{Recipes} Oreo Truffles, Grasshopper Truffles, Turtle Pretzels

Posted by Danielle on December 23rd, 2011 . Filed under: candy .

To balance out the cookies I was planning this year, I knew I wanted to add some simple candies to the mix. The yield is generally greater and they’re a nice change from the abundance of chocolate chip, oatmeal, and sugar cookies to grace the holiday spread. They’re also so very easy, even if they are occasionally annoying…

Oreo Truffles are like magic. They’re comprised of three ingredients, couldn’t be easier, and are like crack. They are So.Good.

But I hate making them. I don’t own a food processor, so crushing a package of Oreos to a fine crumb is an exercise in frustration. Beating the crap out of them with a rolling pin is cathartic, but the Ziploc bag inevitably splits and I still can’t get them as fine as they need to be. This year I grabbed our coffee grinder after crushing them in the Ziploc bag, and rant hem through there in very small batches until the consistency was what I was looking for. By that point I had Oreo crumbs all over my kitchen and myself.

I’m not making these endearing, am I? Please re-read the deliciousness claimed above. They really are delicious, and if you have a food processor (or can borrow one!), you won’t have the aggravation that I did!

Grasshopper Truffles were a variation on the standard Oreo Truffles that I made with my chocolate-mint-loving-husband in mind. The Turtle Pretzels were something I’ve seen a few times and were too easy to pass up, plus my sister loves turtle candies, so I knew she’d dig these at Christmas brunch.

Oreo Truffles
Adapted from Kraft

8 oz cream cheese, softened
16.6 oz Oreo cookies, finely crushed
16 oz of melted chocolate or candy melts

Mix softened cream cheese and cookie crumbs until well blended – no more streaks of cream cheese should appear in the mixture. I’ve tried this with various utensils but always come back to using my hands – it’s messy, but far more effective.

Shape into 48 1-inch balls, placing on wax (or foil or parchment) lined cookie sheet. Pop into freezer for at least 60 minutes to firm up. When ready, melt chocolate or candy melts and dip truffles, placing back on lined sheet. If desired, decorate with sprinkles, non-pareils, drizzled chocolate in contrasting colors, etc. Refrigerate for at least an hour to firm up coating.

Store truffles in sealed container in the refrigerator.

Grasshopper Truffles
Adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, who adapted the original Kraft recipe

9 oz box of Thin Mints or Keebler Grasshopper Cookies, finely crushed
4 oz cream cheese, softened
Dark chocolate almond bark or dark chocolate candy melts (I used green because I had it and it’s festive, but dark chocolate would definitely be better!)

Mix softened cream cheese with crushed cookies until no streaks of cream cheese remain. Again, using your hand will be the quickest route.

Roll into 24 1-inch balls, placing on a wax (or foil or parchment) lined baking sheet. Freeze for 60 minutes until firm.

Melt chocolate or candy melts, dip truffles, decorate if desired, and then refrigerate or freeze until set.

Turtle Pretzels
Adapted from AllRecipes

Small twisted or wheel-shaped salted pretzels
Rolo candies, unwrapped
Pecan halves

Preheat oven to 300*. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil. Go through pecan halves and weed out broken pieces – it will save you time later.

Place pretzels in a single layer on cookie sheet and top each one with a Rolo. Bake for 4 minutes. Immediately upon removal from the oven, press a single pecan half on top of each now-softened Rolo. Cool completely (pop in refrigerator of your home is warm) before storing.

*Amount of ingredients needed depends upon how many candies you wish to make. My bags of Rolos averaged 52 candies each. I used 3 bags of candies, one standard bag of pretzels and one 4-cup (large) bag of pecan halves. I had pretzels and pecans left over.

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