Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles...

We still have another week to go before Jeff heads back to work (and you would hear plenty of groaning about that if you were here!), so there won't be a Wednesday Treat Day until then. But, I do have something special to share with you that I made for us instead!

Playing off the idea of those Oreo truffles that Jeff is so keen on, I made and baked a batch of dough from one of his favorite crispy and thin chocolate chip cookies to make these Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles! This was the recipe we used for the cookie dough, but I think you'd be fine using whatever recipe you like - just bake the cookies until they reach a rich golden brown color, but have not burned. Do note, that recipe will make more dough than you need - we reserved the raw pounds' worth needed for these truffles, then scooped out the remaining dough into balls and froze them to bake off as needed for warm cookies!

Once I had baked the cookies and they had cooled completely, I broke them up and put them in the food processor. Jeff didn't know my plans, so I wish you could have seen the horror on his face as he watched his precious cookies slamming against the processor bowl, turning into tiny crumbles. I assured him it would be worth it in the end, but I don't think he was convinced - he then left the kitchen, with a single cookie I left behind for him in hand, shaking his head like I went completely bonkers! Hee hee!

To the bowl full of tasty, but now pureed cookies, we added just enough softened cream cheese to hold those tiny pieces together. The mixture should be slightly moist, but not sticky or wet - I was able to shape it right away into balls, but if it seems too messy for you, cover and toss it into the refrigerator to firm up for a bit. While I could have been content popping these little spheres into my mouth as is, dunking them in a pool of melted bittersweet chocolate was just the ticket for taking them over the top.

We used a hunk from a solid bar of good-quality chocolate for dipping, but you could use those chocolate disks or candy coating if you have trouble melting chocolate. If you use chips, you might want to add a little shortening to help thin it out. Since our block of chocolate was already in temper and we would be storing these in the refrigerator anyway, we did a quick, but not necessarily "proper" tempering process. This was done simply by heating three-quarters of the chocolate needed until it was almost completely melted, then stirring in the remaining chopped pieces to cool it back down before dipping.

With its snappy chocolate shell, the firm center was like an amplified chocolate chip cookie, except wrapped up in a pretty little bite-sized package. While the center didn't have that melt-in-your-mouth quality like you would find in a true truffle, it wasn't grainy or coarse as you might expect a bunch of ground up cookies to be like. Fun, a little unique and definitely addicting, Jeff has already proclaimed these a "must make" for next year's Christmas baking spree!

8 comments:

  1. Oh my! Those look perfect and sound positively decadent. I love the Oreo truffles, but have vowed I will never make them. I will only eat two of them per season when I am served those that someone else has made. If I made them I would not/ could not keep my paws off them, I love them so much! I imagine I would have much the same reaction to these. I will admire these from afar.
    Sue

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  2. Those look delicious! I'm ridiculously impressed with your perfectly shaped and perfectly dipped truffles, they're beautiful!

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  3. Oh Joe, I already know that I will love these! I made the oreo truffles last year for a cookie exchange - they were yummy but looked a little challenged, so I am also pretty impressed with the perfection of these.

    Quinn

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  4. I am jealous of your chocolate coating, these are perfectly covered and look wonderful! I'm sure they taste as good as they look!

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  5. Oh my gosh! I just made the oreo cookie truffles! I'm definately going to have to try this one, too!
    Hilary

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  6. BB - I know what you mean... they are hard to resist!

    Aubrie - Thank you!

    Quinn - I hope you try them!

    Bunny - They do!

    Hilary - Do let us know if you give them a go.

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  7. Delurking...

    Oh man, those look beautiful! I do everything and anything I can to melt chocolate properly, I've got a double boiler and everything, I avoid water like the plague, I even keep my face away in case I accidentally breath water vapour into the pot. And still it curdles on me! Do you have any advice on melting chocolate to make it as beautiful as these truffles are?

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  8. Eve - What kind of chocolate are you using? Have you tried using the microwave, using 50% power, and trying to melt it that way? If it is curdling or seizing on you, the chocolate is either getting too hot or water is finding a way in. If using a double boiler, the water underneath should not be much higher than a bare simmer.

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