Oreo Cookie Balls Recipe: Peppermint Oreo Truffles

These peppermint Oreo truffles are one of those things that show up on the Christmas cookie platter and disappear before anything else. Five ingredients, no baking, and that combination of cool peppermint with rich white chocolate coating is genuinely hard to stop eating.

If you already love classic Oreo balls, this version is the one you’ll make every December.

The whole process takes about an hour, most of which is hands-off freezer time. You get 30–50 truffles depending on how big you roll them, and they keep in the fridge for up to five days — or in the freezer for months, which makes them a great make-ahead Christmas treat.

Why This Dessert Works

• Only 5 ingredients — Oreos, cream cheese, peppermint extract, crushed candy canes, and white chocolate. That’s it.
• No baking required — The whole thing comes together with a mixer, your hands, and a microwave.
• Peppermint is balanced, not overwhelming — Half a teaspoon of extract plus candy cane pieces gives you that cool mint hit without tasting like toothpaste.
• The coating stays clean and smooth — Chilling the balls before dipping is the move. Cold truffles + melted chocolate = a nice even shell with no crumbling.
• Make-ahead friendly — These actually get better after a day in the fridge once the flavors have a chance to settle in together.
• Bite-size and travel-ready — They hold up well on cookie platters, in tins, and at parties.

What to Know Before You Start

A few things that make the difference between truffles that look polished and ones that look like a craft project gone sideways:

The cream cheese needs to be at room temperature. Not slightly cold, not microwaved warm — actually softened.

If it’s cold, you’ll end up with cream cheese lumps in your Oreo mixture instead of a smooth, even blend. Pull it out 30–45 minutes before you start.

Freeze the balls before dipping — minimum 30 minutes. This is not optional.

If the truffles aren’t cold and firm, the warm chocolate will melt them slightly, the black Oreo crumbs will bleed into your white coating, and the whole thing turns into a muddy mess. Cold balls = clean white coating.

Don’t overheat the white chocolate. White chocolate is more finicky than dark or milk chocolate.

Melt it in a microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well between each, and stop as soon as it’s smooth. If it seizes up and turns grainy, there’s no fixing it — you’d need to start fresh.

Low and slow is the rule.

Use a candy fork or dipping tool. You can use a regular fork in a pinch, but a candy dipping fork makes the whole process faster and cleaner.

It lets you tap off the excess chocolate without crushing the truffle or dragging crumbs back into your bowl.

Sprinkle the candy cane pieces immediately. The chocolate sets fast, especially if your kitchen is cool.

Have your crushed candy canes right next to you and sprinkle within a few seconds of setting each truffle down on the pan.

Ingredients

Here’s what goes into these peppermint Oreo truffles and why each piece matters:

1 package (15.25 oz.) Oreo Cookies — original

Use the original Oreos, not Double Stuf, not thins. The regular ones have the right ratio of cookie to filling, and the filling is part of what makes the mixture bind together.

You’ll process the entire cookie — filling included — so don’t try to scrape it out. That’s extra work with no benefit.

If you want to lean into the peppermint flavor even more, you could use Peppermint Oreos when they’re in season, and reduce the peppermint extract by half. That said, the original Oreos with extract and crushed candy cane give you more control over how minty the final product is.

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Full-fat block cream cheese. Not the kind in a tub (that has stabilizers and more water, which can make the mixture too soft), and not reduced fat (which doesn’t set as firmly).

Philadelphia is the standard here and it works reliably. Let it come fully to room temperature so it beats in smoothly without lumps.

½ cup + 2 tablespoons crushed peppermint candies or candy canes

The half cup goes into the truffle mixture itself, and the 2 tablespoons get reserved for topping. You can buy pre-crushed candy cane pieces to save yourself the mess, or put whole candy canes in a zip-lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.

Either works. Aim for a mix of fine crumbs and small chunks — both fine crumbs and small shards in the topping look better than uniform tiny pieces.

½ teaspoon peppermint extract

A little goes a long way. Half a teaspoon gives you a noticeable mint flavor without being medicinal.

If you’re sensitive to mint, start with ¼ teaspoon and taste before adding more. Pure peppermint extract is stronger than imitation — if you’re using imitation, you may want a touch more.

16 oz. white chocolate chips or white almond bark

This is where people have opinions. White chocolate chips (like Ghirardelli or Nestlé) melt more smoothly and taste better, but they can be slightly trickier to work with than almond bark because they’re more sensitive to heat.

White almond bark (like Candiquik) is more forgiving to melt and sets up firm quickly, which is helpful when you’re dipping 40+ truffles. It doesn’t taste quite as rich, but the difference is minor once the candy cane is on top.

If you want a cleaner dip and faster setup, go with almond bark. If you want the best flavor, use quality white chocolate chips and be patient with the melting.

How to Make Peppermint Oreo Truffles

Step 1: Crush the Oreos

Add the entire package of Oreos to a food processor and pulse until you have fine, even crumbs. You want them to look like dark sand — no big chunks left.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can put the cookies in a zip-lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin, but the food processor is much faster and gives you more consistent crumbs.

The filling doesn’t need to be removed — it blends right into the crumbs and helps the mixture hold together once you add the cream cheese.

Step 2: Mix the truffle filling

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat together the Oreo crumbs, softened cream cheese, ½ cup of the crushed peppermint candies, and the peppermint extract. Mix until fully combined — the mixture will be thick, sticky, and very dark.

That’s exactly what you want.

Taste it at this point. If you want more peppermint flavor, add another ¼ teaspoon of extract and mix again.

This is your window to adjust before the chocolate goes on.

Step 3: Roll the balls and freeze

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Using your hands, roll the mixture into balls.

For regular-size truffles, aim for about the size of a nickel — you’ll get around 30–35. For smaller, bite-size ones, go dime-size and you’ll get 50–55.

The mixture will be sticky on your hands. Working quickly helps.

If your hands are getting too warm and the balls are soft, put the bowl back in the fridge for 10 minutes and then continue.

Once all the balls are rolled and on the pan, freeze them for at least 30 minutes. You want them cold and very firm before dipping.

This step is what keeps the dark Oreo crumbs from bleeding into the white chocolate coating.

Step 4: Melt the white chocolate

When the truffles are almost done freezing, melt your white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Do it in 30-second increments, stirring thoroughly between each.

It usually takes 2–3 rounds. Stop heating as soon as the chocolate is fully melted and smooth — overheating white chocolate causes it to seize and clump, and there’s no saving it at that point.

The chocolate should be thin enough to coat easily but not so runny that it doesn’t build up a shell. If it’s too thick, microwave for another 15 seconds and stir.

Step 5: Dip and decorate

Working one truffle at a time, drop it into the melted white chocolate. Use a candy dipping fork (or a regular fork) to swirl it around until fully coated, then lift it out and tap the fork on the edge of the bowl several times to shake off the excess.

Set it back on the lined baking sheet.

Immediately sprinkle a pinch of the reserved crushed peppermint on top before the chocolate sets. The chocolate sets up fast — have your candy cane pieces right there and ready.

If you let the chocolate set fully before adding the topping, it won’t stick.

Work through all the truffles. If the chocolate starts to thicken as it cools, give it another 15 seconds in the microwave and stir.

Step 6: Chill and set

Once all the truffles are dipped, refrigerate them for at least 10 minutes to let the chocolate fully set and firm up. After that, they’re ready to eat — or transfer to a storage container and keep chilled until you need them.

Helpful Tips

Get a candy dipping fork

This is not a gimmick tool. A candy dipping fork lets you drop the truffle into the chocolate, submerge it, lift it out, and tap off the excess without pressing your fingers into the coating or dragging crumbs back into the bowl.

It makes the whole dipping process faster and the finished truffles look much cleaner. A basic set like this is inexpensive and useful for anything dipped in chocolate — strawberries, cake pops, you name it.

Don’t skip the freezer step

Room-temperature or refrigerator-cold truffles will not hold up in melted chocolate. The heat softens the outside, Oreo crumbs start bleeding into the white coating, and the balls lose their shape.

Freezing for 30 minutes solves all of these problems. If you’re working in batches, keep the undipped ones in the freezer while you dip the others.

If your white chocolate is streaky or grainy

This is called seizing, and it happens when white chocolate gets too hot or comes into contact with even a tiny amount of water. Once it seizes, you can’t smooth it back out for dipping.

Start fresh with new chocolate and be more careful with both heat and any moisture (dry your bowl and utensils thoroughly before melting).

Add a little coconut oil to thin the coating

If your melted white chocolate is thicker than you’d like, stir in ½ to 1 teaspoon of coconut oil (or vegetable shortening). This thins it out slightly and helps the coating drip off more cleanly, which means less excess pooling at the bottom of each truffle on the pan.

Rolling gets easier with cold hands

The truffle mixture is sticky and warm hands make it stickier. If you’re rolling a large batch and things start sticking too much, rinse your hands under cold water and pat them dry, then continue.

Some people lightly coat their palms with cooking spray, which also works.

Variations and Substitutions

Use Peppermint Oreos

When Peppermint Oreos are in stores (usually November–January), you can use those instead of regular and reduce the peppermint extract to ¼ teaspoon. The mint flavor from the Oreo filling is already pretty strong, so you don’t want to double up too much.

Dark chocolate coating instead of white

White chocolate is traditional here and makes the peppermint pop visually (the red and white candy cane pieces stand out beautifully), but dark chocolate is genuinely delicious with peppermint. Semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate bark both work.

The coating won’t show the candy cane topping as prominently, but the flavor combination of dark chocolate + Oreo + mint is excellent.

Skip the peppermint for classic Oreo balls

If you want the classic version without the mint, leave out the peppermint extract and crushed candy canes. You get rich, fudgy Oreo truffles that work any time of year.

See the classic Oreo truffles recipe for that version.

Drizzle instead of full dip

If you want a different look, roll the truffle mixture balls and freeze them, then drizzle melted white chocolate over them instead of fully dipping. You get a striped, rustic look that’s faster to do and still tastes the same.

Just set them on a lined pan and drizzle from a spoon or a piping bag.

Storage, Make-Ahead, and Freezing

Refrigerator

Store finished peppermint Oreo truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They keep well for up to 5 days.

The flavors actually deepen a bit after the first day — if you can make them ahead, do it. Layer them with parchment paper between layers so the candy cane topping doesn’t stick.

Freezer

These freeze beautifully. Place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet to freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container.

They’ll keep for up to 2 months. To serve, pull them out and let them thaw in the refrigerator for a few hours or on the counter for about 20–30 minutes.

Do not microwave them — the chocolate coating will melt unevenly.

This makes them ideal for getting ahead of the holiday cookie rush. Make a batch in late November, freeze them, and pull them out for platters, gifts, and guests throughout December.

Make-ahead strategy

You can roll the truffle balls and freeze them undipped for up to a month. Then dip them in chocolate the day before or the morning of when you need them, refrigerate, and they’re done.

This is the most practical approach for the holidays when you’re making multiple things at once.

Serving Ideas

These truffles are most at home on a Christmas cookie platter alongside things like peanut butter blossoms, snickerdoodles, and sugar cookies. They hold their own as a standalone dessert on a tray with some simple holiday garnishes — a sprig of fresh rosemary or a few whole candy canes tucked in around the edges for presentation.

They also pack well for gifting. Put a dozen in a small box with tissue paper, or stack them in a clear cellophane bag tied with ribbon.

They look and feel like something from a candy shop, and nobody needs to know they took less than an hour.

For a party dessert table, set them out in a shallow bowl or on a tiered stand. If your kitchen is warm, keep them refrigerated right up until people start eating and just bring them out a tray at a time.

FAQ

Can I use Double Stuf Oreos?

It’s not recommended. The extra filling makes the mixture wetter and harder to roll into firm balls.

Regular Oreos have the right ratio of filling to cookie for this recipe. If Double Stuf is all you have, you can try it, but the truffles may need longer in the freezer and might not hold their shape as well during dipping.

Can I make these without a food processor?

Yes. Put the Oreos in a large zip-lock bag, seal it, and crush them with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs.

It takes a few minutes of work but gets the job done. The crumbs don’t need to be perfectly uniform — close is good enough.

Then proceed with the mixer step as usual.

Why is my white chocolate seizing up?

Two most common reasons: overheating and moisture. White chocolate is more heat-sensitive than dark chocolate.

Melt it in 30-second bursts, stirring in between, and stop as soon as it’s smooth. Also make sure your bowl and any utensils are completely dry — even a drop of water can cause white chocolate to seize.

If it happens, start fresh; there’s no reliable fix once it’s seized.

Can I use peppermint oil instead of extract?

You can, but peppermint oil is much more concentrated than extract. If you’re substituting, use just a few drops — start with 2–3 drops, taste the mixture, and add more only if needed.

Too much and it will taste medicinal rather than minty. Stick with extract if you have it; it’s more forgiving to measure and adjust.

How do I get a smooth, even coating without a candy fork?

Use a regular dinner fork. Drop the truffle in, roll it around to coat fully, then scoop it out on the fork and tap the handle of the fork on the bowl rim to shake off the excess.

It works, just a bit slower than a candy fork and you’ll get some drip marks where the fork tines rest. Toothpicks work for smaller truffles if you want to hold the ball steady while dipping.

Do these need to stay refrigerated?

Yes — because of the cream cheese, these truffles should always be kept chilled. They can sit out at room temperature for a couple of hours during a party without issue, but for storage they need to go back in the refrigerator.

Don’t leave them out overnight.

Related Recipes

If you liked these peppermint Oreo truffles, here are a few more recipes worth making:

• Classic Oreo Truffles — the original version without peppermint, great any time of year
• Christmas Sugar Cookies — a holiday staple that holds up well on a cookie platter alongside truffles
• Peppermint Bark — another easy no-bake Christmas candy with white and dark chocolate layers
• Easy Chocolate Fudge — another freezer-friendly make-ahead treat for holiday gifting
• No-Bake Cookies — when you want something chocolate and you need it fast