Yes, the irony in a Registered Dietitian who loves to bake excessively around the holidays. It’s no time to cut too many calorie corners, right? As my friend Sam (miss you, girl!) recently shared, “It’s not what you eat between Christmas and New Year’s that matters, it’s what you eat between New Year’s and Christmas.”
I. Freaking. Love. That. Quote.
What could be more true?
My holiday baking is complete and as I laid out all 923.1 billion calories on my kitchen island, divvying them up into their appropriate recipient’s box, Tupperware, and other holiday receptacle, I had to laugh. It’s a little ironic, don’t you think? It’s not Alanis Morissette’s “10,000 spoons when all you need is a knife”…but something along those lines. (Please tell me I’m not the only Alanis fan out there…).
But the reality of the situation is that all 923.1 billion calories were being delivered to somewhere other than my stomach (I only shed a few tears. All I want for Christmas is a metabolism!!). I have Christmas cheer going all sorts of places – friends at work, my boss, the CEO and her staff, neighbors, friends studying for law school finals, my father-in-law who would disown me if I didn’t make him a million buckeyes, family, 2 Christmas get-togethers, and so on and so forth.
Much to Mr. Prevention’s dismay, every last piece of something sweet was spoken for and there was none left for us. Just the way I planned it. I’m not trustworthy around THAT much sinfulness.
As I was walking to my office (the one that’s not in the kitchen, but the one where I see patients), I hand-delivered a tin full of goodies for the staff who register my patients and take care of all the business-y stuff. Within a minute, they were all knuckle deep in the tin oooo-ing and ahhh-ing. As I called the name of my (diabetic) patient from the waiting room, it was all the irony I needed for a good Monday morning smile.
My favorite this year? These truffles. Yep, this is the winner in my book…not that I’d turn down anything that was made 😉
- 36 Oreos (1 package)
- 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 16 oz. vanilla almond bark
- ¼ cup crushed candy canes or peppermint candies, for decorating
- Pulse Oreos in a food processor until finely ground. Alternately, pound Oreos in a plastic bag until well-crushed. Transfer crumbs to a large mixing bowl; add cream cheese and peppermint extract. Mix ingredients well, incorporating fully.
- Roll mixture into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; repeat with remaining ingredients. Freeze truffles for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt chocolate according to package directions. Using a fork, carefully submerge each truffle and lift, allowing excess chocolate to drip off. Gently bouncing the fork helps create a thin, even coat of chocolate and excessive pooling of chocolate at the base of the truffle. Return truffle to parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with crushed peppermint. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.
I’m dragging after a late night hockey game. Coffee, here I come.
I can vouch these are amazing! I made them last year and people went nuts over them. I’m sure everyone who gets your goodies will appreciate them! Mmmm….buckeyes.
Awww… I miss you too!
Thanks for the shout out and I hope you have an awesome Christmas!!! You certainly have a lot of delicious looking cookies and sweets to make it something to look forward to.
These truffles look awesome. They kind of remind me of cake balls, but I like the idea of oreos and creem cheese instead of cake and icing.