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Review RecipeCircus Animal Cookie Truffles
These no bake circus animal cookie balls are made with crushed frosted animal cookies, cream cheese, and candy melts, then topped with rainbow sprinkles for a fun and colorful treat.
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Whimsical. Nostalgic. Impossible to eat just one. These Circus Animal Cookie Balls are the ultimate no-bake treat, and they deliver exactly what you’d hope for: creamy, crunchy, colorful bites of joy.
Ingredients Overview
Only three main ingredients – Cookies, cream cheese, and coating. That’s all you need to make a dessert that feels party-ready.
Ingredient Substitutions
Alternate cookie brands – Mother’s is the gold standard for frosted animal cookies, but we’ve also tried Market Pantry and Stauffer’s with success. The final texture is slightly less sweet but still works beautifully.
Customize the look – Swap nonpareils for jimmies or heart-shaped sprinkles, or do a fun drizzle instead of sprinkles.
What These Truffles Taste Like
Imagine the sweet vanilla flavor of a frosted circus cookie, now blended with cream cheese and rolled into truffle-like balls, then finished with a coating of white chocolate and topped with rainbow sprinkles. The texture of these truffles is rich and smooth with a gentle crunch from the cookie bits—and the look? Pure party.
Make Animal Cookie Truffles
Recipe Testing Notes
- We tried skipping the food processor and just smashing cookies in a bag. However, the results were crumbly and harder to roll.
- We tested with both candy melts and almond bark separately. Almond bark gave a smoother finish but not as bold a color, which is why I recommend using both together.
- We tested these multiple times—adjusting chill times—and found that a full 30 minutes in the refrigerator gives the truffles the perfect texture for dipping.
Cooking Tips
Tip #1 – Soften cream cheese, but don’t let it get too warm: Room temperature cream cheese blends easily with the cookie crumbs, but if it’s too warm, the mixture can get greasy and harder to roll.
Tip #2 – Chill before rolling for cleaner results: If your mixture feels sticky, pop it in the fridge for 10–15 minutes before rolling. It will be much easier to handle and shape into smooth balls.
Tip #3 – Use a cookie scoop for uniform size: A 1½ tablespoon scoop gives you consistent truffles that look polished and professional—and ensures even chilling and coating.
Tip #4 –Tap the fork, don’t stir: When dipping, let excess coating drip off by gently tapping the fork against the bowl—this avoids a thick, uneven shell and messy puddles on your tray.
Tip #5 –Sprinkle immediately while wet: Candy coating sets quickly, so add the nonpareils as soon as the truffle is dipped—do one at a time if needed for the best look.
Storage Instructions
Chill the dipped truffles at least 30 minutes to firm up the coating—this keeps them from smudging or sticking when plated or packed.
You can store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days, or freeze for up to two months. If frozen, let them thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
More Truffles Recipes
Circus Animal Cookie Truffles
These no bake circus animal cookie balls are made with crushed frosted animal cookies, cream cheese, and candy melts, then topped with rainbow sprinkles for a fun and colorful treat.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 24 minutes
Servings 16
Ingredients
- 9 ounces frosted circus animal cookies, I used Mother’s brand
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 ounces hot pink candy melts
- 6 ounces white almond bark
- Rainbow nonpareil sprinkles, optional garnish
Instructions
- Using a food processor, pulse the frosted animal cookies until they are broken into small pieces. Then, continue processing on low until finely crushed.
- Slice the cream cheese into the food processor. Pulse to completely combine the cream cheese and crushed animal cookies. (If you are not using a food processor, add the cookie crumbs and cream cheese to a medium size mixing bowl and use a handheld mixer to mix together until completely combined)
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the cookie ball dough.
- Roll the scooped cookie ball dough into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookie ball dough.
- Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
- Just before you are ready to coat the cookie balls, place the hot pink candy melts and white almond bark in a separate, small microwave safe bowl. Microwave the candy melts in 30 second increments until completely melted and smooth.
- Remove the chilled cookie balls from the refrigerator. Use a fork to carefully dip half of the cookie balls into the melted hot pink candy melts, tapping the fork against the side of the bowl to remove any excess coating. Place the coated cookie balls back onto the lined baking sheet.
- Sprinkle the nonpareils over the coated cookie balls while the coating is still wet.
- Repeat the process for the remaining cookie balls in the melted white almond bark, and sprinkling the nonpareils over them
- Chill the coated cookie balls in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until the coating is completely firm. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
- If you are not able to find the pink candy melts, you can tint white almond bark with 1 or 2 drops of red or hot pink food color gel. I do not recommend using plain liquid food coloring, as even the smallest amount of liquid can cause the almond bark to seize up.
- You can substitute any type of sprinkles for the nonpareils.
- Market Pantry and Stauffer’s also make frosted animal cookies, if you are not able to find the Mother’s brand.
- If you prefer not to use sprinkles, you can drizzle the pink candy coating over the white coated cookie balls, and drizzle the white coating over the pink coated cookie balls.
Nutrition
Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.5mg
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