Description
These Grinchy Christmas Cake Bites are a festive and fun holiday treat combining chewy red velvet cookie crumbs with creamy cream cheese and white chocolate. Coated in green-tinted white chocolate and topped with red heart sprinkles, they are perfect bite-sized sweets that capture the spirit of Christmas with a delightful twist.
Ingredients
Scale
Batter
- 3 (9.6-oz.) packages Chips Ahoy Chewy Red Velvet cookies
- 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
Coating and Decoration
- 3 (12-oz.) packages white chocolate chips, divided
- Green food coloring gel
- Red heart sprinkles, for decorating
Instructions
- Prepare Cookie Crumbs: Place a wire rack on a parchment-lined baking sheet. In a food processor, pulse the Chips Ahoy Chewy Red Velvet cookies until they form fine crumbs.
- Combine with Cream Cheese: In the large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth. Add the cookie crumbs and beat until thoroughly combined into a dough.
- Form Cake Balls: Using a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon, scoop dough and roll into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Arrange the balls on the prepared wire rack and refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm and cold.
- First Chocolate Melting: Set a medium heatproof bowl over a medium pot of barely simmering water (double boiler setup), ensuring the bowl does not touch the water. Reserve 1 package of white chocolate chips. In the bowl, melt the remaining 2 packages of white chocolate chips, stirring until smooth and melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Color the Chocolate: Add 1 drop of green food coloring gel to the melted chocolate and stir. Add more drops until the desired green color is achieved.
- Dip Cake Balls: Using a fork, dip each cake ball into the green-tinted melted white chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Return dipped balls to the wire rack. Repeat for all balls. Optionally, apply a second coat for a thicker chocolate layer. Refrigerate coated balls until set, about 30 minutes. Wipe out the bowl and keep the double boiler setup ready for later.
- Second Chocolate Melting: Using the double boiler setup, melt the reserved 1 package of white chocolate chips, stirring until smooth and melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Color and Thin Chocolate for Drizzling: Add 1 drop of green food coloring gel to the melted chocolate and stir until color is uniform. If necessary, add hot water from the pot, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition, until the chocolate reaches a drizzling consistency. Transfer this chocolate to a plastic or piping bag and snip off the end.
- Decorate Cake Bites: Drizzle the green chocolate over the set cake balls to create festive stripes. Before the drizzle sets, top each bite with a red heart sprinkle for a holiday touch.
Notes
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature for easy mixing and a smooth batter.
- Chilling the balls thoroughly before dipping helps the chocolate coating set properly without melting the cake.
- Adjust the green food coloring gradually to reach the ideal festive color.
- Use a double boiler to melt chocolate gently to avoid burning or seizing.
- Store the cake bites in the refrigerator to keep the coating firm and fresh.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cake bite
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 13g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
