Nutter Butter Cheesecake Truffle Balls

Happy August!  July was a big socializing month, but it's time to get back to the blog!  Awhile back I was lounging at the Clearwater home of TS and JS.  TS, a fantastic chef, had made a recipe he received from one of his colleagues - Oreo Truffle Balls.  (You can find this recipe on various spots on the internet, like at Kraft Recipes, About.com and for a great run-through of the recipe check out TheCapitolBaker.com.)  Now TS' Oreo Truffle Balls were what I will call "American-size" - generous portions.  They were like giant golf balls.  I gobbled a huge one up like the first peach of summer.  It was delicious.  Smooth, velvety and rich.  You would never guess that all it is - is just oreos, cream cheese and chocolate.  It rivals expensive truffles.  I mentally tucked the recipe in my brain for a future event.


So at the end of July when I was co-hosting an engagement party with GS and AL for KR and JG, I was excited to try out the Oreo Truffle Ball on my own.  But being a fan of all things chocolate and peanut butter I wanted to put a twist on the recipe. (Which by the way, have you tried Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Minis?  They should be banned, they are so good!  As the bagger at my Publix grocery store said "I love these because you don't have to unwrap each one - there's nothing standing in your way from all that deliciousness."  I believe that is a great opening line for a documentary "How I Became the 12 Ton Woman.") 


Pictured below is my creation based on the Oreo Truffle Ball recipe ... these are the last 3 truffle cheesecake balls and they were quickly gobbled up by friends after the picture was taken.

Here is my spin on the Oreo Truffle Ball - I call it "Lily's Outrageously Yummy Nutter Butter Cheesecake Truffle Balls." 


Lily's Outrageously Yummy Nutter Butter Cheesecake Truffle Balls
(makes 40 truffle balls)


Shopping List:
1 - 1 lb. bag of Nabisco Nutter Butter Cookies, crushed
12 ounces Cream Cheese
1 c. creamy peanut butter (you can use more if you like!)
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)
6 ounces Reese's Peanut Butter Chips
1-3 Tb vegetable oil, optional
1 c. Honey-roasted peanuts, crushed


Step One:  Find a cheery, optimistic friend who thinks dipping a large number of items in chocolate is fun!  (Thank you, LM!)


Step Two:  Take a one pound bag of Nabisco Nutter Butter cookies and crush them into a fine crumb.  (Preferred method: food processor.  Alternate method:  Sealed gallon size plastic bag and a rolling pin.  If you've had a hard day at work, this may be a good stress relief!)


Step Three:  Using a hand mixer (I was surprised that a hand mixer was better at this than the Kitchen Aid mixer) - mix in 12 ounces of cream cheese (yes, you can use Light/Neufchatel if you'd like) and 1 c. of creamy peanut butter (or more to taste - we used 1/2 a regular sized jar!) into the Nutter Butter crumbs.  You want this mixed well until it resembles a peanut butter cookie dough.


Step Four:  Grab said friend from Step One and using a teaspoon, scoop out a small amount of "dough" and roll into balls.  We made them about 1/2 the size of a golfball.  We ended up with about 40 truffle balls.  We placed the truffle balls on Silpat lined cookie sheets and then placed them in the freezer.  Freeze the balls for at least 15 minutes. 


Step Five:  Take one cup of honey roasted peanuts and crush moderately - you will use the crushed nuts as topping.


Step Six:  Over a double-boiler or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter chips and mix well.  If you find the melted mixture is not as smooth and easy for dipping as you would like, add 1-3 Tb. of vegetable oil and mix well. 


Step Seven:  Using a small skewer or toothpick, roll the frozen truffle balls in the melted chocolate-peanut butter chips mixture, coating the entire truffle ball in chocolate.  Place the ball on a Silpat-lined cookie sheet, remove the toothpick and take a small spoon of chocolate-peanut butter chip mixture and slowly dribble enough chocolate to cover the hole in the chocolate left by the toothpick.  Sprinkle with the crushed honey roasted peanuts.  (Side Note: I like to garnish with honey-roasted peanuts so that people who do not like nuts or are allergic, realize that the truffles are peanut butter-flavored.)


Step Eight:  Place truffle balls in freezer for at least 15 minutes.  I serve the Nutter Butter Cheesecake Truffle Balls directly from the freezer.


Step Nine:  Congratulate yourself that you found a sucker - um err friend - who dipped 40 truffle balls in chocolate without complaint.  (Thanks again, LM!)


We made both Oreo Truffle Balls and my spin on Nutter Butter Cheesecake Truffle Balls for the engagement party.  Hands down, the Nutter Butter ones were the party favorite.  Yes, it definitely took time to roll the truffle balls and dip in the chocolate-peanut butter mixture; but the result was a very fancy party dessert that was a hit.  And if you follow the above steps and con a friend, family member or significant other to do the heavy work for you; you can take all the credit while they do all the work!  Win-win!


Try out the recipe and let me know what you think!