Oreo Balls

Let's be honest here for a second. There are few things in this world that are better than Oreos, cream cheese & chocolate. It's only natural to marry the three. I don't like to toot my own horn (toot toot!)... but these are one of my most requested & most beloved treats that I make.

They are incredibly rich, decadent & sinful.

I will warn you in advance- these are time consuming. They are difficult to make- but it does take some time. I spent literally over 12 hours straight making a huge batch the other day. & Another 5 hours today.

CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULE, FOLKS.

It's time to get ballsy.

Oreo Balls

What you need:

1 package of Oreos (any kind- I use regular Oreos, peanut butter, mint & a new kind called berry blast. Don't get double stuff!)
1 package of cream cheese (8oz)
Almond bark (I use both vanilla & chocolate)
Sprinkles


What you do:

Using a food processor or blender, crush the Oreos into fine crumbs (I do not suggest doing this by hand- which is what I have to do since I have neither of the aforementioned appliances. But if you do have to crush them by hand, put them in a gallon size Ziplock bag & use a rolling pin to roll, beat & smash them to as fine of a consistency as humanly possible). Transfer to a large bowl & add in cream cheese. Mix by hand (don't be afraid to get messy! This is the best way to mix evenly). 

Form into 1in balls & place on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper & place in the freezer for up to one hour.

Melt almond bark (I do one variation at a time, dipping half the balls in chocolate almond bark first, then melting the vanilla & dipping the other half) & use toothpicks to submerge the balls. Hold over the bowl, gently shaking off all the excess almond bark. Replace onto baking sheet & remove toothpick (dab a little bit of almond bark over the hole made by the toothpick).

Once the almond bark is hardened (it doesn't take long) you can decorate them. I use sprinkles & corresponding colored almond bark to decorate mine (just cut a tiny corner off of a Ziplock bag & pour in a little bit of almond bark & drizzle over the balls).

Store in the refrigerator (& don't let your kids see you sneaking them.. They'll be upset with you).

Deck the halls with lots'a babies.

My Christmas spirit has been ascending slowly. Does anybody else feel as though not only Christmas, but winter, have just completely snuck up on you & basically yelled, "HO HO HO, BITCH!" ... No? Just me?

I wait all year for this time of year. My best & most cherished childhood memories are from Christmas. I believed in Santa Claus until I was 12 years old (blame my mother! She was an enabler!). Everything about Christmas was magical & wonderful & warm. I want, more than anything, for my children to have the same feelings & to make our own magical memories.

It's hard, but I sometimes need to step back & let them go a little crazy. Let them shout & jump around & be excited. I am a control freak, in every sense of the word. I have little tolerance for chaos & I will humbly admit that I lack any amount of patience. Sometimes, I worry that I am too hard on my kids. Until Evelyn slaps Gabe in the face & he pushes her over a chair.. Then it's on & the mom voice comes out. Ha. ANYWAY. Christmas is the perfect reminder that they're kids. They're going to act a fool every once & a while. I have got to just let go, sometimes.

Getting to the point, we had a lot of fun this afternoon. I got them dressed up & let them play with a strand of lights in front of the tree. Meanwhile, I went stealth mode & snapped some pictures. The result was enough to melt me into a giant puddle all over the floor. The true beauty is that all the pictures were candid. Just my beautiful children being amazed that they were allowed to play with this giant strand of glowing lights.

I cannot wait for Christmas morning with this crazy crew.