Sunday, November 11, 2012

#SundaySupper Gifts from the Kitchen...Featuring Peppermint Stick Cookie Truffles

The theme for this week's #SundaySuper is Gifts from the Kitchen, which is hosted by Susan from The Wimpy Vegetarian. Hard to believe, but the holidays are very nearly upon us once again. That means it's nearly time to start figuring out holiday gifts! To help you discover the very best in homemade food gifts, the #SundaySupper group is sharing some fabulous ideas that you can make right in your own kitchen! My contribution is Peppermint Stick Cookie Truffles. Peppermint is hands-down my favorite holiday flavor, so this one is near and dear to me! This fun, minty truffle is a variation on one of my favorite holiday treats: my Oreo-based Peppermint Surprise Truffles. These cookie truffles are a snap to make and contain only a few simple ingredients. Feel free to decorate them in any festive holiday color scheme...I used white chocolate and red candy melts to stay with the peppermint stick theme. These truffles make fabulous holiday gifts. For a simple presentation, put two or three of the paper-lined truffles into a small gift box lined with colorful tissue paper. You could also pair a half dozen with a holiday-themed serving plate as shown here. The main idea is to have fun with it!

Peppermint Stick Cookie Truffles
a Weekend Gourmet Original


Step 1: Add the following ingredients to a mixing bowl: 9 ounces shortbread cookies (crushed), 6 ounces Philly Indulgence white chocolate cream cheese spread, 1/2 cup Andes peppermint crunch baking chips, and 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract. Mix on low speed until everything is incorporated and the mixture looks like mud.


Step 2: Roll mixture into small balls. Place on a pan that's been lined with parchment paper -- you should get about 2 dozen truffles. Place the pan in the fridge or freezer to chill for about 30 minutes. When you're ready to dip, melt 4 ounces white chocolate and a package of red candy melts in small bowls. Using a skewer, dip each truffle into the chocolate. Sprinkle some crushes peppermint candies on top, before the chocolate sets.


Step 3: If the truffles are sufficiently chilled, the chocolate should set up very quickly. If not, no worries...you can place the dipped truffles in the fridge to make sure the chocolate completely firms up. To serve, place in colorful miniature paper wrappers. From there, you can place on a plate or box up for gift giving. NOTE: Since the truffles contain dairy, I keep them stored in an air-tight container in the fridge and remove them 15 minutes before serving or packaging to give.


These truffles are totally yummy, with a pronounced peppermint flavor thanks to peppermint extract and candy pieces inside...and a sprinkle of peppermint on top. These are also a fun project to make with kids -- they can help with rolling the truffles and sprinkling the candy on top.  You could easily make a batch of these and my Peppermint Surprise Truffles and mix-and-match for the chocolate lovers on your gift-giving list! 

Make sure to join us for a live chat on Twitter this evening at 600 CST to discuss holiday gifts from the kitchen. In the meantime, check out all the other fabulous gift ideas the #SundaySupper bloggers are featuring today. We've got everything from savory to sweet, so there's bound to be lots of great ideas to get your holiday gift list going!

Breads / Breakfast

Condiments / Ingredients

Soup and Snacks

Sweets

Drinks






49 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. They are fun to make and so easy to eat...I only made 10 for the photo shoot yesterday and froze the rest of the truffles in the freezer in a zip bag. Now, I can just dip a few as I need them over the next few weeks!

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  2. Who'd have thought making truffles can be so simple. Thanks for posting ! Love this !

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    1. Totally simple...and they're even better the next day, after sitting in the fridge overnight!

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  3. So pretty and great for the season with the peppermint. Nice recipe.

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    1. Peppermint is my FAVORITE holiday flavor...hot cocoa, Hershey kisses, candy canes, etc.!

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  4. How cute are these!? I just love this idea for a cute, tasty treat! :)

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    1. I'm interested to see if these are as popular as my Oreo-based peppermint truffles. Those are one of my most-requested holiday treats to bring to parties!

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  5. How fun and just gorgeous! Added to my must try list!

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    1. They are so simple...and you can decorate any way you want. Stick with white chocolate and use some fun Christmas sprinkles for decor...or use the red candy melts to make some decorative swirls on top.

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  6. How cute and fun, Wendy! Let me know when in Nov. and I'll see if I can't join you in Austin!

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    1. These truffles are so simple! May wait until the first weekend in December to avoid the Black Friday weekend crowds a bit...I think you'd love Con 'Olio!

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  7. I love this recipe! The truffles sound amazing, and I love that they're easy to make! Right up my alley...

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    1. Easy is always good, especially during the holidays! When I make a batch, it's enough to give a half dozen to a few friends...and keep a half dozen for us to enjoy!

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  8. These are so cute!! A lovely gift to receive!!

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    1. I love that they're so simple to whip up...and they really do have a lot of peppermint flavor!

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  9. Fun and cute and delicious truffles! Nice gift!

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    1. I have friends who literally beg me to make the chocolate version each year, so wanted to add a non-chocolate version to my bag of tricks to mix it up a bit!

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  10. Peppermint is one of my favorite holiday flavors (can't get enough peppermint ice cream), so I know I'd love these, too. Absolutely YUM!

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    1. You can adjust the amount of peppermint to your liking...I normally add 1 tsp. extract, but the peppermint bark chips were pretty minty, so I dialed back. I'm thinking 1 tsp. would've worked fine!

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  11. Beautiful. And it looks SO delicious! Who doesnt love truffles, and peppermint

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    1. These are so easy to make...I don't bake much, unless it's pretty much a snap!

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  12. Peppermint is perfect for the holidays...and who wouldn't be thrilled to receive a package of your yummy truffles?

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    1. I have friends who request the chocolate ones every holiday...I might have to make a batch of each and mix-and-match this year!

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  13. Replies
    1. These are so good...they're even better the next day after hanging out in the fridge!

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  14. I love peppermint! I can't wait to try these this Christmas season! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. It's my favorite holiday flavor too...these are perfect for a holiday sweet plate or gift giving!

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  15. Oh man, do these look amazing. I love the filling! Yummo. I can't believe the holidays are right around the corner. Scary!

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    1. I know...I don't normally break out the peppermint until right after Thanksgiving, but it's getting me in the holiday mood!

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  16. Hi Wendy, I just found your blog via Food and Thrift finds. So glad I did! Love these little truffles. They would be a perfect at Christmas! Looking forward to getting to know you!

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    1. Hi...thanks so much for joining the fun! I look forward to getting to know you as well!!

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  17. Peppermint rocks, Wendy! These are so cool!

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    1. I agree...I may just do a holiday Linky party the first week of December to spotlight favorite recipes!

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  18. These are wicked adorable. Peppermint makes me so happy. It just screams holidays to me.

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    1. Me too...I love peppermint during this time of year! You can get as creative as you want with these truffles...change up the decor or the colors.

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  19. Several of my family members favourite candy is peppermint candy bark. This would be such a fun thing to introduce to them to change things up a bit. Thanks for sharing

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    1. I have a great Peppermint Bliss Bark here on the blog...just do a search. I made it for a work party last year, and people went nuts for it!

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  20. These look so super cute and I'm sure your guests are going to be so pleased to receive these :) I know I would :)

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    1. I always save back a few for "quality control" just to make sure they came out ok :lol:!

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  21. Wow, I would love those truffles! I want them now!

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  22. white chocolate cream cheese? Why have I not heard of this before? I need to go buy some immediately. These truffels are too cute. Love the colors and love even more that they have peppermint in them. Yummy!

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  23. Love that plate. And, those truffles? Superb. This is going into my gift giving "To Make" file.

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  24. I also like peppermint a lot and these truffles look amazing. Thank you for sharing ~ Bea

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  25. Your truffles are beautiful - I haven't been able to perfect my chocolate dipping skills. And the flavour combo is like Christmas in your mouth! You can't go wrong with chocolate and mint.

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  26. These sound amazing and they look gorgeous too!

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