Food Friday (Oreo Truffles)

Friday, May 14, 2010

happy Friday :o)  SP here!  Every other Friday…we plan to bring you a fun food post!  We will share recipes and ideas…and maybe even show you some fun kitchen gadgets!  It’s probably no secret that I love to cook!  Well, let me qualify that…I love to cook what I love to cook lol!  Meaning, I do NOT enjoy cooking the every night dinner (ya know…MOM – WHAT’S FOR DINNER?) – but I DO enjoy baking fun (and yummy) desserts…and cooking food that looks pretty (lol) and tastes ‘special’!  I am often told that I go ‘overboard’ when it comes to ‘entertaining’ and preparing food.  But for me – that’s where the fun is – it’s all about making things special and putting a lot of thought, love and care into whatever it is!  So – with all of that said – I am going to share one of the easiest (and shortest lol) recipes I know…and one that ALWAYS gets rave reviews!  So here goes our first FOOD FRIDAY blog article :o)

Yep…you read that right…OREO TRUFFLES lol!  I want to start by saying that I am NOT a chocolate lover…but even more than that – I cannot stand Oreo cookies lol!  HOWEVER – somehow – when you combine them with cream cheese and coat them with chocolate…I seem to very quickly get over my aversion to both LOL!  With only three ingredients – it doesn’t get much easier.  I will tell you that this can get a little messy – but it is a SUPER SUPER FUN recipe to make with your children or grandchildren (you just have to be careful with the melted chocolate – but kids love making the balls).  When these are complete – you are left with something (at least to me) that no longer tastes like oreos with cream cheese…because it somehow transforms into a ‘real’ truffle…with all the richness and taste of a gourmet chocolate.  Also know that these are very rich lol – I can’t eat more than one at a time…AND…they taste better after a night in the refrigerator!  So, let’s get started!  I will post the recipe and instructions (along with some tips) here in the post – but I have also created a 4×6 recipe card for you.  Please feel free to download it so you can print and add to your recipe box :o)

Oh…one more thing – I want to make it clear that I did not invent this recipe lol!  It comes from one of my favorite recipe sites and you can find it HERE (note:  I have never tried these with baker’s brand chocolate).

OREO TRUFFLES

{ingredients}

• oreo cookies
• cream cheese
• chocolate (for melting and covering the truffles)

That’s right – just THREE ingredients!  And best of all – you can completely ‘customize’ those three little ingredients to your liking!  We almost always use DOUBLE STUFF oreos, for the extra creaminess it gives to the truffles.  But, why not try the MINT oreos?  How delicious would that be?!  Cream cheese…go for whatever brand you like best…and even try a low-fat version if you want (but seriously…if you are going to DO IT…just DO IT, right?  lol)!  And for the chocolate…I have found that the EASIEST is to go with the almond bark that is found in just about all grocery stores.  You can buy it in white or regular chocolate and it melts so easily.  You can also go with good quality chocolate candy melts…or your favorite chocolate.  Each type of chocolate will melt differently – so just keep in mind that your end goal is to melt the chocolate and eventually have it ‘set’ or harden over your truffle mixture.  I generally go with the chocolate almond bark and then add in about half a bag of white chocolate chips.  I find that this gives the bark a better taste…and a creamier texture.  Again, experiment with different chocolates…different brands – just have fun!

So to get started…you will want to crush one package of oreo cookies in a food processor (if you do not have one – you can place the oreos in a ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin, can, etc.).  Your goal is to end up with finely crushed oreos which will make the ‘filling’ nice and creamy.  Now, add one (8 ounce) package of cream cheese to the crushed cookies (you can mix them in the food processor or by hand).  OPTIONAL STEP:  you can chill the mixture for an hour or two as this will allow you to roll ‘prettier’ balls. Roll the mixture into balls (or any shape you like).  I like to use a small cookie scoop (remember that these are super rich…so the smaller the final truffle…the better) – but you can also use a melon baller, or your fingers :o)   Now, if you want to actually enjoy making these…this next step is NOT optional LOL!  REFRIGERATE the balls for several hours BEFORE covering with chocolate.  At this point – your balls are a mushy mess…kinda warm and very prone to falling apart and just melting away when you add the hot chocolate.  So, trust me – you want to CHILL the balls before going further (I even put mine in the freezer sometimes to speed up the process).

You guessed it!  After the balls have chilled – it’s time to melt your chocolate!  I prefer to use a double boiler (oven/heat-safe bowls placed over pots with simmering water will work just fine) – but for most chocolate, a microwave will work fine as well.  You just want to be sure you do not get your chocolate too hot (that is not a good thing…it will sieze up and then there is nothing you can do with it).  There are several different ways you can go about covering your balls with chocolate.  I have tried them all, lol – and none are ‘perfect’…but ALL are MESSY lol!  You will want to have some wax paper or a silpat sheet ready for your truffles, before you get started!  You can use toothpics to help you roll the balls in the melted chocolate…slotted spoons…skewers – anything you can think of.  Something I often do is just place my chilled balls on wax paper and simply spoon chocolate over the tops of the balls.  In the end, the bottoms of the truffles are not coated…but this is a super fast and much easier option if you are in a hurry (that’s what I did for the pics in this post – if you roll the entire ball in chocolate – yours will be prettier lol)!  If you wish to add sprinkles, sugar or crushed oreos…be sure to do so before the truffles harden.  You can also decorate them with extra chocolate (place in a decorating bag or even a ziploc bag with a small hole cut in the corner).  Store in refrigerator until ready to serve (they only get better the next day)!

That’s it – you’re done :o)  I can honestly say that I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t love these!  They go so fast at parties and everyone is always asking for the recipe!  Most cannot identify the ingredients…but it’s fun to ask and see if anyone can lol!  Everyone is always amazed to find out that there are only three ingredients…the main one being oreos lol!  I hope you will give these a try – let me know what you think :o)  And…here is the recipe card…

Enjoy :o)  Be sure to stop back by tomorrow to see which layout Beckie chose for Layout of the Week!

Shabby PrincessFood Stuff, Free (not desktops), Uncategorized 12 Comments