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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Day 2: Ornament Truffles

It's Day 2 of the 12 Days of Treats and I simply couldn't wait to post this one!  This has been swirling in my head since April when I drew it on a post it note for the Mr.  He is NUTS for these things and I think you will be too...




No, your eyes do not deceive you, those are little ornament truffles hanging on a tree.  They totally hold their own weight and can you imagine how cute these would be as a centerpiece at your holiday gathering on a miniature tree??

I die.

Ready to receive compliments and oohs and ahhs?  Let's get to 'em!

Ornament Truffles
(Makes 28)

1 bag Reduced Fat Oreos
3 tbsp unsweetened Almond Coconut Breeze (or similar shelf stable milk like rice, hemp, etc)
28 mini Reese peanut butter cups (the kind unwrapped in a bag)
20 Snyder Mini Unsalted Pretzels
Bag of Wilton Dark Cocoa Candy Melts  (You'll use about 7 servings)
Paraffin Wax
Sprinkles


Before you get started, break up your pretzel hooks.  Break the "humps" of the mini pretzels so that they will hang on a branch.  You will have a LOT of extra pretzels so you could always use them for another recipe.


Time to get the rest of the ingredients together.


Put your Oreos in the food processor.


Give 'em a whirl until they look like dirt.


Add your almond milk and pulse until it pulls away from the sides and starts to ball up.  Remove the blade and use a spoon to make sure all of the crumbs are incorporated.


Use your cookie scoop and press the mixture down.


Roll them into balls and put them on a cookie sheet with a silpat or wax paper.


Add toothpicks then put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes.


While those are chilling out, lay out your mini Reese cups.


Take your pretzel "hooks" and insert them directly into the middle of the mini Reese cups so they're ready to go when you're working with the chocolate.


In a double boiler, melt your candy coating, shave a couple of strips of paraffin wax into it, stir and keep it on simmer to keep it thin.  (I'm not a fan of adding shortening to chocolate but if that's your preferred method, go for it just adjust your calories to reflect the addition)  Take your truffle balls out of the freezer and dip into the coating.


Make sure you coat all the way to the toothpick.


Tap, tap, tap the ball close to the base of the ball to tap off the excess.


Stick the toothpick into a craft styrofoam block to dry but apply the ornament hook (pretzel/mini Reese cup) to the top while the chocolate is still wet so they'll have plenty of "glue."


Quickly shake on or apply your sprinkles or preferred edible decorations before the coating dries.


Repeat the process, put in the fridge for about 15 minutes then remove the toothpicks by twisting then pulling them out and use the leftover coating to cover the toothpick hole on the bottom.


These babies would be great not only as a centerpiece on a mini tree but you can sit them out in a dish, give them as gifts or just grab one to enjoy!


Just a note:  Obviously these aren't meant to hang on your tree all season long (though I didn't try it) but still for freshness sake eat them within a few days if kept out at room temperature or a week in the fridge.  HA...that implies they last that long with family, friends or co-workers!

Nutritional Information per truffle:  Calories 136  Total Fat 6g  Sat Fat 3g  Poly Fat 1g  Mono Fat 1g  Sodium 83mg  Potassium 28mg  Total Carbs 21g  Fiber 1g  Sugars 14g  Protein 1g  Calcium 1%  Iron 6%

This recipe was linked up with DJ's Sugar Shack, Gingersnap Crafts, Cute Everything, 52 Mantels, Yesterday on Tuesday, White Lights on Wednesday, Something Swanky, Tater Tots and Jello and The Shabby Creek Cottage.
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38 comments:

  1. Those ornaments are so adorable. I don't think they would make it to my tree. :)

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    1. Thanks Liz! I know, they barely made it to mine for the shoot! :)

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  2. I am so proud of you! It was amazing seeing the finished product look so much like the original drawing you made on a post-it note. It pretty much worked exactly as you had planned and they taste great to boot. The fact that they can even hang on the tree makes it even more special. Great job baby!

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    1. Thanks hon! I remember the look of confusion on your face when you saw me draw it like "okay, crazy lady!" But what was better was when you saw them in person and had that big ol' proud grin on your face. I knew I had a home run!

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  3. Tre cute!!! You are a culinary wizard!

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    1. How did you know I wore a wizard cap while I'm in the kitchen? ;)

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  4. Holy doo-doo, woman. Those are so galldarn cute I'm getting PAINS!

    One question. Is the parafin necessary to get the best results? I'm not a fan of wax in chocolate but if that's the only way to get the nice results then. . .yeah, I could suck it up and use it.

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    1. Thanks! :-)

      The paraffin wax will give you a smoother surface that will hold up better if you're going to have them sitting against something (like hangings from a mini tree, in a truffle box, etc) but if you're just going to put them on a plate for presentation you could certainly get away with using your preferred method!

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  5. Excuse me while I run out and buy these ingredients and a mini tree to bring to every party I go. These are adorable! I am not known for my baking but I think I could handle this!! Yet another amazing treat from the Mrs! :D

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    1. That's awesome! I think you'll love them and be prepared to have people request them for future holiday gatherings!

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  6. oooh...I think u shud start selling ur treats...I know I wud buy some:) They look so yum!! I want to try these for work:)

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    1. I seriously respect people who do this for a living. It's fun but I did a bunch of recipes each day for a week and I wanted to curl up in a corner and twitch! :)

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    2. hahaha..My room mate did it for a while but the costs did not add up and she was losing money and we told her to stop esp as I wud be her official taster for every batch made...My idea of tasting was eating most of them..Once I had to taste 4 batches of cookies...hehehe

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  7. Absolutely adorable!!! I can see these as a cute centerpiece for a holiday get together. Your creative mind continues to blow me away.
    P.S. I've officially put out my family feelers, and both my parents are looking for their gumdrop trees. LOL I found some online, but I'd really like to have one passed down to me. Such warm (and tasty) holiday memories.

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    1. Thanks so much! Oh man, I hope you get that gumdrop tree! I would love to get one passed down. I think I might know where my grandma's is but I need to remember to ask. It brings up warm fuzzies, doesn't it?

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  8. OMG, those are the cutest things EVER! I'm pretty sure they wouldn't make it to the tree = )

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    1. Thanks girl! Yeah, mine wouldn't make it to the tree either. They're so yummy!

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  9. Okay, I know what I'm going to be making to take to my next holiday gathering. TOO CUTE, and undoubtedly delicious to boot! The problem will be not "taste testing" too many before the event. :D

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    1. HA! I know what you mean. We of course had to taste test one. Then we'd grab another. Then half of them ended up being our sweet treat on high cal day! D'oh!

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  10. 3 of my favorite foods in one treat? I think I've just died and gone to heaven! Can't wait to try these :)

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    1. I'm pretty sure you'll think they're heavenly! Let me know if you give them a try!

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  11. Oh my good gravy, these are freaking ADORABLE!!! They look so perfect you can't even tell that they're real food. I love it!! Keep 'em coming, baby!

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    1. I thought the same thing! They almost looked fake but they sure don't taste fake. Get in mah belly!

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  12. These are adorable and your photos are awesome! Do you think I could be lazy and use like a Whopper or something round vs making the truffles?

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    1. Hmm, I think a regular Whopper might be slightly too small unless they make bigger ones. Hang on, let me check...okay, it says they're .75" so I'm not sure if the mini Reese cup would look right on top of that. However, it would be perfect on top of a Lindt Truffle. :D I'd use dark or milk chocolate or I think they also have peanut butter ones as well! YUM!

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  13. OMG, THIS IS FREAKING BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!! I love, love, love, love, love them, and I am *TOTES* going to make these! *standing ovation*

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  14. I feel like if I made them, they would be all lopsided and lumpy. How do you get everything so dang perfect?!

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    1. Well that small cookie scoop does half the work for sure. The trick is to ball it in the center of your palm. If you get the base of the fingers involved at all it definitely goes wonky.

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  15. These would never make it to the table. My kids would eat them right when I took them out of the fridge! lol

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  16. This looks like something the kids of all ages would love on the tree. I may just try it.

    Diana

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  17. These are too cute! This would be great for a party, really anything! :)
    Would love if you'd share at our Christmas in July party. http://dixie-n-dottie.blogspot.com/

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