Oreo truffles

A few weeks ago, Mom went to a cookie exchange and came back with some delicious goodies. We really wanted to find out how to make the little Oreo cookie balls, and I was excited to find the recipe on A Home Away From Home just a few days later.

I made a big batch and included them in the plates that we gave to our neighbors. A side note: we love where we live! Each family on our little cul-de-sac shared something with the others this Christmas. We love the Mayberry-ish spirit that we have on our street!

Anyway, they are really good and not hard to make. Here is how I made them:

1 package Oreos
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 package almond bark

1. Grind Oreo cookies in a food processor until fine.

2. Mix Oreo crumbs with cream cheese.

3. Roll the cream cheese and Oreo crumbs into 1.5 in. balls. (Place in the fridge until they are firm. I don't know if it matters whether you do this before or after you form them into balls. Personally, I chilled the whole bowl and formed them into balls right before I rolled them in the almond bark.)

4. Melt some of the almond bark in the microwave on a low heat. Remember to stir often, and do NOT let it caramelize. I made this mistake on the first batch. They still tasted okay, but they were not pretty! Another tip that I discovered by trial and error: a little Crisco (use solid shortening, not milk, butter, oil, etc.) in the almond bark made it much smoother and easier to use.

5. Roll the hardened Oreo-cream cheese balls in the melted almond bark and place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. If you want to sprinkle something on top, now is the time to do it.

6. Chill in refrigerator. However, I think these are most tasty if you eat them at room temperature. That way, the almond bark is soft and the truffles are nice and creamy.

I had considered making these look like Christmas ornaments. However, I quickly realized that I am just not that artistic and talented. :) But you can see from the picture that I tinted the almond bark with food coloring and also sprinkled some colored sugar on top of some of them. I think that they looked very pretty and festive.

The recipe that I read also suggested using chocolate chips instead of almond bark or another kind of sandwich cookie instead of Oreos. It would be fun to get creative with these.

I realize that most of you probably aren't in the mood to make any Christmas goodies right now, but you could always file this away to use next year. Maybe I'll post this recipe again next year, too.

But these would be great for any occasion. How about red ones with red-hot topping for Valentine's Day? Or green with shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day? Red, white, and blue for the 4th of July? Or just plain white for when you have a sweet tooth. :) These are really good and they taste like they're way harder than they are. Plus, they freeze really well. I hope you like them!