Oreo balls

I'll admit that I have few pictures of this recipe. Next time, I'll remember to take more and add them here; but for now, you'll have to use your imagination. :)

Don't mind the name of this recipe. Feel free to call it what you wish, but oreo balls, like fat pie, just sticks in my head. Be forewarned, though: depending on who you're with, oreo balls can turn into a very R-rated recipe. Really fast. I've heard them called salty balls (they're not), chocolate balls, big balls, little balls, and my personal favorite, simply "balls". I'm related to and friends with lots of people who like to make jokes about balls. It's partly why I like to hang with them.

Anyway.

I usually make this recipe at Christmastime. It's rich, comforting, and the perfect gift to make for people when you are very short on time. I will generally give it out in half-dozen increments, and one year I heard from one friend who had gotten such a gift of oreo balls, ate them in one sitting, and then got herself sick because they were so rich (I advise eating one a day, not one an hour. Listen to my advice, people.). I will continue to make them every year for fear of mutiny otherwise. What is funny, though, is how easy they are. Start to finish, the whole process takes about an hour total (not counting setting time). Aside from the melting of the chocolate, there's absolutely no baking involved (a big plus sometimes!). Yet, they still get rave reviews. I think the simplest recipes get the highest praise, honestly.

I recently made these again, but this time the occasion was a wedding. Two good friends of mine just got married, and I was asked to make oreo balls as part of the hotel welcome baskets-I was honored to do such a task but also slightly worried-where was I going to store 180 oreo balls? A lot of you guys have seen my fridge, right? I'm lucky I had room to put the cream cheese in there! Several creative meals later I had enough space to store them, but I had to pack it carefully: a batch would be made and frozen on a single layer in the freezer. Then, the next day I'd pack them in a large freezer bag two layers deep and do the process over again, with the tray holding the single layer on the top. Dipping them was even more tricky: I wanted to make sure that the balls didn't stick to each other, so I'd also do those in shifts. Finally, they got bagged and were carefully stored in the freezer until they made their way into the welcome bags. A long process, sure, but completely worth it. It was also made easier by knowing that the other occupant of my house is not a chocolate fan, so I didn't have to worry about having one pilfered here and there. People came up to me and told me that they ate them in one sitting while others told me how they rationed them out so that there would be enough to last the whole weekend. I'm happy they were enjoyed (and, I'll admit, happy to have the space back in my freezer!), but more happy that I got to share in such a joyous occasion-I'm so happy for my two friends, and they threw one hell of a party.

This recipe will get you gigantic points all the time. They're small enough to pop right in your mouth, but not too sweet. Rich, but unless you eat the entire batch on your own, not overly so. They're also easy to modify-I've made them using peanut butter oreos, mint oreos, and double chocolate. I know there's strawberry and other random flavors, but those don't sound as good to me. I've dipped them in dark chocolate, mint chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, and white chocolate before. If anyone ever ask you how to make them, try to do some elaborate story though-it sounds so much better than saying it's crushed oreos and cream cheese, but I'm not that creative to make something up, and plus my memory sucks enough that I'd probably have about 16 different stories out there.

Oreo balls (recipe origin unknown)
1 package of oreos
1 block of cream cheese (if you're looking to go "health-conscious" on this-and to be honest, I'm not sure why you'd want to since this is very much an indulgent dessert-you can get neufchatel cheese. Your oreo balls will come out much better and will be much easier to work with if you use the real stuff, but I have used both and found no difference in taste)
1 12 ounce bag of chocolate chips of your choice (for traditional oreo balls I use milk chocolate)
1 tablespoon of crisco

Put the cream cheese on the counter to allow to come to room temperature or at least close to room temperature.
Crush the oreos in a food processor or blender (if you do it in a blender, crush the oreos one sleeve at a time; in a food processor, throw the whole package in). Make sure the oreo crumbs are fine, nearly the consistency of coffee grounds. Put into a large mixing bowl.
Add the cream cheese, and make sure the oreos and cream cheese are fully mixed together (you can use a spoon, but I recommend getting down and dirty and using your hands, and yes, I saw the double entendre in that phrase too).
Form balls roughly the size of walnuts or slightly smaller, depending on how many you need to make. I've found I can get about 45 from one batch. Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper either in the fridge or freezer (These are perfect to make long ahead of time and freeze until you're ready to dip them). Freeze overnight, preferably, before you dip them.

To make the melted chocolate, place the chocolate chips in a double boiler (if you don't have one, a pot with about an inch and a half of water and a heat-safe bowl on top, big enough so it doesn't touch the bottom of the pot, will do just fine) and melt with one tablespoon of crisco over medium low to medium heat. When fully melted, dip the balls so that each one is fully covered in chocolate. Put back in the fridge or freezer to fully set.