Thanksgiving Oreo balls

Turkey Oreo Balls are easy and fun to make with kids or to spruce up a holiday table. With Oreos and cream cheese covered in milk chocolate, everyone can get in on the Thanksgiving fun. Gobble, gobble!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Prep Time: 45

Cook Time: 0

Ingredients

▢ 1 package Oreo Cookies (14 ounces)
▢ 8 ounces cream cheese
▢ 12 ounces ghiraradelli milk chocolate melting discs
▢ 22 Regular pretzels
▢ 22 Straight pretzels (plus more if making a fan tail)
▢ 44 googley 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&Place in 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 freezer for a few minutes until set and then store in the refrigerator. They can be frozen.

Video

Barbara's Notes + Tips

The easiest chocolate is Ghiraradelli melting discs but milk chocolate chips will also work.
Have all of your decorations out and ready to assemble because the chocolate will harden fairly quickly.
Work with just a few Oreo balls at a time and leave the rest in the refrigerator. If they get too warm they will disintegrate in the hot chocolate.
To make the beaks you need to cut the M&M in half. Try using a pill cutter if you have one, if not a sharp knife will work.
Attach the pretzel for the tail first since it needs to stick to the back of the Oreo ball, to do so, dip the bottom in chocolate and then press it into the Oreo ball.
If making a fan tail, dip the pretzels in chocolate first and then stick them into the Oreo ball.

Nutrition