Cookie Dough Truffles

I've never branched out too far from my usual truffle recipe, but when I saw this I knew it would be the perfect treat to make for Sean.  He's been begging me to make cookies recently, but these are much more indulgent.  Everyone loves cookie dough, but you've been taught it's bad to eat because of the raw egg, plus you want to save it to have enough baked cookies.  This dough is made with milk in place of the egg, so it's guilt-free in that respect.  The balls of dough are coated in melted chocolate to make the perfect bite-sized morsel.  I decorated these with some white chocolate, melted and dyed pink for Valentine's Day, but you could do any number of other non-holiday decorations like sprinkles or crushed nuts.

Ingredients:

3/4 cups butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 T milk

1 t vanilla

1/4 t salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used regular size)

6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 T vegetable oil

Directions:

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the milk, vanilla, and salt and stir until well combined.

Next, add the flour and mix until it is all incorporated.  Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.  Make tablespoon sized balls of dough and place them on a baking sheet covered with wax paper.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before dipping them in the melted chocolate.

 When the cookie dough is almost done chilling, melt your chocolate chips.  I always do mine in the microwave, but you could also use a double broiler.  Stir in the vegetable oil with the melted chocolate to thin it out a bit.  Coat each ball in the chocolate and place them back on the baking sheet.  Place the tray back in the fridge to chill until the outer shell dries.  If you are adding nuts or sprinkles, do this while the chocolate is still wet. 

I melted some white chocolate chips and added pink food coloring to make "frosting" to decorate the truffles.  I piped it through a zip lock bag.  It was a little thick but it did the trick.  Serve in mini-cupcake holders.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Truffles

I still remember the first time I had these truffles- our friend Lauren brought them to a New Years party and they were so amazing that I had to get her recipe.  I was shocked when she told me how easy it was - and only three ingredients!  Since then, we've made these countless times and they are always a big hit.  They are so rich and creamy on the inside, but without being too sweet.  And they are the perfect size to bring to parties.  You can dress them up with sprinkles, crushed nuts, white chocolate drizzle, or any number of things to make them fit for your special occasion.  These we just left plain, but use your imagination!  They fit perfectly inside mini-cupcake wrappers for serving. 

Ingredients:

1 package regular stuffed oreo cookies

8 oz cream cheese

2 cups (about one bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1-2 T vegetable oil or hazelnut/peanut oil (optional, but it does make the melted chocolate chips a little easier to work with)

Directions:

Place all of the cookies in a large food processor.  (I've done this with a small one, and I had to split it into three batches)  Pulse until the cookies have formed a fine powder.

Next, cut the cream cheese into about 1 inch chunks and add it to the food processor.  Pulse and slowly incorporate cream cheese at a slow speed until it is evenly blended in and a thick ball of dough is formed.

Begin rolling the dough into balls, slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball but larger than the width of a quarter.  If you have the time, you may want to chill the dough before working with it to make it a bit firmer and easier to roll.   Continue until all of the dough is formed into equally sized balls.

Melt your chocolate chips by putting them in a bowl and microwaving them for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time, stirring in between until they are fully melted.  Add the oil if you choose to use it and stir until combined.  The chocolate should be smooth but not too hot that you can't touch it with your fingers.  

Set up some wax paper to put your truffles on as you dip them in the chocolate.  Use your fingers to dip each ball in the chocolate and evenly spread it around.  It is a little messy but gets easier with practice.

Let the truffles sit until the outer shell has hardened, preferably in the fridge.  If you are adding any toppings, it is best to do it when they are still wet so the topping will stick.  Once they are dry you can move them to an air-tight container in the fridge until you are ready to serve.  I put mine in their little cupcake holders before storing so they wouldn't actually touch each other.  The number of truffles will vary based on how large or small you make the balls.  We usually end up with about 25-30.  These are sure to impress your friends at your next big event!