Merry Peppermint Oreo Truffles

I have to admit, this hasn't exactly been the merriest of Christmas seasons for me. The hubby is out of town 'til December 24th, I'm working more hours than Santa's elves, and there just isn't much time to go out and find some Christmas cheer.

So I decided to make some myself!

With the help of some friends and family, of course. In fact, my dear mother sent me a list of cheap ideas to get me in the holiday spirit. Let me share:

1. wrap something - spend tons of time on it and get creative (um... mine turned out to be a giant heaping mess of wrapping paper, ribbons, and scotch tape. It's the thought that counts, right?)

2. bake some cookies (molasses are a personal favorite and specialty of mine - will post that recipe soon!)

3. call/write your mother for some sympathy (been there, done that, highly recommended it)

4. visit a bookstore and find a new Christmas book that tells the REAL story (my aunt & uncle used to have a great one, but I have yet to find one I like. Any suggestions?)

5. volunteer at a soup kitchen (was invited, but had to work. boo.)

6. make some goodies and wrap them to give away in cute decorated candy bags (I work with all men, I think this one's going to be a hit!)

7. window shop at Macy's or other stores that are decorated so you are enjoying the decorations and not feeling like you have to buy things (Anthropologie at Rockefeller Center won the storefront decoration contest in NYC - I know where I'm going next week!)

8. call/write your mother for some sympathy (hmmm...is there an echo?)

9. get your picture taken with Santa as a gift to your sweetie (when I was 1 & 2 years old, I bawled my head off in my Santa pictures. Sorry, mom.)

10. meet a friend for a drink/appetizers in a holiday decorated place (does it have to be either/or? I'll take drinks AND appetizers, please!)

11. go for a walk outside to look at outdoor decorations, get cold and come back and make a cup of hot cocoa with a candy cane in it (EVERY time I go outside I get cold and want a cup of hot cocoa. I'm pretty sure this will continue until at least mid-April.)

12. invite a girl friend over to make some homemade goodies, and have coffee with Kalua or fancy hot cocoa (NOW you're talkin', momma!)

13. put on Christmas music! (pandora.com is a great option if you don't have Christmas CD's.)

14. put up more decorations. Go to Target or a dollar store and get more, or make some (I made paper snowflakes for my husband to put up in his room while he's away!)

15. if you have snow, go for a walk in the snow! (just mind the yellow stuff...)

16. put together a Christmas photo card or a letter (I'll be lucky if I get something out before New Years. But this is nothing new.)

17. rent/borrow movies like "It's a Wonderful Life" or "The Christmas Story"(my stepdad wants a leg lamp like the one from "The Christmas Story", in all it's tacky goodness.)

18. call/write your mother for some sympathy (thanks, Mom. I get the hint.)

Feel free to use these ideas to get into the holiday spirit! 

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light..."

Let me just take a moment to point out that the lyrics are "let your HEART be light". They mention nothing about hips, thighs, or rear ends.

And with that, I present to you...

Peppermint Oreo Truffles

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 24-36

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese (soften at room temperature)
• 1 package Peppermint Oreo's (or, even better, Trader Joe's "Peppermint JoJo's")
• white/vanilla baking chocolate (the almond bark from Walmart works great!)

In a blender, pulse Oreo's a handful at a time until they become fine crumbs. Combine Oreo crumbs in a large mixing bowl with an 8 oz. package of cream cheese. Mixture should resemble a sticky dough when all is combined. 

Roll out dough into tiny balls, about the size of a large marble (1 tsp.). Set apart on a large cookie sheet (or several plates) and chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will firm up the mixture so it won't fall apart in your chocolate later!

Meanwhile, melt white/vanilla baking chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave at 20 second intervals until melted. 

Cover your table with wax paper.

Take truffle balls out of the fridge and dip each one individually into the bowl of melted chocolate.

HELPFUL DIPPING TIPS:

* drop the truffle ball into the chocolate. Use a spoon (or other utensil) to drizzle chocolate OVER THE TOP of the truffle while it's in the bowl. If you try to dunk it or roll it around in the chocolate, you'll just get crumbs all up in there = an ugly mess.

* use a fork to gently lift the truffle out of the chocolate. Tap the handle of the fork on the side of the bowl to drip off excess chocolate.

* use a handy toothpick to help slide the chocolate-coated truffle off the fork and onto your wax paper.

Drop/slide truffles gently onto the wax paper, being sure to leave enough space between each one. Let dry for 15-30 minutes.

To make fancy lines on top of your truffles, use colored candy/chocolate pieces or color your white chocolate with candy dyes. Place chocolate in a ziplop bag and cut a little hole in the corner of the bag. Drizzle colored chocolate over the top of truffles in a zig-zag pattern.

Give out these cute little treats as gifts and spread some holiday cheer!