Holiday Baking: Oreo and Nutter Butter Truffles

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If you’ve been part of a cookie exchange or received some gifts from the kitchen this Christmas, then there is a good chance you have seen these.  A super simple, three ingredient treat that looks way more impressive than it actually is.  These cute little goodies are so sweet and so yummy.

When you shape these, make sure to make them small.  They really are rich.  If they are too big you may not be able to eat the whole thing, or you’ll feel too guilty taking a second one, and then you won’t get to try both kinds!

The recipe for the Oreo truffles came from the Kraft website.  I used candy coating instead of chocolate squares.  Melting chocolate just never seems to harden well enough.  Does anyone have any tips for coating with real chocolate?

After I made these I thought I should have used the white candy coating for a nice contrast from outer white coating to inner dark chocolate.  Then I thought about all the possibilities there are with these truffles.  You could use any sandwich cookie.  So I did the same thing with a package of Nutter Butters.  The white coating gave me some issues, so these were not as evenly coated as the chocolate.  The peanut butter truffles would have been delicious with the chocolate coating.  Who doesn’t like that peanut butter and chocolate combination?

I love the sprinkles of cookie crumbs on top of these truffles.  It gives them more of a true chocolate truffle appearance (and it helps to hide any uneven coating).  If you really wanted to dress these up even more and make them appealing to foodies, sprinkle with some flaked sea salt.  Some people might be averse to this sweet and salty combo, but it really is wonderful.  You can find flaked sea salt at many grocery stores.  It isn’t cheap, but you don’t use very much and it goes a long way.  This one by Maldon is the one I see most often.

If you don’t have a food processor, get to work with a large ziploc bag and a rolling pin to break the cookies into crumbs.  Make sure when you start coating the balls that you have 2 cookie sheets prepped with parchment paper, wax paper or Silpats.  This makes clean up a breeze, and removing the truffles much easier.

Oreo Truffles

Ingredients

  • 1 package Oreo cookies
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 package chocolate candy coating

Directions

  1. Process Oreos in a food processor to fine crumbs.
  2. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the crumbs in a small bowl.
  3. Combine the remaining crumbs and the cream cheese and mix until evenly combined.
  4. Form dough into ping pong sized balls, between 45 and 55 depending on size.
  5. Melt chocolate coating according to package instructions.  Coat each ball and place on parchment or wax paper.  Sprinkle with reserved crumbs while chocolate is still wet.
  6. Chill truffles for at least an hour, then store in sealed containers in the fridge until serving.

Nutter Butter Truffles

Ingredients

  • 1 package Nutter Butters cookies
  • 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 package chocolate or white candy coating

Directions

  1. Process cookies in a food processor to fine crumbs.
  2. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the crumbs in a small bowl.
  3. Combine the remaining crumbs and the cream cheese and mix until evenly combined.
  4. Form dough into ping pong sized balls, between 45 and 55 depending on size.
  5. Melt chocolate coating according to package instructions.  Coat each ball and place on parchment or wax paper.  Sprinkle with reserved crumbs while chocolate is still wet.
  6. Chill truffles for at least an hour, then store in sealed containers in the fridge until serving.

Holiday Baking: Chewy Ginger Cookies

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I’ve always called these gingersnaps, but they cannot accurately have that name since there is very little “snap” to them in texture.  If you’re looking for a crispy gingersnap, this is not the cookie for you.  These cookies are incredibly delicious and something that always makes me think of this time of year.  After I got them in the oven my house finally smelled like it should a week before Christmas. I can’t really say anything else about them.  They are just so very good.

Since this makes a lot of sturdy dough, make sure to use a stand mixer.  Or make half the recipe so that a hand mixer won’t give up on you.  Or, if you’re looking for an arm workout, mix them up with a big wooden spoon.  Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Chewy Ginger Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups shortening
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 4 cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Beat shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, beat in molasses, and then eggs. Mix until combined.
  2. Whisk together flour, soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in 2-3 additions, beat until well combined.
  4. Roll into golf ball sized balls, roll in sugar, and place on a baking sheet with about 2 inches in between.
  5. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.
I made these cookies for a cookie exchange I hosted a couple years ago and just realized that I’ve already posted this recipe, so I’ve officially re-blogged on my own blog.  Oh, well.  I think these are worthy of that honor/mistake.

Holiday Baking: White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

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Hello, my long lost food blog.  It’s been a while.  Here, have some cookies.

Our family has been busy.  And it’s not just the wonderful chaos that ensues once November hits.  We just moved to Houston from Amarillo, and have been spending the last 3 months living apart and driving all over the great state of Texas.  So I haven’t had the time or the energy to blog.  But now that I have a kitchen of my very own I have started baking and cooking again.  It feels good to be settled…even if I still have a bedroom full of boxes that I have absolutely no desire to unpack.

These white chocolate cranberry cookies were pretty good. I’d say maybe a touch too sweet for some people, but the tang of the cranberry and the right amount of salt balance it out well.  If you’re making cookie plates to give to neighbors and friends a few of these among some spicy gingersnaps and rich chocolate cookies would make for a great gift.

Thanks to Baking Bites for the recipe!  The only thing I changed was to add a little cinnamon.  I didn’t taste it as much as I would have liked, so maybe a full teaspoon of cinnamon would be better.

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 oz white chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup dried cranberries
  • 2/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg, followed by melted white chocolate and vanilla extract. Gradually incorporate the flour mixture, mixing until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chips.
  4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches between each cookie to allow for spread.
  5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies turn lightly golden around the edges. Allow to cool on baking sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.