Strawberry Shortcake Truffles

Prepared with crushed vanilla-flavoured Golden Oreos, cream cheese, and homemade strawberry shortcake crumbs, these Strawberry Shortcake Truffles are dipped in melted red candy melts and drizzled with white melted chocolate. They’re beautifully bold and bright, and delicious too!

Two Christmases ago, I experimented quite a bit with truffles made from items one can find from any local bakery. In fact, I shared an entire truffle series called Lord Byron’s 12 Truffles of Christmas series. And then, this Christmas past, I shared my recipe for Mint Oreo Balls with you. They were so delicious, I thought I’d make them again, but this time with Golden Oreos rather than Mint Oreos, and I’d incorporate strawberry shortcake crumbs to make these Valentine-themed Strawberry Shortcake Truffles!

Last year, during the month of February, I shared a mini week-long series of desserts showcasing the many uses of Strawberry Shortcake Crumbs. It’s one of those flavours that reminds me both of hot summer days and Valentine-themed treats at the same time. So, I’m going to share another recipe with you today!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CRUMBS

Remember those pink and white ice cream bars with the strawberry-flavoured crumb coating? I do! In fact, they were my favourite ice cream bar when I was growing up. Now that I’m older, I don’t care much for ice cream, because it doesn’t seem to agree with me. I’m not lactose intolerant, but ice cream makes me feel bloated and blah, so I stay away from it as much as possible.

Now, in the instance that the ice cream in question is strawberry, I can’t pass it up. Because of the fact that I’m not a fan of ice cream, it is safe to assume that I am not an ice cream connoisseur. So, go easy on me when I tell you that my favourite ice cream is cheap ice cream, and the more artificial the strawberry flavour, the more I love it! I won’t name the brands that I like, but they package their ice cream in boxes. That’s all I’m going to say!

The number of Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Bars I ate when I was a kid is too high to count. I can’t tell you what the brand was, but the closest I can find are these by Good Humor. (I had to re-type ‘humor’ about five times before I could get my brain to let go of the O that should be in there – humour – it’s the Canadian in me!) Something tells me that in the 80s, the go-to brand was Nestle. Anyway, I digress! Let’s talk about these Strawberry Shortcake Truffles!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

You might have guessed by now that you need a batch of Strawberry Shortcake Crumbs. Go ahead, and click on the link. It will open and new page so you won’t lose this one. The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

For the Crumbs:

• Vanilla Pudding – Just a plain box of powdered mix is all you need. There’s no need to mix it according to the instructions on the package.
• Strawberry Jello – Again, this is just the powder. You will use the powder as it is – no need to mix it and let it set.
• Flour – Regular all-purpose flour is good.
• Butter – I used salted butter to offset some of the sweetness. Unsalted butter is certainly okay too.
• Golden Oreos – These are vanilla-flavoured Oreos. You’ll use one full package of Golden Oreos.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CRUMBS

For the Truffles:

• Golden Oreos – You will need one package.
• Cream Cheese – When baking with cream cheese it is always best to use brick style rather than whipped or cream cheese in a tub.  The brick style is firmer and more condensed.  Cream cheese adds texture and flavour to baked items.
• Red or Pink Candy Melts – When it comes to candy melts there are different shades of red and pink. Choose one that you like the best.
• White Chocolate Chips

WHAT ARE CANDY MELTS?

Candy melts are small, round discs that are made to emulate white chocolate. They come in a wide range of colours and are usually melted down and used in confections such as the coating on cake pops. I think the term candy melts is owned by Wilton, which is the only type I’ll use.

I use Wilton’s because I have used the brand many times before and have never been disappointed, but also because they have a lot of different colours to choose from. Oh, and the price is always good too!

If you cannot find candy melts, you can either order them online here, or you can use generic brands that can be found at your local baking supply store. The generic brands are sometimes called melting wafers. Additionally, if you cannot find them or do not want to use them, you can dip your Strawberry Shortcake Truffles into melted white tinted with a drop or two of food colouring as well.

THE BEST WAY TO COAT TRUFFLES IN CHOCOLATE!

I used to think that perfectly dipped chocolate truffles were witchcraft! Of course, I’m kidding, but honestly, I could never master it. Either the chocolate was too thick, or not smooth enough. And, I was always left with a pool of chocolate at the bottom of the truffle that would harden.

I tried that fancy little tool for dipping things into chocolate. It’s like a two-tined fork with really long tines. Apparently, the truffle is supposed to balance on there, while the thin tines allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Lies! There is no fancy tool needed to get perfect chocolate-dipped truffles. All you need is melted chocolate with a good consistency and two toothpicks. Here’s how I do it.

If you use melting chocolate right out of the bag, like candy melts or chocolate chips, for example, you will end up with very thick chocolate. The thicker the chocolate, the longer it will take to harden, which means more time for it to run. Thin your chocolate by adding a teaspoon of vegetable shortening to the bowl before you start to melt it. This will thin it without any risk of your chocolate seizing or compromising the flavour. If you’re using candy melts, add one and a half teaspoons of vegetable oil.

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE TRUFFLES

The first step is to ensure that your cream cheese is at room temperature. So, before you start anything else, allow your cream cheese to sit on your kitchen counter for about 30 minutes. Once that’s done, add all of your Oreos to a food processor and pulse until you are left with a crumbly mixture that resembles wet sand.

Add in the cream cheese and pulse until it is well incorporated into the crushed Oreos. You should see no white cream cheese at all! Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in one cup of the Strawberry Shortcake Crumbs. Cover and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. Once chilled, remove the mixture from your fridge and roll it into one-inch balls. Place the balls onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 60 minutes.

Once chilled, it’s time to melt the candy melts. Add the candy melts (or chocolate chips) to a microwave-safe bowl. Add in one and a half teaspoons of vegetable shortening (only one teaspoon if you’re using chocolate chips) and microwave on medium speed for 30 seconds. Remove the candy melts from the microwave and stir well with a rubber spatula. Microwave again for 30 seconds at half speed and stir well. Repeat this until the candy melts are melted and smooth.

COATING THE TRUFFLES

Working with chilled truffles, which I keep refrigerated until the candy melts are ready, insert a toothpick about 1/3rd of an inch into a ball. Dunk the ball into the bowl of melted candy melts and gently move the toothpick in a circular motion so that the entire ball is enrobed. Carefully lift the ball out of the bowl and lightly tap the toothpick on the rim. The excess will fall back into the bowl.

I cannot stress enough the importance of using a chilled ball. The coldness will help to harden the candy melts right away. The rest is just semantics! With a second toothpick, run it very gently under the ball to wipe away the excess candy melts. Do not press the toothpick against the ball; just wipe it against the dripping chocolate.

Next, transfer the truffle to the prepared baking tray. Using the second toothpick, push it gently into the hole where the first toothpick is standing. Gently twist the first toothpick between your thumb and finger to loosen. Pull the toothpick up and out. Finally, remove the second toothpick, and use it to carefully smooth the candy melt coating over the hole.

FINISHING TOUCHES

Return the Strawberry Shortcake Truffles to the fridge for 30 minutes. The candy melts will firm up and you’ll be able to touch the balls. I do recommend that you use food-safe latex gloves for this next step. Nobody wants to see fingerprints! Transfer the balls to a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper and a wire cooling rack.

Place the white chocolate chips into a bowl. Following the same microwave melting technique as before, melt the chips until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate chips to a resealable sandwich bag and cut a small tip from one lower corner. Hover the bag over the truffles and drizzle the chocolate in a zig-zag pattern. Immediately top the truffles with a sprinkling of the Strawberry Shortcake Crumbs.

Place the entire sheet pan in your fridge to firm up the chocolate. Leave them for at least 1 hour. Once firm, the truffles can be transferred to a food-safe container or packaged. Keep the truffles refrigerated.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to Strawberry Shortcake Truffles, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop. Store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze them, pile them into a food-safe, freezer-friendly container. You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. (I use these quite often when freezing baked goods.) I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in! You can freeze these for up to three months. Enjoy!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!