 4 simple ingredients. These super fun “truffle pops” can be customized with your favorite Christmas sprinkles, sanding sugar or peppermint crunch, making them perfect for the holidays!
I didn’t grow up with Christmas but it has become my favorite time of the year. Imagine listening to Christmas music in the kitchen, baking up a batch of peppermint madeleines or some peppermint brownies. That is the vibe my friends! But if you don’t feel like baking, you can make these homemade peppermint chocolate truffles too.
I’m sure this is hardly revolutionary but lollipop sticks are a game changer for dipping homemade truffles. No more messing about with a fork and dropping your truffles on the kitchen floor, and chasing after the dogs because they’re not supposed to eat chocolate. They will make these 4-ingredient white chocolate peppermint truffles even easier to make and super cute too.
Table of Contents
Helpful tools
You don’t need to use lollipop sticks to make these homemade peppermint truffles. But they do add to the fun vibe as well as serve a practical purpose for making it a lot easier to dip the truffles into melted chocolate.
You can use a cake pop stand to dry the truffles after they are dipped. Or do what I did and cut out a piece of multipurpose foam from the home improvement store to make a makeshift stand. Floral foam blocks will work too if you happen to have some of those lying about.
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Chocolate – I use Lindt milk chocolate bar for the truffle filling and Lindt white chocolate bar for the coating. I recommend using whichever chocolate you love to eat for this recipe. But you can use dark chocolate and anything in between too.
- Heavy whipping cream
- Peppermint extract – this is peppermint extract and not mint extract. The two are different and not interchangeable. Peppermint extract is stronger with higher menthol content whereas mint extract is more subtle. But you can use mint extract if you prefer a milder flavor.
- Sprinkles – you can use Christmas sprinkles, peppermint crunch (also peppermint snow), or simply crush up a candy cane.
How to make peppermint truffles
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
You want to chop the chocolate bar up well so it can melt when you pour hot cream over it. Let it sit a few minutes before you start stirring, very gently. Add the peppermint extract and stir until smooth. Now you will refrigerate the ganache mixture for about 1 hours.
Tip: Check your ganache to make sure it doesn’t become too hard to scoop.
When the truffle filling is set but still easy to scoop, you can use a small cookie scoop to divide it into 8 truffles. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate another hour before rolling them into balls. Set a lollipop stick into each truffles about three quarters of the way into the truffles. Refrigerate again until set completely.
Melt the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Pour it into a jam jar, this will make dipping easier. Dip your mint truffles into the melted chocolate, let the excess run off, and then dip them into a bowl of sprinkles, crushed peppermint candy, etc. Set them on a piece of foam (as pictured below) to dry.
More baker’s tips
- Make a small batch or a big batch – This is a small batch recipe that yields just 8 minty truffles, but you can double or triple the recipe easily to make more all at once.
- Refrigeration tips for the truffle filling – I specified three refrigeration steps in succession to each other in the recipe card to allow some ease in working with the ganache filling. You want to portion out the filling when it’s solidified but still soft enough to be scooped. But you don’t want to roll them into balls yet at this stage as it will be very messy. However, too hard and it would be impossible to shape them into round balls.
- Melt the chocolate low and slow – Do not try to take shortcut on melting the chocolate coating by using direct heat or microwaving, it needs to be melted slow and low. Otherwise, your chocolate coating will have white specks when hardened (this is called chocolate bloom).
- Keep water away from melting chocolate – Also take precaution while melting chocolate over simmering water to not allow any steam or water to come in contact with the melting chocolate or you will also end up with chocolate bloom.
- Variations – use white chocolate for the peppermint truffle filling and dark chocolate for the coating. I like to keep the color contrast!
Storage
You can store your white chocolate peppermint truffles standing up and wrapped individually or store them all together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
More minty treats
- Rolled Peppermint Chocolate Christmas Cookies
- Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
- Christmas Pinata Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting
- Peppermint Frosting
📖 Recipe card
Peppermint Truffle Lollipops
Equipment
- 8 Lollipop Sticks
Ingredients
- 1 milk chocolate bar (4.4 ounce, 125 g)
- 2 ounce heavy whipping cream (57 g)
- ¾ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 white chocolate bar (4.4 once, 125 g)
- Peppermint crunch
- Christmas sprinkles
Instructions
- Finely chop the milk chocolate bar and place in a glass bowl.
- Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat until simmering but not boiling.
- Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for a few minutes.
- Stir the ganache with a spatula or whisk in even round stroke until the chocolate completely dissolves.
- Add the extract and continue stirring until smooth.
- Place the ganache mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour until solidified but still scoopable.
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take the ganache out of the refrigerator, portion the ganache into 8 mounts using a small cookie scoop, try to keep them as round as possible. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Take the baking sheet out of the refrigerator and shape each piece of truffle into round balls.
- Place a lollipop stick in the middle of each ball and push down about ¾ way through the candy.
- Put the baking sheet back in the refrigerator for 1 more hour.
- Cut a piece of thick foam to use as a truffle pop drying stand. Poke holes through the foam with a bamboo stick about 2” apart.
- Prepare small bowls filled with sprinkles, peppermint crunch or your choice of toppings for the truffle pops.
- Finely chop the white chocolate bar and melt it in a glass bowl placed over a simmering pot of water, stirring with a spatula. When almost all of the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat and continue to stir until it melts completely and smooth. You can transfer melted chocolate into a smaller jar to make it easier for dipping.
- Take the truffles out of the refrigerator, and dip them into the melted white chocolate. Let the excess run off almost complete before dipping it in your choice of sprinkles or toppings.
- Place the lollipop stick upright in the prepared piece of foam through the holes you made earlier to let it dry.
- Continue to coat the rest of the truffle pops with chocolate and sprinkles.
- Place the foam with the truffle pops in the refrigerator to harden completely before wrapping them in plastic baggies.
Notes
- This is a small batch recipe that yields just 8 minty truffles, but you can double or triple the recipe easily to make more all at once.
- I specified three refrigeration steps in succession to each other in the recipe card to allow some ease in working with the ganache filling. You want to portion out the filling when it’s solidified but still soft enough to be scooped. But you don’t want to roll them into balls yet at this stage as it will be very messy. However, too hard and it would be impossible to shape them into round balls.
- Do not try to take shortcut on melting the chocolate coating by using direct heat or microwaving, it needs to be melted slow and low. Otherwise, your chocolate coating will have white specks when hardened (this is called chocolate bloom).
- Also take precaution while melting chocolate over simmering water to not allow any steam or water to come in contact with the melting chocolate or you will also end up with chocolate bloom.
- You can use white chocolate for the peppermint truffle filling and dark chocolate for the coating. I like to keep the color contrast!
Nutrition
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YUM! These look really good.
Thanks Ben!
What a cute recipe! I love that minty flavor, to give it some punch. That cookie swap sounds really awesome. We should revive the idea!
Thank you so much Lisa! That minty flavor did indeed give it a fun little punch 😉