OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments {Recipe & Tutorial}

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It’s not even Thanksgiving and invitations to holiday gatherings are flying in – Secret Santa, White Elephant, family get togethers, work functions – everyone is coming together to celebrate the season.  My December is almost full and I love it, because spending extra time with friends and family is what the holidays are all about.  So when a invitation for a cookie exchange landed in my inbox, I wasn’t surprised.  But in all honesty, I’ve never been to a cookie exchange so I don’t know exactly what to expect.  With a couple weeks to prepare, I figured that I’d start looking for a cookie recipe.  Because I don’t want to just bring something delicious, I want to bring something unique.  A creative spin on a cookie.  When I found this recipe for OREO Cookie Balls, I was sure it was the one.

I made my OREO Cookie Balls using Mint OREOs that I found at Walmart, but you could make them in any flavor that you’d like – pumpkin spice, birthday cake, original, etc (just not Double Stuffed!).  They can be eaten as OREO cookie balls or easily dressed up, which is exactly what I decided to do with mine.  And since this was just a trial batch, I performed a little taste testing and I can assure you that they’re rich and delicious, without being over powering.  Better yet, they make a ton of cake balls which is perfect for a cookie exchange where you need to bring a few to eat there and several more to send home with others.

My cookie exchange is still a couple weeks away, but I think these are going to steal the show!

You will need:
1 pkg brick cream cheese, softened (8 oz.)
36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed
4 pkg. semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted (4 oz. packages)

Optional ingredients:
Reeses minis
Twizzlers (you want the kid that pull apart)
SprinklesStep 1 –  Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended.  In doing this step, I found it helpful to break apart the cream cheese into smaller sections and push it into the sides of the bowl, collecting crumbs as I went.  After about 2-3 minutes I had collected all the crumbs “into” the cream cheese and it was well blended.

Step 2 – Shape into balls by taking small amounts of the mixture between your hands and rolling them until perfectly round and approximately 1 inch.

Step 3 – Freeze 10 min.

Step 4 – Remove from freezer and dip balls in melted chocolate; place in a single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan.

At this point, if you just want to make the OREO Cookie Balls, you would put them in the fridge for an hour or so, and your done.  Easy peasy, right?  But since I wanted to spruce these up a bit, I added a few extra steps.  If you want to make OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments, here’s how you do it:

Step 5 – To make the hanger for your ornament, use the end of a sharp knife to drill a small hole in the bottom of your Reeses mini.  Be gentle while doing this, as too much pressure will case the mini to break apart.

Then pull a 1 – 2 inch portion of Twizzler and press the ends together with your fingers.  Dip the ends in the melted baker’s chocolate and put it in the hole you’ve created in the Reeses mini.  Hold it for about a minute to make sure it will stay upright.

Step 6 – Place the hanger on the top of your ornament while it’s still “wet” and top with sprinkles, making sure to get the sides along with the top.

Step 7 – Refrigerate for at lease an hour, then pack them up and enjoy them with friends.  Although delicious enough to want to keep all to yourself, these OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments are meant to be shared with friends!

If you’d like to make OREO Cookie Balls yourself, be sure to check out the cookie aisle at Walmart.  And if you’re looking idea for ways to decorate your OREO Cookie Balls, join the #OREOCookieBall Pinterest party taking place on Pinterest onSaturday, December 6 at 12pm ET!