Champion Cookie Truffles 
Of all the sweet treats I take time to make, these cookie truffles are probably my most favorite recipe. They are sweet without being too rich. The chocolate coating has a snap, while the inside has a soft, smooth, creamy texture. It takes 5, count'em 5, ingredients to put them together. They're also pretty and make me look like a super star at parties!
Last week, I wrote about making Cake Balls and mentioned that I had a candy recipe that put money in pocket over the holidays. THIS IS THE CANDY RECIPE THAT DOES JUST THAT.
In this post, I'm showing you two different cookies (Nutter Butters & Peanut Butter Oreos) processed the same way. It was my first time to use the Nutter Butters, so I didn't know what to expect. The Peanut Butter Oreos are the TRUE WINNERS here.
THIS IS ALL IT TAKES TO MAKE 1 BATCH
- 1 package of Oreos with Peanut Butter Filling
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, "1/3 less fat" has the best taste
- 1 package Almond Bark candy coating
- 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
- vegetable shortening to thin the dipping chocolate
A food processor with a cutting blade is your best friend for this job. Empty half the package of cookies into the processor and turn it on. As the cookies break down, add the other half through the top. Process until they are a fine texture like coarse corn meal. Lumps or cookie chunks are not your friend, either remove them or keep processing until all is fine.
Next, add the cream cheese. This is one time that you DO NOT want the cream cheese to be soften. The colder the better. Process the cream cheese and cookies until they're well mixed. You will not have a solid dough, but it will be tacky and easy to form into balls. If by chance the dough is too soft, then semi-flatten the dough into a medium size bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Using medical grade latex gloves is a sanity saver! I wouldn't work this next step without them.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on a half sheet pan lined with wax paper. Don't worry about making them exactly the same size or perfectly round.
In fact, imperfection makes them easier to dip in chocolate and it's fun to watch folks pick which one they want to eat. Dieters like to eat the smallest ones, and the rest of us look for the biggest. Of course, EVERY ONE GOES BACK FOR A SECOND TRUFFLE.
After you have all the balls rolled, slide the sheet pan into the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. While they're firming up a bit, start working on melting the chocolate coating. You'll need about 3/4 of the package of almond bark plus approximately 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. The chocolate chips are to add a milk chocolate color to the coating. Careful not to go too heavy on the chocolate chips, they can cause the coating to be soft and lose that chocolate snap you want around the creamy center.
To melt the almond bark & chocolate chips
Use a metal or glass bowl that fits snug over a small pan, but where the bottom of the bowl will not touch the water in the pan.
Bring one cup of water to a simmer in a small pan, do not let the water boil. You need the low heat to melt the chocolate, not the steam. Chop the almond bark into the same size pieces as the chocolate chips, so they can all melt evenly. Put them both plus 2 teaspoons shortening in bowl and place over pan. It will take 1-2 minutes to fully melt, so do not walk away.
When you see the chips starting to melt, get a spatula and gently stir the chocolate. Do not over stir, just move the chips around to help them melt. When you see there's just a few chips left, turn off heat. Add another teaspoon of shortening if the coating seems too thick. Go get the cookie truffles from the freezer.
Using the same pan, push all the balls to one side and make room for chocolate dipped balls. With a fork or dipping tool, place one ball in melted chocolate and quickly coat evenly. Lift up ball and gently shake extra chocolate off. Flip coated ball back onto sheet pan. Get another dough ball and repeat steps until all are coated. Now it's time to decorate.
To make the decorative squiggle on the top
In a small microwaveable bowl, melt 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or peanut butter chips with 1/2 teaspoon of shortening, on 70% power for 1 minute. Then again at 70% power, 30 second intervals until melted, stirring between intervals. Continuous stirring helps melt any remaining lumps.
To make a piping bag: Place one bottom corner of a 1 quart freezer bag down into a drinking glass and fold the top of the bag over the rim of the glass. Scrape the melted chocolate into the bag with a spatula. Lift up the freezer bag and twist it right above the melted chocolate, squeezing out the air. With a pair of good scissors, snip a TINY corner off the bag. With a firm even grip, start squeezing and squiggling across the chocolates.
Chill in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes, until chocolate coating sets, then they're ready to eat.
I entered both of the Nutter Butter and Peanut Butter Oreo cookie truffles in the Hopkins County Fall Festival Household Arts Competition. The judges LOVED the Peanut Butter Oreo over the Nutter Butter and awarded me with the Reserve Champion purple ribbon.
Boy this a looong post and I haven't even mentioned how they put money in my pocket. Let me stop here and I'll start another post about how to make greenbacks during the holidays.
Chocolate…and money to boot? Where do I sign up??!!
Oh girl! I told you I’ve been waiting for this post! I can’t wait to try these! Think I will buy the stuff tonight
Love the picture and the recipe. You make your stuff look great!!!
Thank you Joe! Talking to the food helps.
“Show me love. C’mon baby, let’s make’em drool!”
stuff like that with a little photoshop always helps.
It’s about time you let someone give you an award for those truffles. My raving about them to friends, family, and strangers on the street doesn’t get you any ribbon bling.
You ROCK! and so do those truffles.
I am a sucker for sweets and those look amazing.
Oh Andy! Make them and you will be a SUPER STAR among all your friends and family. Be sure to play it off like they were complicated to make, that way folks will have to keep coming to you for more.
heeheeheee
Hi Jill, I’m back and I made them
I made both peanut butter and mint truffles and actually liked the mint better. I liked the PB too, but the mint rocked! 
I quoted you and linked to you in my post, hope you don’t mind! You can see it here http://amandascookin.blogspot.com/2008/09/peanut-butter-mint-oreo-truffles-no-not.html
Hi Amanda! That’s what I like to hear!
You know, now that you said the mint ROCKED, I want to give it another try. Maybe Oreo has improved it from when I tried it 3 years ago, that can happen.
Thanks for the linklove!
We LOVE LOVE LOVE these. I gave some to my nurse and she said it was the best food she had ever tasted! Talk about a compliment! Needless to say she is getting a batch of the PB ones for Christmas and her son just happened to ask if I knew how to make Truffles, that he would like some chocolate mint ones so that is what he is getting. OMG the first batch of chocolate ones were so good my friend thought I was making sex noises. I told her NO they were better than sex.
Thank you so much for turning me on 
to this recipe. I still want to try the cake balls too. I have 2 different recipes for the cake balls one is cake and cream cheese then dipped and the other is cake and frosting then dipped. I’m thinking those would be way too sweet, I’m kind of a cream cheese gal.
Good morning Darlene!
Just between you & me, I’ll take the Cookie Truffles over the Cake Balls. I, too, am a cream cheese lover and prefer that my sweets not be too rich.
Of course, you can’t eat too much of something that’s rich because well, it’s rich. The Cookie Truffles (particularly the peanut butter) are not rich but just yummy and that last taste of salt makes them VERY HARD to stop eating.
So maybe the Cake Balls are better for us.
OH I DON’T KNOW!
Mouthwatering….
Yes they are, Emi.
This was a winner at my office party! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!
Alright Tanya!!!
Be ready for folks asking you to make them a batch for their cookie exchange parties. You could pick up extra holiday funds making these sweet things.
I made these for our Company Holiday pot luck and everyone was SPEECHLESS!!!! So simple and easy! I think I am in love! Thanks for the great idea!
You’re most certainly welcome, Annalee!
Folks love to eat them for Valentine’s Day, too. So keep that in mind for those special people in your life.
Funny you should mention these today, my homemaker and I made the chocolate Oreo ones with white vanilla coating and put some red sprinkles on some and green sprinkles on others. Of course when she tasted them her eyes got really huge and I thought she was going to die and go to heaven. I think these should be given to any person being executed. Then they’d know they really screwed up because they would never taste them again. Sorry I had to say something weird or it wouldn’t be me
Thanks for this great recipe sweetie! I’m giving them to all my friends and their families. Since I don’t have much money I figured 3 per person in the family. No one needs nore than 3 of these at one time anyway. One family got 15 so I only got one out of the whole bunch! That’s ok because I think I like the milk chocolate ones better anyway. ? can we use 8.oz of the cream cheese in the tubs? I was thinking I would like some strawberry ones I don’t know if I would use vanilla or chocolate Oreos and am I making these too early? Should I refrigerate these or them? Thanks again for all your help.
Darlene! You’re too funny!
These cookie truffles make EXCELLENT gifts. I know; I’ve given away plenty. Folks are always thrilled to receive homemade gifts, especially when they taste incredible. And you’re right about the quantity, 3 is all one person can take in per serving.
You can definitely put the rolled dough balls in the freezer until you’re ready to dip. Just remember to let them thaw back to a refrigerated temperature before dipping in the almond bark. Otherwise, the coating will crack as it sets. Of course, you can easily cover the cracks by swizzling melted chocolate over the tops. No one will notice or care, trust me.
Darlene, I’ve never purchased the tubs of cream cheese. I always buy the blocks. Truly, I cannot imagine strawberry-chocolate or strawberry-vanilla cookie truffles. Are you thinking to add a strawberry flavored cream cheese to the crushed cookies? I say go for it! Try making a half batch for testing, then tell me how it turns out.