Sugar Cookie Truffles

These Sugar Cookie Truffles are the perfect no-bake holiday dessert!  Using just 3 ingredients, plus some optional sprinkles, you can have these whipped up in no time! 

Perfect for any holiday cookie tray, and so easy to make!  We love no-bake holiday sweets like my Crockpot Candy and this is one of my Desserts you’ll definitely want in your holiday rotation!

SUGAR COOKIE TRUFFLE RECIPE

Holiday baking time is in full swing, and I don’t know about you, but I could use some more no bake treats.  My oven is working overtime and no bake desserts are generally quicker and easier.

And this year, I’m all about the easy treats.  It’s been a rough year for all of us, so why not take it easy on yourself?

The hardest part about this recipe is probably dipping the truffles in the melted chocolate.  And that’s not even that difficult, it’s just a little tedious, especially if you’re being particular about how they look.

It’s actually a fun recipe to make with kids, since they can help with every step, and will likely have a lot of fun rolling the balls and dipping them in the chocolate!

So let’s get to the details so you can enjoy these truffles as much as we did!

HOW TO MAKE SUGAR COOKIE TRUFFLES

1. Make cookie crumbs.  Add cookies to food processor and pulse until finely ground.
2. Add cream cheese.  Add cream cheese to food processor and pulse until well combined.
3. Scoop into balls.  Use a small cookie scoop to portion out the dough and use your hands to roll each portion into a smooth, rounded ball.  Place on wax paper lined baking sheet and set aside.

1. Melt white chocolate.  Melt chocolate however you prefer, either a makeshift double boiler, or in the microwave.
2. Dip truffle balls.  Using a fork or chocolate dipping tools, dip each truffle ball (one at a time) in the melted chocolate, then place back on wax paper lined baking sheet and sprinkle with sprinkles (if using) before chocolate hardens.
3. Serve or store.

ADDITIONAL COOKING TIPS

• COOKIE TEXTURE – the trick to making this recipe is to use harder, more crispy sugar cookies.  Pepperidge Farm Zurich cookies are perfect!  Softer, more chewy cookies can work, but you’ll need less cream cheese.
• HOMEMADE VS STORE-BOUGHT – typically I just pick up a package of cookies for these truffles, but if you wanted to make your own, you absolutely can.  My vanilla bean sugar cookies are fabulous in this recipe, but you’ll want them to be several days old so they can get a bit hard first.
• MELTING WAFERS – if you can’t find the white chocolate bricks to melt, Ghirardelli (and other brands too I believe) makes white chocolate melting wafers that truly melt beautifully.
• WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS – technically you can use white chocolate chips, but they’re not my favorite to use.  I find them to be too thick and not quite the right texture. If you will be using them, try adding a tiny bit of coconut or vegetable oil to them when melting.  It’ll make it a bit more manageable.

TIPS FOR MELTING CHOCOLATE

• Double Boiler Method – this is my preferred method for melted chocolate.  A double boiler is an actual type of pot, but most people don’t have one on hand, so I make my own makeshift one.  It’s easy, I promise!  Add a bit of water to a sauce pan and place a heat-resistant bowl on top (I use a glass bowl) so it just rests on the sides of the pan, but doesn’t touch the water.  Heat the water on LOW heat and add chocolate to the bowl on top.  Stir often and you’ll see the chocolate start to melt.  Keep stirring, and once you see just tiny lumps of chocolate, remove the bowl from the top of the pan.  Stir, and the residual heat will melt those last little lumps and you’ll have perfect melted chocolate.
• Don’t cook on full power – if you choose to microwave your chocolate, set your microwave to half power (or medium).  This lessens the chance of the chocolate heating too quickly and “seizing”.
• Heat slowly – melt the chocolate in 20-30 second intervals for the first minute, then in 15 second intervals after that, stirring after each cooking interval.  It takes longer, but trust me, it’s worth it.
• Add a bit of oil – one of my favorite tricks is to add a little bit (about a tablespoon or so) of vegetable oil to the chocolate before melting.  I don’t think I’ve ever had seized or scorched chocolate when following the microwave tips and this one!

Have you ever been melting chocolate (especially white chocolate) and had it go from luxuriously smooth and silky, to a thick, grainy paste?  It’s the bane of every baker’s existence!

Chocolate will do that for one of two reasons.  First, a bit of water got into your chocolate.  Water is the enemy of melted chocolate and will turn all it into a gluey paste, very quickly.

Secondly, it can be overheated and scorched.  This often happens when chocolate is cooked at too high of a temperature, and/or for too long.

VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE

• DIFFERENT COOKIES – instead of sugar cookies, try using gingersnap or Oreo cookies for a fun flavor twist!
• DIFFERENT CHOCOLATE – regular milk or even dark chocolate would work for this recipe as well, so feel free use what you have available.
• SNICKERDOODLE – you have two options for a snickerdoodle flavor.  The first and most obvious one is to substitute snickerdoodle cookies for the sugar cookies 🙂  But if you don’t have any on hand or don’t want to buy/make any, try adding 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon to the sugar cookie “batter” in the food processor.  After coating in the white chocolate, add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar (just equal parts cinnamon and granulated sugar) over the top.

• EGGNOG – again, you have two main options for adding that eggnog flavor to these sugar cookie truffles; you can add actual eggnog, or mimic it with similar flavors.  To add actual eggnog, use 2 1/2 Tbsp cream cheese and 2 1/2 Tbsp of eggnog and proceed with the recipe.  To mimic the eggnog flavor, keep the recipe the same, except add 1/2 tsp rum extract and 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg.  After coating in the white chocolate, add a sprinkle of ground nutmeg on top.
• ADD-INS – sometimes we like to add festive nonpareil sprinkles to the sugar cookie truffle “dough”, rather than just on top!  Feel free to add any of your favorites too.
• TOPPINGS – holiday sprinkles, regular sprinkles, a drizzle of milk/dark chocolate, or a drizzle of white chocolate… there are so many options!  If you’re drizzling chocolate (of any kind) over the top though, wait until the chocolate coating is set before drizzling more, so you get a beautiful texture.

MAKING TRUFFLES AHEAD OF TIME

During the holidays, time is definitely at a premium!  The more treats you can make ahead, the better.  The good news is that these truffles can absolutely be made ahead of time.

STORAGE

Truffles should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

I recommend storing them in the refrigerator, but they can technically be stored at room temperature, but only for 1 week.

FREEZING

These sugar cookie truffles can absolutely be frozen!  I find freezing them works better once they’ve been dipped in the white chocolate and are solid.  Otherwise, they can dry out a bit.

Add truffles in even layers, separated by sheets of wax paper to avoid sticking, in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3-4 months.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE

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• Food Processor – I love this model for its large capacity.
• Small Cookie Scoop – this scoop is approximately 1″ in diameter, and will yield evenly sized truffles.

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Any nutritional information shared is an estimate, and is automatically calculated through a program.  If calorie count is important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer.  Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

 

The Chunky Chef is not a nutritionist and doesn’t provide full nutritional information for recipes as she wouldn’t want to potentially and unknowingly pass along incorrect information.

If changing the recipe serving quantity, the recipe plugin will change the ingredient values for you, but it does NOT change the written instructions, those are manually added and not subject to a slider. You will have to extrapolate that multiplication to any amounts listed in the instructions.
For example: if an ingredient calls for 4 cups, and you doubled the recipe, it will automatically change to 8 cups. In the instructions, if I say “use 4 cups of cheese”, you will have to realize that since you doubled it, you use 8 cups, not 4.