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Tradition.
There’s just something about me that loves tradition. I went to a college steeped in rich tradition. I savor the traditions I had growing up and find myself passing them on to my daughter.
When it comes to Christmas traditions, a favorite is our yearly night where we trim the tree. It’s an emotional night for me – every single time. Each ornament seems to have a story, one that I must share with my daughter. There’s laughter, some tears, but mostly happy moments remembered and new ones made too.
This year I’m combining that favorite tradition of mine with a new one (and one with a TWIST)…… it involves making OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments to enjoy while we decorate our tree. Because I’m such a Disney nut (yes, it’s true), you’ll find a gazillion Disney ornaments on our tree. What better inspiration – so I’ve been in the kitchen making Disney Themed OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments (Star Wars too).
NOTE: Though I initially made these at Christmastime, to make them at any other time of year, just leave off the candy ornament topper for fun cookie balls!
I headed to Walmart, where I was so surprised by the different varieties of OREO Cookies. They were easily found in both the cookie aisle, as you would traditionally expect, and in the center aisle of the store on display. Isn’t it adorable?
While I could have chosen the original OREOs (nothing wrong with that, right?), I was feeling a little festive so my daughter helped me choose among some holiday flavors.
Our pick………
OREO Peppermint Creme! Oh my!
The original recipe for OREO Cookie Balls couldn’t be easier:
- Ingredients:
- 1 pkg (8 oz.) brick cream cheese, softened
- 36 OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 3 cups)
- 4 pkg. (4 oz. each) semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
- Make it!
- MIX cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended.
- SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Freeze 10 min. Dip balls in melted chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan.
- CUSTOMIZE it with your own ingredient additions or decorative skills.
- REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.
- Share and enjoy!
Can we just stop here for a second?
I want you to imagine the smell of these beautiful OREO Peppermint Creme cookies?
It was time to crush the OREO cookies and I needed a helper.
Just for fun, we decided to try finely crushing the cookies the old fashioned way. You know, plastic bag and rolling pin – after all, this is how our grandparents would have done it, right?
While we didn’t have much luck (probably due to the creme filling), someone sure did have fun trying. It’s a fun experience for kids in the kitchen.
So I turned to the food processor for this job and it did wonderfully, crushing up the cookies and filling.
After that, I simply mixed in the cream cheese.
TIP: I always find that a dough cutter helps considerably when mixing in cream cheese (or when recipes call for mixing in butter too).
I shaped the OREO Cookie Balls, placed in freezer and started brainstorming specifically about how I could make the OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments Disney themed.
My husband had the boxes and boxes of ornaments ready in the hallway, so I started to go through them.
Memories started to flood back.
See that fragile Mickey Mouse riding on Dumbo ornament? That was from the time we took our daughter to Walt Disney World for the very first time. She was 16 months old and it was during the holiday season. Her first ride – Dumbo. So this ornament we bought during that trip brings back amazing memories. Oh, time does fly.
So with candy melts in different colors ready to go, I was up to the challenge.
TIP: I find it challenging to melt the candy and then add coloring (it hardens up on me), so this time I simply purchased white, red and light cocoa candy melts.
Be sure to follow the directions on the package as melting can be the trickiest part.
So here are my Disney Themed OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments:
- FROZEN OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments
- Mickey Mouse OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments
- STAR WARS Chewbacca OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments
- STAR WARS Stormtropper OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments
Just for fun I added Christmas Tree OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments.
INITIAL DIPPING: Except for the STAR WARS Chewbacca OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments (which were coated in Light Cocoa candy melts), all were dipped in white candy melts first. Mickey Mouse cookie balls were dipped a second time in red as shown above.
Extra Guidance –
Mickey Mouse OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments:
- Initially dip in white candy melts
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes or so
- Dip the bottom half in red candy melts to coat the bottom of the cookie ball
- Next, I used frosting to pipe ovals on Mickey’s pants.
- Immediately cover frosting with yellow sugar crystals (and shake off remaining)
FROZEN OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments:
- I used frosting (easier to pipe than melted candy) to draw a snowflake on cookie ball
- Immediately cover frosting with blue sugar crystals (and shake off remaining)
Christmas Tree OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments:
- I used frosting to pipe or “draw” a tree
- Immediately cover frosting with green sugar crystals (and shake off remaining)
- Put in refrigerator to set for about 10 minutes
- Pipe or “draw” a star on top of tree
- Immediately cover frosting with yellow sugar crystals (and shake off remaining)
STAR WARS Chewbacca OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments:
- Cut strips of black licorice into small pieces to form Chewbacca’s “bandolier”
- “Glue” with melted chocolate to the cookie ball
STAR WARS Stormtropper OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments:
- Use black frosting (or white frosting colored with food coloring) to hand “draw” or pipe a Stormtrooper
Last Step – Use small “bits” of caramel filled chocolate candy to create the traditional top of an ornament. “Glue” with melted chocolate to the top of each ornament!
I do believe we’ve found a wonderful new tradition to enjoy alongside our tree trimming. Disney themed OREO Cookie Ball Ornaments have been so much fun to create and even better to enjoy!
So tell me, which Disney themed OREO Cookie Ball Ornament was your favorite?
Do you a suggestion of what I should make next? (I still have some left)
For more holiday OREO Cookie balls recipes, check out these great ideas –>http://cbi.as/14pvf
