four-ingredient, no bake gingerbread truffles;
Doesn’t gingerbread just remind you of the winter holidays? And what better way to incorporate gingerbread, than with a four-ingredient, no bake recipe for gingerbread truffles? For me gingerbread means Christmas—gingerbread cookies are a staple Christmas cookie. Our family has the whole process down pat. One of us makes the dough and chills it. Then we take turns rolling out the dough and cutting, while the other decorates the cut cookies. And then we’ll swap half way through the dough. Just the memory makes me smile. But you know what makes me smile extra wide? Adding chocolate!
These gingerbread truffles use ginger snaps, rather than proper gingerbread cookies. I use storebought, but of course if you have a recipe you love, feel free to swap it in! I love the thin crispness of Ana’s Swedish Ginger Thins, so they’re my go to. (Fun fact, the ginger thins also make for a delicious take on an icebox cake.) They have a punch of gingery flavor, and the crispness of the cookies makes it super easy to crumble.
I typically use a food processor to make ginger thin crumbs, but of course you could go old school with a rolling pin and a plastic bag. Manual might be better if you want that rustic feel or like the occasional cookie chunk. But once you mix the other ingredients in, it will make for a relatively soft filling. It won’t really keep that crunch in big chunks unless you serve it immediately after making.
When it comes to chocolate, you have several options. Of course you can buy high quality chocolate and temper it yourself. But if that sounds intimidating, then keep reading for other options!
I like laying out two options for my readers. The first is the most easily accessible option: candy coating. While not specifically pure chocolate, candy coating is easy to work with and easily accessible. My go-to is the Ghiradelli candy coating. It comes in milk, dark, and white chocolate options, although I’ve had more trouble finding the milk chocolate option in my grocery stores. I’ve seen them at our local Giant, Target, and Harris Teeter to name a few. I think the flavor is pretty delicious.
Another easily accessible option, especially if you want to play with fun colors is candy melts, like the kind you find at Michael’s. They work fine, but I don’t really like the flavor as much, personally. But the variety of colors really can’t be beat.
The second option, and what I typically use is a step up from the first option. It’s a higher quality chocolate but doesn’t need tempering. I used to use chocoley chocolate but sadly they’re out of business now. So I’ve been using Guittard A’Peels. I actually love the melting consistency. When melted, they’re thinner than the candy coating which makes dipping a little easier. And the sheen and color of the white chocolate is beautiful.
It’s actually a slightly brighter white than the Ghiradelli coating wafers. But you wouldn’t be able to tell unless you put them next to each other. But because it’s a higher end chocolate, you’ll probably need to go to a speciality store or order them online which makes them less accessible and more of an investment.
So pick your chocolate and get to work making these delicious gingerbread truffles! Perfect for holiday gifting, these cute truffles have all the flavor of gingerbread cookies packed into one delicious bite. And if you aren’t able to find these adorable ginger-man sprinkles, try saving some cookie crumbs to sprinkle on top or decorate with other festive holiday sprinkles or a nice chocolate drizzle.
Secrets to Success
- The key to any truffle is chocolate. I use Guittard A’Peels for my chocolate because of the flavor, texture and color. But I’ve used Chocoley Bada Bing Bada Boom (now out of business) and Ghirardelli Coating Wafers in the past. I’ve even used candy melts from Michael’s in a pinch; they’re great for bright and vibrant colors. I don’t suggest using white chocolate chips because they’re designed to withstand baking and have a tendency to seize in my experience.
- Make sure to process the gingersnaps very fine. This will help make a cohesive filling. They’ll absorb some of the moisture of the cream cheese, and makes for a delicious gingery bite.
- Use your favorite gingersnap, but I use Ana’s Swedish Ginger Thins, and I recommend a crisp, snappy cookie. That will make it easier to process into a fine crumb and get a smooth gingery truffle filling.
Looking for other recipes perfect for gifting at the holidays?
- Peppermint sugar cookies are a fun wintery twist on a classic cookie.
- Check out these roundups of truffle options if you’re looking to make a sampler: candy shop truffles from 2019, candy shop truffles
- Another four-ingredient recipe, these spice cake crinkle cookies are pillowy little cookies, perfect for gifting. Try spice cake for a gingery flavor, or try butter pecan crinkle cookies for another deliciously sweet option.
no bake gingerbread truffles;
Ingredients
- 1 5.25 oz gingersnaps (I use Ana's Swedish Thins)
- 3 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 12 oz white chocolate coating
- sprinkles, or reserve one crushed gingersnap cookie for topping
Instructions
- In a food processor, add the gingersnap cookies and pulse until fine crumbs are formed. Set aside crumbs from one cookie if using as topping.
- Add the gingersnap crumbs to a small bowl and add the cream cheese. Mix to combine until a thick paste has formed.
- Using a cookie scoop, or a tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop out 1 Tbsp of the filling mixture, and roll into a ball. Lay onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet while repeating until mixture is entirely used up.
- Melt chocolate according to package instructions. I typically will melt in a microwave safe bowl, heating in 30 second increments until most of the chocolate is melted. Stir to allow the last clumps to melt from the residual heat of the rest of the chocolate. If chocolate is too thick, consider adding some vegetable shortening or coconut oil to thin it out. (Note, adding coconut oil may add a mild coconut flavor).
- Take a ball of filling, and coat in white chocolate. Using two forks, place the ball in white chocolate and cover with chocolate. Lift using one fork, tapping the excess chocolate, and then use the other fork to push the truffle onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Top the truffle with any toppings before it fully sets. Place sprinkles or use reserved cookie crumble as topping.
- Repeat this process for remaining truffle filling. It's ok if they have feet or little pools of chocolate–you can trim these with a knife later.
- Allow to harden, at least half an hour or until dry. Using a sharp knife, trim any excess chocolate that's collected at the bottom of the truffles.
2 Comments
pumpkin patch pumpkin spice truffles; | Best With Chocolate
August 5, 2023 at 9:22 am
[…] Try making your own pumpkin spice bread; it works great in the filling for these pumpkin spice truffles! If you’re looking for a quicker option, try any store-bought pumpkin bread or even a pumpkin spice cake or muffin. My pumpkin spice bread is denser than a cake or muffin will be, so letting the softer items sit out and be just a touch stale may help. You’ll add back the moisture with pumpkin purée and icing. Blitzed cookie crumbs could also work well (for example, I use a similar technique for gingerbread truffles). […]
strawberry banana pound cake parfait; | Best With Chocolate
April 13, 2024 at 9:36 pm
[…] Gingerbread truffles only require four ingredients and are packed full of all the warm and snuggly flavors you love during the cold-weather holidays! […]