Cookie Truffle Bites
Crushed sandwich cookies bound with milk powder and coconut oil, rolled at home and carried as trail candy.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 2.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 168
- protein
- 4 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 25 min
- cook
- 0 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dessert
- Snack
- No cook
- Backpacking
- Day hike
- Car camping
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Chocolate sandwich cookies | 1 standard package (about 36 cookies) | filling and all, crushed fine |
|---|---|---|
| Full-fat powdered milk | 1/2 cup | stands in for the cream cheese |
| Refined coconut oil | 1/4 cup, melted | solid at room temperature, which is the point |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Candy melts | 8 oz | dark or white; they set harder than real chocolate |
| Sprinkles or edible decorations | 2 tbsp | optional |
Method
- At home, crush the cookies to a fine sand. A zip bag and a rolling pin works as well as a food processor.
- Stir the milk powder and salt through the crumbs, then add the melted coconut oil and vanilla. Work it with a spoon until it holds together when squeezed.
- Roll into 16 balls, about a tablespoon each. Freeze them for 20 minutes so they hold shape during dipping.
- Melt the candy melts in a bowl over hot water. Drop each ball in, lift it out with a fork, and set it on parchment. Add sprinkles before the coating sets.
- Let them harden fully at room temperature, then pack. At camp, open the bag and eat.
The home version binds cookie crumbs with cream cheese, which is fine for a party table and useless in a pack. Full-fat milk powder plus coconut oil does the same job: the powder supplies the dairy solids and the oil is solid below roughly 76°F, so it sets the balls firm instead of leaving them soft and perishable. Nothing here needs a fridge.
Candy melts over real chocolate is a deliberate choice. They set with a harder shell and tolerate warm pockets better, which matters when the dessert rides in a pack all afternoon. This is all home prep. In camp you are opening a container, not cooking.
Packing
Two per serving in a small rigid container or a wide-mouth jar. In a soft bag they turn into crumbs by day two. Above about 85°F the coating softens, so keep them low in the pack and out of the sun.
Variations
- Swap half the cookie crumbs for freeze-dried raspberry powder for a sharper bite.
- Skip the dipping entirely and roll the balls in cocoa powder. Less weight, less mess, less shelf life in heat.
- Peanut butter powder in place of half the milk powder adds protein, but the recipe stops being nut-free.
https://mealswithmaria.site/oreo-cookie-balls-recipe