These turkey Oreo balls (or Oreo ball turkeys, if you ask the kids) are Golden Oreos and cream cheese rolled into balls and dipped in milk chocolate. A pretzel twist makes the tail, a pretzel stick makes the neck, and candy eyes and half an M&M finish the face. The center is soft and creamy, the tail stays crisp, and nothing goes in the oven. Gobble, gobble.
Cold, Not Frozen: The Trick to Oreo Turkeys That Don’t Crack
Plain Oreo balls are easy. The turkey part is where things can go sideways: the chocolate cracks, the ball slides off the fork, or the head won’t stay put. A few small choices fix all of that. I use melting discs because I have no luck with candy melts and I don’t like how they taste, and I chill the balls for only about 15 minutes so they’re cold but not frozen.
That’s what lets the chocolate coat smoothly and still leaves the ball soft enough to push a pretzel neck in. The necks and eyes get made ahead on parchment, so dipping day is really just assembling, and mine have come out as fan tails, traditional tails, and one punk rocker with crazy hair.
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A Truffle Center With Vanilla Flavor Instead of Chocolate
Most people expect a plain cookie ball, so they’re surprised on the first bite. The center has the same dense, smooth feel as a chocolate truffle, but it tastes like vanilla cookies and cream cheese instead. That vanilla center goes really well with the milk chocolate shell, which is why I use Golden Oreos. The Oreo flavor only changes the taste, so regular Oreos work if you’d rather have a chocolate center, like the one in my Halloween Oreo balls with bat wings and eyeballs. Skip the double-stuffed ones.
Let Everybody Build Their Own Turkey
I make these when the house is full of family or friends, because there’s a job for everyone. The last time, my kids and a friend took over my kitchen and got so creative with the pretzels and eyes that I decided they needed a trip to a farm to see what a turkey actually looks like.
Younger kids can handle the eyes and the pretzels, but they’ll need a grown-up for the dipping. Set everything out on the counter and let people decorate.
Before You Start Dipping
- Line up the pretzels, candy eyes, and M&M halves before you melt any chocolate, because it hardens fast.
- Dip only a few balls at a time and keep the rest in the refrigerator. If they get too warm, they fall apart in the hot chocolate.
- Add the pretzel twist tail first. Dip the bottom in chocolate and press it into the ball. For a fan tail, dip the pretzel sticks in chocolate first, then push them into the back.
- Cut the M&Ms in half for the beaks. A pill cutter works if you have one, and a sharp knife does fine too.
- Ghirardelli melting discs are the easiest to work with, but milk chocolate chips will do if you can’t find them.
Everything You Need to Build the Turkeys
The exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Golden Oreos: Use one standard 14-ounce package and leave the cookies whole, cream filling and all. The whole cookie goes into the food processor.
- Pretzels: Pretzel sticks make the necks and pretzel twists make the tails. Mini twists work just as well as regular ones, and you’ll want extra sticks if you’re making a fan tail.
- Milk chocolate melting discs: You’ll find these in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips.
- Candy eyes: If you can’t find them at your grocery store, they’re easy to order online.
How to make Turkey Oreo Balls
Step 1: Mix and Roll the Golden Oreo Balls
Pulse the whole Golden Oreos into fine crumbs, then add the cream cheese and process until it comes together. Scoop with a 2-tablespoon scoop, roll each one smooth, and chill them for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Pretzel Heads
Break the pretzel sticks to the length you want for the necks and spoon a small oval of melted chocolate over one end of each. Press in two candy eyes and half an M&M for the beak, then freeze a few minutes to set.
Step 3: Dip the Balls in Milk Chocolate
Melt enough chocolate for about five balls on 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Set a ball on a fork, dip it or spoon the chocolate over, and scoot it onto parchment with a sharp knife.
Step 4: Add the Tails and Necks
While the chocolate is still soft, dip the bottom of a pretzel twist and press it into the back for the tail, or push chocolate-dipped pretzel sticks in for a fan tail.
Gently push a head into the front, freeze for a few minutes to set, and store them in the refrigerator.
A little patience at the dipping stage is all these need, and you end up with a tray of turkeys that fits right in with the rest of my Thanksgiving recipes.
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Turkey Oreo Balls (No-Bake Thanksgiving Truffles)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 package Golden Oreo Cookies 14 ounces
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 12 ounces milk chocolate melting discs
- 22 pretzel twists
- 22 pretzel sticks plus more if making a fan tail
- 44 candy eyes
- 12 M&M’s
Instructions
- Place the Oreos in a food processor, don’t separate. Pulse until you have fine crumbs. Add cream cheese and process until combined.
- Use a small ice cream scoop to form into balls and roll them with your hands to make smooth balls. Place on a rimmed cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze for 15 minutes, then place in the refrigerator until ready to coat.
- Break the straight pretzels into the length you want for the necks. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the pretzels in a row about 2 inches apart. Melt a small amount of chocolate in the microwave on 50% power and spoon a ½ teaspoon of chocolate over the top of the pretzels forming it into an oval. Add the eyes and half of an M&M. Place in the freezer for a few minutes until set.
- Place enough chocolate in a microwave safe bowl to cover about 5 balls. Microwave on 50% power, stirring every 30 seconds until it is liquid and smooth. Place an Oreo ball on the flat part of a fork and immediately dip it into the chocolate, or you can pour the chocolate over the ball. Use a sharp knife to scoot the ball off the fork onto parchment paper. Continue with the remaining balls and then add more chocolate and continue. Keep the balls in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Before the chocolate melts, decorate the turkeys. For the tail, dip the bottom portion of a regular pretzel into chocolate and press it against the ball. Or if making a fan tail, dip the end of some straight pretzels in chocolate and push them into the back of the ball. For the head, gently push the neck into the ball.
- Place in the freezer for a few minutes until set and then store in the refrigerator. They can be frozen.
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- Keep these refrigerated because of the cream cheese. They hold at room temperature for about a day, and they freeze for several months with a short thaw.
- If the Oreo and cream cheese mixture is too soft to roll, refrigerate it for a few minutes until it firms up.
- If the chocolate cracks, the balls were frozen too solid. Let them warm up a little before dipping.
- Use a small 2-tablespoon scoop so all 22 balls come out the same size.
Nutrition
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Sara cromwell says
I’m making these and the oreos and cream cheese are too thin to even THINK about rolling into balls.. Help!!
Barbara Curry says
Put it in the fridge, the cream cheese must be too warm. Good luck
Katy Keck says
Adorable and so festive! Thanks for the great idea!
Kathy says
Are the googley eyes edible?
Barbara Curry says
They are, but they don’t have any taste.