As I finished my fifth round of A Christmas Story today, I decided to sit and write. I have not sat for 10 hours watching TV, even though I could. I watched this over the past 22 hours. The final run of the movie just started and my heart is sad as it will not be back for another year.

I decided to make something for my new coworkers last week. Everyone loves treats at the holidays. I saved a couple pieces for my hunka hunka, who insisted I make another batch for the family at Christmas Eve. I had no idea they were going to be such a hit with the family. I love anything and everything peppermint. This was right up my alley.

My oldest grandson, Jack Jack, ate some with his dinner. He came into the kitchen and asked me who made those. I smiled and told him I did. He said, “Those are awesome. Can I have another?” Umm…yes…do you want the whole bag? haha. Throughout the night, different family members were commenting. My oldest son, Jason (Jack Jack’s dad), asked who made those. That made my heart smile so big. This has to be my best creation yet.

I like Christmas meal. Since I cook a huge meal at Thanksgiving, I get a nice break at Christmas. Gives me the moment to make a tasty treat.

There are many recipes floating out there if you want to search, but I’ll tell you how I make them as I never follow a recipe true to heart.

You need to crush a bag of Oreos and a bag of peppermint mints. I prefer Double Stuf Oreos, but it’s your preference. I buy an inexpensive bag of starlight mints from Wal-Mart, less than $1. Time consuming part is having to open up all of the mints. Put the mints in a small storage bag and the Oreos in a gallon-size storage bag. Let the crushing begin.

I recommend a really good meat tenderizer. The first batch I used my inexpensive rolling pin for crushing and I think it died. Second batch for the family I used my meat tenderizer and it worked a million times better. You can also use a food processor, but I did not want the extra cleanup. Don’t get crazy and carried away with the crushing as you can easily tear the bags and cause crumbs to go everywhere. I know from a little experience.

Make sure your cream cheese is softened or it makes it harder to mix. Put your Oreos, cream cheese, and a couple spoonfuls of the mint dust from the bag. You’ll have plenty in the bag.

I also add a tablespoon of peppermint extract. USE THIS WITH CAUTION! You walk a fine line between tasty peppermint and toothpaste. Since this is not a baked recipe there is no dilution of the extract. Aldi’s carries this at Christmastime. I recommend buying it there as it is much cheaper than most other stores.

Once everything is well-blended, roll into balls on wax paper. I use a 1/2 inch melon baller to help with the sizing. You should be able to make 28-30 balls, depending upon your size. Put in refrigerator for at least an hour to chill, or a deep freeze for a half hour if you are in a hurry.

Have another cookie sheet with wax paper on hand. I have things in line ready to go like an assembly line. I lay extra wax paper between the cookie sheet and the Candiquik to avoid a mess on stove. I like using the Candiquik that comes with a microwavable tray. If the chocolate starts to thicken, you can pop in the microwave for about 15 seconds. You need to work fast. Very important to have things ready.

I put three balls in the chocolate at a time. Use a spoon to cover. Use a fork to remove, drip excess, and move to cookie sheet. I quickly reach into my mints and sprinkle on each while the chocolate is still wet. It dries fast. You have to move, move, move. Keep the cycle going until you are done. Towards the end, your white chocolate may appear to have a little cookie crumbs in them, but it will not affect the finished look of the truffles.

Once you are done dipping all of the balls, put in the fridge to chill. This will completely solidify the truffles. I love you make these ahead of time. If you have the will power to stay out of them, you can store them in your fridge for many days in advance. You can even freeze them to keep for much longer. I can bet you cannot hold out that long. They are a tasty treat!

Hope you enjoy them as much as my family did. My hunka hunka has already asked for these every Christmas now!

Peace out, Trout!

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Candy Cane Truffles

Ingredients: 1 bag of Oreos, crushed. 1 bag of peppermints, crushed. 1 tbsp. Peppermint Extract. 1 block cream cheese, softened. 1 pkg. Vanilla Candiquik.

Directions: Mix well Oreos, cream cheese, peppermint extract and two spoonfuls of mint dust. Roll into balls and place on waxed paper. Chill for an hour. Remove from fridge. Heat Candiquik. Dip balls into candy and place on wax paper. Sprinkle with crushed mints. Chill in fridge.

Enjoy!