“Oh yeah! We were supposed to bring something to that Christmas party!”
Ever said those words before?
Don’t get caught with your pants down at this year’s party.
These Oreo (actually, they’re Newman’s Own brand called Newman-O’s) Truffles are super easy and quick to fix.
The best part… all your vegetarian friends can enjoy them too. And boy are they enjoyable!
Maybe too enjoyable!
Now don’t go thinking that because these Christmas party treats are vegetarian friendly that they’re healthy.
No, no, no…
Oh, you thought that everything vegetarian was healthy? Nope, not quite… not quite at all (but that’s another story for another post).
I got to taste one of these tasty treats at the gym — of all places — earlier this week.
After I had what I call a “food O” I thought to myself, “Hey self, these would be a great thing to share on the blog with everyone looking for a quick Christmas treat or dessert!”
After I got the recipe I realized that they’re pretty much vegetarian friendly to begin with… but we’re gonna make some changes to make them even more eco-friendly!
Original Oreo Truffle Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 package oreo cookies (divided… use cookie including the cream center)
- 1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
- 1 package white chocolate bark
Directions:
- Crush Oreo cookies and stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together.
- Roll the mixture into 1″ balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.
- Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry.
- Optional: Melt a bit of dark chocolate in a double boiler to drizzle over the top of the Oreo Truffles (as seen in the picture)
- Enjoy! Makes about 36 truffles.
Making This Recipe Greener
You might be surprised to find out that PETA lists Oreo cookies as “vegan”. I sure was surprised!
Unfortunately that yummy cream center of the Oreo is nothing more than fluffed up hydrogenated oil. Blah.
For my recipe (that I’ll be making tomorrow), I’ll be using Newman-O’s.
Why Newman-O’s?
Their cream filling is made from organic palm fruit oil, which:
- Is not hydrogenated
- Contains no trans-fatty acids
- Is lower in saturated fat than butter and has no cholesterol
- Is widely used in Europe as an alternative to partially hydrogenated oils
- Is extracted from the palm’s fruit not the palms kernel
- Can be grown organically in tropical regions
Newman’s Own also says that the palm fruit oil comes from a part of Columbia where it’s production helps protect the area… but that has been the subject of some recent controversy.
Newman’s Own also uses organic chocolate in these cookies. You can read more about them on the above link.
You can get a bag of Newman-O’s for around $3-$4 a bag.
You could also use a vegan cream cheese alternative — like Follow Your Heart’s vegan gourmet cream cheese alternative.
If you substitute a vegan cream cheese alternative and swap over to the Newman-O’s, the only thing left to deal with is the almond bark.
UPDATE: Follow Nashveggie’s instructions in the comments and forego the almond bark for vegan dark chocolate chunks instead. This makes these Oreo Truffles COMPLETELY vegan!
Almond bark has whey in it — which is a product derived from milk — so you’ll have to be lacto-ovo vegetarian to enjoy these little balls-o-sin.
Put A Minty Twist On It
As I was looking for images to use for this post, I stumbled across the exact recipe that my friend from the gym gave me.
Their recommendation is to switch things up by using the mint Oreo sandwich cookies instead. Never fear, there are mint Newman-O’s as well.
What do you think about this simple, easy, vegetarian friendly holiday snack? Can you think of a way to get around the whey in the almond bark?
I think every little step toward living green is an awesome one… but eco-snobbery sucks! My goal is to help newbies learn the most important steps toward living green — individually and collectively. Personally, I strive to have as little impact as possible on Planet Earth while I’m here.
