‘Do you think we can make a gingerbread house by 11?’ It was 9 o’clock on a Thursday night and I was too tired to tell if my husband, Jay, was joking or being dead serious.
Realizing he was serious and being tired from having already put in almost a full week at work, I started with, ‘Do you even know what goes into making a gingerbread house?’ And continue with a long list of needed supplies, necessary prep work, gingerbread cooling time, frosting set duration, and finally concluded with ‘and we don’t even have candy to decorate it with.’
I did not enter the holiday season anticipating the need for a gingerbread house would come up, so mentally I was just not prepared for this request. When I asked him why he wanted to make one so bad, he replied ‘I just remember making one in school and eating the frosting.’ The compromise was to make a batch of frosting and leave the gingerbread house for another time.
Unfortunately, that was not the last I heard of the gingerbread house. ‘But why can’t we have a gingerbread house?’ has been my husband’s battle cry the last couple weeks. I need only remind him that December is booked solid and that neither of us have the time to make one. I already had my plate full with holiday baking for upcoming parties.
For one of those parties I made these easy gingerbread truffles. Store bought gingersnaps get a fancy makeover with the help of cream cheese and cookie butter. If you can’t find cookie butter, any nut butter would work but I’ve seen more and more cookie butter options cropping up at the store thanks to the popularity of one of Trader Joe’s most coveted products.
These are easy, guys. Perfect for when you need to bring something to a party but don’t want to spend an entire afternoon baking. And they’re delicious. One bite and Jay goes, ‘These taste just like the gingerbread house you won’t make me.’ So, there.
Of course, I can’t neglect my husbands out-of-left-field request for a gingerbread house so I’ve got little surprise for him later this week involving some graham crackers and store-bought icing. Crossing my fingers this will cure his need for a gingerbread house until next year. Love gingerbread? Have a favorite memory of crafting a gingerbread house? Share it with me in the comments below!
Gingerbread Truffles
Makes 24 truffles
- 12 Oz. Gingersnap Cookies
- 8 Oz. Cream Cheese, softened
- 1/2-1 Cup Cookie Butter (any nut butter would work)
- 11 Oz. White Chocolate Chips
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- Decorative Sugar (Optional)
Place the gingersnaps in a food processor and pulse until they’re reduced to a fine powder. Pour the gingersnaps into a large bowl and add the cream cheese and 1/2 cup cookie butter. Stir to combine, adding more cookie butter to bring everything together. The mixture should be a little crumbly, but hold together when pressed. Use your hands to form the balls and place the truffles on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Place the white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir and place back in the microwave for 15 second intervals, stirring between each session, until the chocolate has completely melted. Use a spoon to drizzle the white chocolate over the truffles or dip each truffle in the melted chocolate to coat. Place the baking sheet in the fridge and allow to cool before serving.
