Sunday, March 6, 2011

Thin Mint Truffles


St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner and what says "Luck o' the Irish" better than mint chocolate desserts!?  Uhh, nothing, obviously!  And, being in the spirit of Girl Scout season and all things deliciously minty, I decided to try making these cookies even yummier than before.  Cake truffles, brownie truffles and now, thin mint truffles!  Talk about taking things to a whole other delectable level.  Basically rolling things into tiny little morsels makes them even more irresistible than their full-sized counter part.  Personally, I am partial to the pint-sized versions because I think they're just the cutest little things..plus you can dress them up to suit any occasion, even if it's just to sit on the couch popping them into your mouth one by one.  I really do love celebrating all holidays, and the fact that St. Patty's day is just after my birthday makes me like it even more.  (Especially this year because I'll just have turned 21! Woohoooo!  I digress...) 

I have always thought mint and chocolate's harmonious joining was something only a genius could come up with (thank you, whoever you are!).  And ever since the glorious day the two met, the flavor combination has become a staple to Girl Scouts, and the Irish alike.  (And as I'm sure you can tell, I have a lot of Irish in me with my red hair and the spelling of my name and all.) So, if you love a good Girl Scout cookie and have been thinking of a new way to go about enjoying it, this is definitely something to try!  They are seriously addicting.



Ingredients:
  • One box Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies
  • 3 oz softened cream cheese
  • 1/2 lb Dark mint chocolate candy melts (or regular chocolate chips/candy melts)
  • 1/4 cup green candy melts (or sprinkles, shaved chocolate, anything you'd like to decorate with) 
  • 1 tbs shortening (+ 1 tsp)

Directions:
  • Put both sleeves of cookies into food processor, process until finely chopped crumbs are formed
  • Pour crumbs into a bowl and add softened cream cheese
  • Mix together with a fork (I used my hands to combine it together well)
  • Roll into truffle sized balls (I was able to get 15 out of mine)
  • Refrigerate for an hour (or freeze for 30 minutes)
  • Melt chocolate and shortening in a double boiler (a microwave works just as fine, use 30 second intervals if you go this route)
  • Carefully cover each truffle in chocolate and tap off excess
  • Place each truffle on wax paper on a cookie sheet (top with sprinkles or any other decorations before chocolate sets)
  • Refrigerate until chocolate is firm
 To Decorate:
  • Melt green candy chips & 1tsp shortening in a double boiler (again the microwave can be used as above)
  • Pour chocolate into plastic bag, snip a very small piece off of the corner of the bag
  • Drizzle over truffles
  • Refrigerate again until chocolate is set

24 comments:

  1. Girl we are on the same wavelength again! Just wait till you see my next post! LOL!!! Really beautiful pics by the way! ♥- Katrina

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  2. Thank you!!

    That's too funny! I am seriously looking forward to seeing what you whipped up! :)

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  3. Perfect for the upcoming Day... These sound absolutely wonderful!

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  4. Oh MY!!! I'm speechless!! These little guys are simply perfect. Your photos are stunning to, BTW!!
    Buzzing these to the Top 9!!

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  5. These sound delicious! I'm on the lookout for girl scouts, I haven't been able to find them around town!

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  6. Thank you so much!! They are definitely worth finding those Girl Scout for. And the best part is really they take no time to make! I rolled mine bigger than truffles so they were more like the size of a cake ball, but regardless of size I'm sure you'll cherish every bite! :)

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  7. That's what I'm talking about!! TOP 9!!!!!!!!!!! woot-woot! ♥- Katrina

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  8. Beautiful and delicious! I'm still waiting for my thin mints to arrive but yum what a treat!

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  9. You've given me an excuse to buy another box of girl scout cookies. Your pics are adorable and these are so festive! Thanks for sharing. =)

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  10. Wow on top 9 ! Great truffles, looking too good !

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  11. Delicious! Absolutely delicious!

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  12. I made a similar recipe inspired by the oh-so-wonderful GS cookies, but mine are cake balls. Your truffles look divine!

    http://asideofsimple.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/not-so-thin-mint-cake-balls/

    I'm loving your blog! I found it via Foodbuzz. Congrats on the top 9!

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  13. Genius!!! I'm loving the cake ball/cookie ball craze! This is perfect coinciding with St.Patrick's Day AND Girl Scout Cookie season! Awesome job.

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  14. Love this! I'm off to find Girl Scout Cookies!!

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  15. Absolutely splendid, Gillian :-) They're gorgeous and sooooo tasty-looking. Now, I need to go get me some Thin Mints. Congratulations on your Top 9!

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  16. Gotta have one of your Thin Mint Truffles. Pictures are worth a thousand words and your picture is doing the talking :) Great post.

    The Souper

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  17. Gilly, these look wonderful! What a great idea and extra use for Thin Mints besides scarfing down the whole box, hah! You have a beautiful blog and I'm looking forward to checking out more of your recipes!

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  18. Thin Mints make everything taste better. My mouth is watering just looking at these truffles. What a great recipe!

    It would be nice to see some pictures of the process, though!

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  19. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who took the time to comment and buzz me! It means so much to hear all of your feedback! :)

    @The Epicureous Two- Thanks very much! I have really wanted to try shooting process photos for my recipes (I think they are a great addition to a blog post)..unfortunately I haven't mastered artificial lighting and my house seriouslyyyy lacks natural lighting where I need it. (My poor kitchen is so dark from all the trees around my house!) I will definitely try to work on that though!

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  20. YUM! Thin Mints are my favorite girl scout cookies and these look delicious!

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  21. Looks cute and yummy!

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  22. What can be substituted for the GS cookies if I can't get any? BTW I'm making the cake balls for Easter. Just saw the recipe and decided to give it a try. I also love your photos and recipes.
    Thanks

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  23. Thank you everyone, again! :)

    @Charlie- Thank you! I'm sure everyone will love the cake balls for Easter! They are a hit wherever and whenever I bring them along with me. I know there is a mint wafer cookie that is very, very similar to the Thin Mint by Keebler called Fudge Shoppe Grasshopper Cookies..I'd definitely give those a try!
    http://www.taquitos.net/cookies/Keebler_Fudge_Shoppe_Grasshopper_Mint

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  24. This looks so cute and perfect! Happy Birthday soon!

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