Mint Oreo Snowball Truffles

This delicious recipe from Cookies and Cups came to my inbox, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to find a way to make them gluten free.

These truffles are a great no-bake recipe to take along to a New Year's Eve party!

So here we go:
SPH Gluten Free Mint Oreo Snowball Truffles
1 package Glutino Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (they really are the best GF variety - you can use normal Oreos or chocolate or mint Oreos as well)
1/4 tsp. mint extract (omit if using mint Oreos)
green food coloring (omit if using mint Oreos)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, room temperature and cut into cubes for easier mixing
1 package white Wilton candy melts or 1 pound white chocolate-type candy coating
1 Tbsp. shortening
White jimmies or other decorating doodads (optional)

Place cookies in a ziptop bag.  Place that bag inside another bag (this keeps sharp pieces from poking their way through the bag and leaving crumbs/dust all over your kitchen).  Get out a rolling pin, baseball bat, heavy shoe, etc., and start smashing your cookies.  You can also do this in a food processor, but the crushing process is so much more fun.  Beat cream cheese in mixer bowl until smooth.  Add mint extract and food color, and beat again.  Add cookie crumbs, and stir until well combined.  Use a cookie scooper or spoons and shape into balls.  Place on waxed paper-lined cookie sheet and freeze for an hour.

While they are chilling, start melting your coating.  I use a Wilton melting pot I bought (used a 40% off coupon and a %-off-your purchase coupon - SCORE!), but you can use the double boiler method as well.  Use a glass or metal bowl over a pot of boiling water (be sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water).  You can also use the microwave - takes about 2 minutes, and stir every 30 seconds.

When the hour is up and your coating is all melty, gently insert a bamboo skewer into the top of  the balls and gently swirl it around to coat it.  Help remove the truffle from the coating by lifting it out with a fork.  If needed, use the opposite end of the skewer to smear the coating over the skewer hole.  Place the truffle back on the wax paper carefully.  If desired, while the coating is still "wet", sprinkle with white jimmies or other pretty doodads.

If you make them with red Oreos (or red food coloring and/or red candy coating), they'd be awesome for St. Valentine's Day.  Maybe make them with some cinnamon or strawberry flavoring?  Make them again for St. Patrick's Day.  No Oreos/Oreo-type cookies in the house?  You can substitute any sandwich-type cookie.  I'll bet the half-yellow-half-chocolate ones would work really well.  Use cake crumbs, cookie crumbs or crumbled brownies.  Change the flavored extract.  Change the color of the coating, or use just plain chocolate.  You can use up leftover cream cheese frosting, too, in the cream cheese mixture.  Just be sure that most of the "binding" is cream cheese.  Oh - and what to do with any leftover white chocolate that may have some crumbs in it?  Spread it on aluminum foil - mint Oreo bark!

Enjoy!

 http://verygoodrecipes.com/chocolate