Momma Told Me: If you play with them long enough they might eat you!
There are few grocery products/brands that go back far enough to span the memories of 4 or 5 generations. Unless you're talking Heinz and beans or ketchup, or Oreos, you'll be hard pressed to find shared memories over a product launched in the early 1900s. And while I may as well not even know Mother's Cookies produces 14 different varieties of cookies, I do know it's near impossible to resist the playful charm of their classic Circus Animals. Cookies so pretty and fun that I rarely actually ate them when my grandmother gave me a handful.
It was the only sweet I could be given and found in possession of hours later- and not for lack of deliciousness either, I was simply transfixed by the imagined interactions of these pink and white cookie animals come to life. The camel, in Pink, was always my favorite, followed closely by the lion, in Pink. These two often had several disagreements, ultimately ending with the lion's beheading because, after all, in a young child's mind, the biggest most powerful character should not always win by default. Yes, I was tackling some heavy issues with my Mother's Circus Animal cookies and you might even say they made me the strong communicator I am today. All from a cookie.
But my memories not only go back to time spent with my grandmother, who often recounted her first Mother's Cookies experience upon the family's immigration from Germany, but to tales of a father and daughter. A manly man, to this day my father refuses to handle the color pink; that is unless his baby girl has asked him. I remember reaching into the giant bag of Mother's Cookies and pulling out a pink animals, full of giggles, "This one's just for you, daddy!" A wise man, he'd quickly distract me with the age old question, "Do the pink animals taste the same as the white ones?," or does the rhino taste the same as the bear?" and shortly a sampling of ALL the cookies wold ensue (for due diligence, of course.)
To this day I get a little bit of special delight from seeing Mother's Circus Animal cookies on a shelf or at a store. Our local frozen yogurt shops always stock them at the toppings bar and I never miss an opportunity to add 2, one pink and one white, to the very top of m yogurt creation. Then I reveal a secret smile as I recount the memories of childhood and past so vividly linked to them.
So it will come as no surprise, when contemplating the month of love and potential Valentine's Day content I was found reflecting back on Mother's Cookies. It had been far too long since I actually bought a bag of these delicious snacks, and the playful pink color was perfect for the theme of romance. But, to me, Mother's Cookies were also appropriate for mother's day, baby showers, Spring, and more. So many memories and so many smiles attached to this simple treat.
I decided I would not make a Valentine's Day recipe, but an any day of the year, all around pick me up, instant smile inducing, super simple recipe of deliciousness. And it was literally as simple as dumping a bag of Mother's Cookies Circus Animals into my food processor (your hand will fight you, but it's for the best,) and hand mixing the crumbs with a softened brick of cream cheese. This can get a little tedious so just keep rolling the blob of crumbles onto more crumbles, and folding them in until all dry ingredients are gone.
If you're as slightly twisted as me you can take your Circus Animal truffle 'dough' and shape it into a circus animal of you choice. then rip small sections off of your truffle dough and roll them into 1-1 1/2" balls. Place these balls on a piece of parchment paper on a plate or cutting board and refrigerate them (do not freeze, as freezing will cause issues with the 'coating' process.) Next, take some white and pink Wilton's chocolate melts and melt them (separately) for dipping. Add a little shortening to your melting chocolate to thin it out a little for smoother dipping and dip each ball into the chocolate, gently rolling it to coat it entirely.
Place your dipped balls on a clean sheet of parchment paper and toss some festive rainbow sprinkles atop before they set. Store these delicious balls of heaven in the fridge until ready to serve as they're best enjoyed cold (in my opinion.) These Circus Animal Cookie Truffles would be great at a girl's baby shower, first birthday, Easter gathering, on Mother's Day, or just because. They're so simple to make, why not make them more than once? After all, you don't need an excuse to feel like a kid again!
What Daughter Says: These truffles are adorable, but at least I don't parade them across the couch!
Circus Animal Cookie Truffles
***Click here for printable Circus Animal Cookie Truffles recipe.
Ingredients:
12oz Package of Mother's Circus Animal Cookies
1 Brick (4oz) Softened Cream Cheese
1 Bag Wilton's Chocolate Melts (2 if you want Pink and White)
Sprinkles To Decorate
Directions:
1. In a food processor, pulse the Circus Animal cookies until they have reached fine crumbs.
2. Place the softened cream cheese in a large bowl and knead the crumbs into the cream cheese, turning and rolling until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
3. Roll your truffle 'dough' into a large ball, brick, or giant animal cookie shape. Tear even portions off, rolling into 1 1/2" balls. Place truffle balls on a piece of parchment paper and refrigerate (do not freeze!) 1-2 hours.
4. Melt melting chocolate in a double broiler or melting pot (add 1 TBS Shortening to thin if desired for easier dipping.) Dip cold truffles into melting chocolate and place on a clean sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with sprinkles and return to fridge 2-3 hours before serving. Serve cold.
