Vyvacious

I know, I know…it’s been super duper long since I posted! Lo siento! I definitely want to start posting more regularly :) Can I just say first and foremost that I MUST give a huge shout out and thank you to Christina! She knows me so well that she was able to design the “vyvacious” header as well as the awesome cityscape along the sides. I love love looove that she was able to turn my visions into a finished product. Keep an eye out for my business cards, soon to come! :)

So here’s the back story to my need to make Thin Mint Truffles the other day. My friend has a serious love for mint chocolate chip ice cream and since he was graduating, I wanted to find a way to allow him to enjoy that minty goodness in my own truffle-style as a gift. Those that know me realize that I have a love for truffles and try my best to create and perfect different recipes because I love the idea of a one-two-three bite delectable orgasms in your mouth that really hits home. And when I get texts from people that say that very thing or I get people that stop after taking a bite just to bow to me in the middle of a casino (both are true stories! :P), it fuels my love for baking even more :)

So let me first start out by saying that I’m a little different. Yes, yes I am. I understand the whole fascination with making everything pretty…buuut, I can’t get myself to add certain dyes to things just to make something green that is supposed to taste minty. I’d rather the explosion of flavors prove my baking/creating ability. In fact, I got so into it the other day that I came up with a motto of sorts that Carolyn, Daniel, Amy, Boey, and I couldn’t stop laughing about on our way to tear up the town. It really came to be because I realized I don’t really care what my product looks like. I don’t care about having a finished product ready for people before I present it to them. In fact, I’d rather leave my cupcakes/cheesecakes/etc. un-assembled so that when I see that special someone, I can add the personalized finished touches in terms of icing amount and whatever other goodness I’m adding to it. So here’s the censored version of one of my mottos:  It may not look like much, but when you put it in your mouth, you’ll be like HOLY %$@#!!!  Haha!  Don’t you love it? :)  Without further ado, here’s the recipe!

(Super Easy) Thin Mint Truffles Recipe

Adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff
(Makes 45)

To make the truffles:

Ingredients/Supplies:

• 2 boxes of Girl Scouts Thin Mints or Keebler Grasshopper Cookies, crushed to fine crumbs
• 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese (of your choice), softened*
• Food processor or rolling pin + large Ziploc bag
• 2 baking/cookie sheets
• Parchment or wax paper (enough to cover 1-2 baking/cookie sheets)

*Note:  Six Sisters’ Stuff said fat-free would be fine but I used fat-free for the first time and noticed that the mixture kept sticking to my hands when I was rolling the mixture into truffles.  Not sure if that’s because of the texture of the cookie or the fat-free cream cheese.  Next time that I try these, I’ll give you an update using 1/3 fat cream cheese.

1. Pulse the cookies in a food processor until they become fine crumbs.  This can also be done by throwing the cookies in a Ziploc bag and using a rolling pin to crush everything but let me tell you right now that is tedious work.  I’ve done it and I never want to do it again.
2. Add the softened cream cheese to the food processor and run until it’s fully incorporated.  If you don’t have a food processor, just mix everything in a large bowl with a spatula until the mixture is of even consistency.
3. Place the cookie mixture in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before attempting to make truffles.
4. Remove the mixture from the fridge and quickly (using a measuring spoon) form each truffle by allocating approximately 1.5 tsp of mixture per truffle in order to make around 45.
5. Roll the measured amount in your hands until a nice sphere shape is achieved.  Try not to over-roll them as the mixture will start to get goopy due to the heat from your hands.
6. Place the truffles onto a piece of parchment paper placed over a baking/cookie sheet.
7. Put the truffles into the freezer for at least 30 mins before dipping them in chocolate so they don’t lose their shape.

For the chocolate coating:

Ingredients/Supplies:

• 2 boxes of Andes mint chocolates
• 1/4 tsp of Crisco
• Wilton’s Chocolate Pro or microwaveable bowl + microwave

1. Remove the truffles from the freezer (make sure they were in there at least 30 mins) and allow to sit at room temperature for about 5 mins.
2. Turn on the Wilton’s Chocolate Pro to “MELT” and allow it to preheat for a few minutes before throwing in the Andes mint chocolates.
3. Allow a box of the mint chocolates to melt before adding the other box (this helps speed up the melting process).  Make sure to stir it every 30 seconds to a minute as well.
4. Note:  If you don’t have a Wilton’s Chocolate Pro, melt the Andes mint chocolates in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave. Heat the chips for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between each heat burst. Repeat until the chips are all melted.
5. At this point, add in about 1/4 tsp of Crisco to help make the chocolate coating smoother, hence easy for dipping truffles into.  I usually try to just start with a little bit and then add more as necessary.  Stir in the Crisco until it’s fully incorporated into the melted chocolate.
6. Roll each truffle in the melted mint chocolate until it’s fully covered. 
7. I like to use two plastic forks with the middles removed (I lovingly refer to them as my Batforks :D) to help move the truffle around and pick it up without an excess of melted chocolate pooled up.
8. Place the covered truffle back onto the parchment paper.
9. Repeat with the rest of the truffles.
10. Place the baking/cookie sheets with dipped truffles into the fridge for at least 30 mins before trying to pack them up.
11. And if you have excess melted mint chocolate like I did, then you can try to make fun chocolate decorative toppings to place on top of the truffles! 

I do love my some Batman so I tried to make Batman symbols and hearts to adorn the tops of the truffles.  They came out super awesome but they were super delicate so out of all the ones you see above, I was only able to salvage a handful.

I also experimented with my super amazing Batman cookie cutter!!  I looove it :)

So Shirley, Larry, and Nelson, I hope y’all liked your specially decorated Thin Mint Truffles! :)  Happy Birthday Shirley and congratulations to Larry and Nelson for graduating!

And to those of you who were lucky enough to try some of these truffles, I hope you enjoyed them :)  Until next time!