Stuffed Peppermint Oreo Truffles

Stuffed Peppermint Oreo Truffles

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

I don't know about you, but this Christmas snuck up on me a bit. Being an early December baby, I refuse to let the Christmas season begin (for me) before my birthday, but for some reason things had been off since Thanksgiving.

Maybe I didn't get into the holiday spirit timely this year because I never actually celebrated my birthday this year, or maybe I was focused on other things instead. Whatever the reason, even though tonight is Christmas Eve, I am only now just feeling somewhat in the Christmas spirit.

I had a moment of holiday prep last night when I decided to make some stuffed peppermint Oreo truffles. We all have seen the quick, few ingredient Oreo truffle recipes that have been floating around the internet. I even was able to try one when a coworker brought some into work a couple months ago. Something was missing though, so I wanted my version to Up the Ante several ways than that original 3 ingredient recipe.

Right away when I tried the original recipe truffle I felt something was missing. What is the best part of an Oreo cookie? The middle part, right? That's one of the things I wanted to incorporate into my recipe: a Stuffed Oreo truffle.

That being said, I also wanted to give a nod to the holiday season, even if I wasn't quite feeling it yet, so I decided to add some peppermint to the mix. There are a few peppermint Oreo truffle recipes out there, but none that are stuffed to my knowledge.

The process was fairly simple, although a little time consuming at times between removing the middles from the Oreos and individually coating each truffle in tempered chocolate, but overall wasn't too painful. Heck, I'll be doing another batch or two between now and Friday night.

(Perhaps some might say it was strictly melted, but the coating is still holding quite well on the couple remaining truffles sitting in my kitchen, does not melt right away when handled by hand, and looks professional according to several individuals who tried them. If I am an incorrect and the chocolate does not appear to be tempered, I apologize and would love to hear any tips you might have to improve my technique).

I prepped the the truffles last night, separating the cookies from their middle filling, crushing the cookies, and adding the cream cheese to the crumbs. I also combined the peppermint extract with the filling, and formed the truffles.

This morning I melted the chocolate in a small slow cooker while I worked, and coated the truffles when I had the chance after the chocolate had melted.

The people who came into work today enjoyed them, as did the few friends and family who were able to sample some from this batch.

I put a couple pictures of the finished product up on the official Upping the Ante Facebook page earlier today, and I already have a couple requests to make them again. I will update this post once I finish those attempts since I will be trying a few tricks that should make the below process a little more efficient.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Stuffed Peppermint Oreo Truffles

Makes 34-40 truffles

Ingredients:

• 1 package of regular Oreos (or 3 sleeves if bought in bulk)
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• A few drops to 1/8 tsp. (or to taste) peppermint extract
• 1/2 bag (or 5 oz.) of Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Pieces
• 1 chocolate mint candy cane, crushed in to various size pieces

Instructions:

1. Remove the filling from the Oreo cookies, setting it aside for later in a separate container.
2. Crush Oreo cookies into a fine crumb. (I used a coffee grinder this time, but would suggest a food processor or a heavy duty blender such as a Vitamix.)
3. Once the cookies have been ground into fine crumbs, combine with the cream cheese. (I put half in at a time.)
4. Once combined, set aside while you combine the Oreo filling, which was separated earlier, with the peppermint extract. (I used a few drops for a mild peppermint taste.)
5. Form Oreo dough into 1" balls, making a well with your finger in the middle of each ball. (My first batch made 38 truffles when using 3 sleeves of Oreos, but your results may vary.)
6. Insert a pea sized amount of the filling into the ball.
7. Pinch closed the ball over the filling (don't worry if some of the filling leaks out), and roll the ball between your hands to smooth the ball out.
8. Put the Oreo truffles on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet as you work.
9. Once all the truffles have been formed, place the entire cookie sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes or so.
10. In the meantime, put the Andes baking pieces into a small slow cooker, no bigger than 1.5 quart on low until you start to see the pieces melt. Note: if you have any leftover filling like I did, feel free to mix it with the baking pieces in the slow cooker. It won't hurt it. (I melted enough for at least 2 batches of truffles in my 1.5 quart slow cooker.)
11. Stir chocolate pieces as needed, and turn to "Keep Warm" within 5-10 minutes of putting the chocolate in the slow cooker, continuing to stir as needed until chocolate is completely melted.
12. If you have not already done so, crush the candy cane into various size pieces.
13. Once the truffles are cold to the touch and somewhat stiff, remove tray and set on work area, placing the truffles in a pile, or container (feel free to reuse one of the earlier containers). Keep the parchment paper covered baking pan handy for a staging area when you transfer chocolate covered truffles.
14. With a fork or other dipping device, dip each truffle in the melted chocolate resting in the slow cooker.
15. Roll the fork slowly to remove excess chocolate.
16. Gently place truffle on parchment lined baking pan, covering up any imperfections with a touch of warm, melted chocolate.
17. Quickly sprinkle a few pieces of the crushed candy cane on top of each truffle. (The chocolate sets pretty quickly.)
18. Once truffles have set, enjoy! (If you have a halo of chocolate at the bottom of your truffles, you can break off the excess and add it back to the chocolate in the slow cooker. If any accidents occur, just cover with the melted chocolate to even things out.)

Please remember to share the recipe and Pin It for later.

Happy Holidays!

~Sarah aka Twisted