Description
These festive Reindeer Oreo Balls are a delightful no-bake treat perfect for holiday parties. Made with crushed Oreo cookies and cream cheese, dipped in rich dark chocolate, and decorated with pretzel antlers, candy eyes, and a red candy nose, they are both adorable and delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Base
- 45 Oreo Cookies (about 1 (18oz.) package)
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
Coating and Decorations
- 15 ounces Ghirardelli dark chocolate melting wafers
- 2 cups pretzel twists, broken in half
- 48 candy eyes
- 24 M&M's or Red Hots for the nose
Instructions
- Prepare Tray: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside to use later.
- Crush Oreos: Place the 45 Oreo cookies into a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse until they become fine crumbs.
- Mix Cream Cheese: In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on high speed to beat the softened 8-ounce block of cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Combine Mixture: Add the Oreo crumbs to the bowl with cream cheese and mix on medium speed until fully combined into a uniform mixture.
- Form Balls: Using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the Oreo mixture. Roll each portion between your palms to form smooth balls, then place them on the prepared baking tray.
- Chill Balls: Place the tray in the refrigerator for 2 hours to allow the balls to firm up.
- Melt Chocolate: Using a double boiler over low heat or a microwave-safe bowl heated at 30-second intervals stirring in between, melt the 15 ounces of dark chocolate wafers until smooth and fully melted.
- Dip Balls: Using a fork, dip one Oreo ball at a time into the melted chocolate, lifting and tapping off excess chocolate, then place them back onto the baking tray.
- Add Antlers: Carefully insert two broken pretzel pieces into each dipped ball about ¼” to ½” deep to resemble antlers.
- Add Nose: Place one M&M or Red Hot candy on the front bottom center of each ball as the nose, holding it in place for about 10 seconds to allow the chocolate to set and hold the candy.
- Add Eyes: Position two candy eyes just above the nose on each ball.
- Repeat and Reheat: Repeat dipping and decorating the remaining balls. Reheat chocolate if it starts to harden before all balls are coated.
- Set and Chill: Allow the reindeer Oreo balls to set completely for about 15 minutes at room temperature or place in the refrigerator to harden faster.
- Store: Keep the finished Oreo balls refrigerated until ready to serve to maintain shape and freshness.
Notes
- Any flavored Oreo cookies can be used instead of regular Oreos; use the same quantity of about 45 cookies.
- Store leftover Oreo balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Use a double boiler method carefully to avoid overheating chocolate which can cause it to seize.
- For quicker chilling, place balls in the freezer for 20-30 minutes instead of the refrigerator.
- You can substitute candy eyes with edible markers or icing if candy eyes are unavailable.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ball
- Calories: 150 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
