I’m all about fun themed treats for the holidays and so far this holiday season, I haven’t done a great job of sharing new treat ideas! That changes today with these acorn Oreo truffles being the first in a handful of themed Thanksgiving dessert and snack ideas! In the past I’ve made all sorts of different no bake desserts with Oreos including these Christmas Oreo truffles, these Easter egg Oreos, and of course the best Oreo dirt cake. This Oreo acorns recipe is another fun way to enjoy Oreos this fall season! These are kind of a combination of Oreo and peanut butter balls. They’re so much fun to make and even more fun to eat with a special surprise in the center!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Themed Oreo cookie balls – if you like Oreo balls, you’ll love these Oreo acorns since they’re basically just a themed version that uses a similar cookie mixture made up of Oreo cookies and cream cheese! Easy – this is one of those easy recipes that is pretty hard to mess up since it’s just a matter of mixing cookie crumbs with cream cheese then coating in chocolate! No bake dessert – when so many fall recipes (like this pumpkin crunch cake) require baking, it’s nice to have an option for a treat that’s not!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Peanut butter Oreos – I really like to use the peanut butter version in these peanut butter acorn balls, but you can definitely use regular ones as well if you can’t find peanut butter. Cream cheese – make sure that your cream cheese is nice and soft before trying to use it. I like to get it out 30-45 minutes before I’m planning to add it to the mixture so it’s right around room temperature. Chocolate chips – I used semi sweet chocolate chips for these Oreo balls, but you could definitely use milk chocolate or dark chocolate as well. You could also use any other chocolate that melts and hardens like chocolate melting wafers or chocolate almond bark as well. Peanut butter chips – if you’d prefer to not use peanut butter in these, you could switch out the peanut butter chips for butterscotch chips instead to get the same color without the nuts. Reese’s peanut butter cups – you can omit these completely if you want, but I think the surprise “nut” inside is so cute and also delicious. But if you want to go with not nuts, just take these out. Pretzels – I used pieces of mini twist pretzels because I liked the little curve to them, but you could also use pieces of small pretzel sticks as well. They’ll just be more straight than mine.
How to make acorn oreo balls
If you’ve ever made any sort of Oreo balls or even cake balls, the process will be very similar to these. The only difference is that we’re going to be making them into an acorn shape instead of a round ball! It’s just a few simple steps between you and yummy Oreo acorn treats! First, add the peanut butter Oreos into a food processor or blender and pulse until the Oreos are turned into fine crumbs. You can leave the filling in the Oreos! If there are too many Oreos to fit into your appliance, you can crush them in two different batches. I have this food processor that will hold an entire package of Oreos that I love, but I know some people have smaller ones. Once they’re in fine crumbs, set aside a 1/4 cup of the Oreo crumbs to use for dipping the tops of the acorns later. Add the Oreo crumbs and softened cream cheese in a large bowl, mix them together well until they become a thick dough like texture. You can either do this with a hand mixer or by hand, either one is fine as long as the mixture comes together completely. Use a small cookie scoop (or a heaping tablespoon of the mixture) to get some of the mixture to roll into a ball. Make an indentation in the center of the ball and place half of a Reese’s peanut butter cup in the middle. You’re going to need larger balls (not small balls) for these to fit the Reese’s peanut butter cup in the middle. With the Reese in the middle, roll the Oreo ball into the shape of an acorn. It should be a little flat on top where the acorn cap will be and have a round point on the bottom, kind of like an elongated ball. Put the Oreo acorn onto a parchment (or wax paper) lined baking sheet and place them into the refrigerator to set for at least 30 minutes. You can chill for longer if you want, just make sure to chill for at least 30 minutes so they don’t lose their shape when you’re dipping them in chocolate. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips according to the package instructions. Or if there aren’t instructions, microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir, and then microwave again, continuing this interval until the chocolate is completely melted. If you prefer to not use the microwave, you can also use the doubler boiler method on the stove to melt the chocolate. With a fork, dip the chilled acorn balls into the melted chocolate. Make sure to let the extra chocolate drip off of the acorn and off the bottom of the fork. Once they’re dipped, place them back on the parchment lined baking sheet. Place acorn balls back into the refrigerator to allow the chocolate to set completely. I like to do at least 15 minutes but typically closer to 30-60 minutes because I get distracted doing other things. While the chocolate sets onto the acorn balls, melt the Reese’s peanut butter chips in a microwave safe bowl, again according to the package instructions. You can also do the double boiler method here (or any time you’re melting chocolate or chips). Dip the top portion of the acorn that is flat into the melted Reese chips. Then dip the top directly into the 1/4 cup Oreo crumb mixture. While the melted Reese layer is still soft, insert a pretzel piece into the tops of each chocolate acorn before the melted Reese’s peanut butter layer has set. This will finish off the acorn cap and give the top of the acorn the cute look that makes these such a huge hit with everyone! Serve immediately or chill and serve later! Or you could even bag up 3-5 of these acorns and give them as party favors – just make sure you aren’t sending them home with anyone who might have nut allergies!
Expert Tips & Storage Info
Store these acorn Oreo balls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Since they are made of chocolate, try to serve them in a location that’s not too warm or the chocolate candy coating on the outside may begin to melt slightly. Add chocolate sprinkles to the outside if you want to give them an even more festive look! If you’re going to do this, do it immediately after dipping them in chocolate. This would also work with brown sprinkles of any kind. Keep serving sizes small. Unlike Oreo balls that are typically a one-bite treat, these are a little bigger with the Reese’s peanut butter cup in the center. One is typically enough per person since they are fairly dense and rich.
More Easy Fall Recipes
If you like these fun Oreo acorn balls, you’ll love these other fall treats!
Caramel apple bark – this yummy 4-ingredient treat is perfect for the fall! Oreo apples – these apple shaped Oreo balls would be a great compliment to these acorn balls!Thanksgiving rice krispie treats – these fun rice krispie treats look like pieces of pumpkin pie but are so much sweeter! Apple pie cups – these yummy 2-ingredient treats combine the flavors of apple pie together in one bite-sized treat!Pumpkin cupcakes – these pumpkin cupcakes are made with cake mix that’s upgraded with a few key ingredients!
