China's defense ministry said Thursday that the U.S. should stop interfering in Taiwan and the South China Sea‚ saying U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are making the situation more dangerous.

The iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center was lit by more than 50‚000 multicolored lights Wednesday night as crowds massed in New York City for the holiday tradition. The massive tree — a 12 ton‚ 80-foot-tall Norway spruce from upstate New York — was illuminated in...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday visited a frontline command post in eastern Ukraine‚ where Russian forces have been stepping up attacks after holding back a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Christmas Ornament Cookie Balls are fun treats to make during the holiday season! Oreo cookie balls are decorated to look like a cute Christmas tree ornament! A FUN AND FESTIVE TREAT FOR CHRISTMAS Turn your classic Oreo cookie balls into some festive and fun Christmas Ornament Cookie Balls! They look so cute and impressive but they are pretty easy to make. The best part is‚ these ornament inspired cookie balls don’t have to be perfect to be delicious! They’re easy to make and would be a great activity to do with kids! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Where do I buy edible glitter? If you’ve never bought edible glitter before‚ look in the cake decorating section of your local Walmart. Some Walmarts may have a separate aisle near the party section. It’s also worth nothing that Walmart makes their own Great Value brand of edible glitter. You can see it in the ingredient image. You can also find edible glitter at your local craft stores like Michaels. And‚ if you just want to order on Amazon‚ here’s one I recommend (paid affiliate link) What is almond bark and where do I buy it? Contrary to the name almond bark is not made from almonds and I don’t quite get why they call it that‚ since it’s just a candy coating. It’s also referred to as almond coating‚ vanilla coating or chocolatey coating. You can’t add food coloring to the almond bark or it will seize up as you’re using it‚ that’s why we use the colored candy wafers. Do I have to use both vanilla and chocolate almond bark? Nope! If you feel like it’s too much to handle. Just pick one or the other and be sure to use the candy wafers for the coloring part. What are candy melts? You may see me or others call them candy melts‚ colored candy wafers‚ candy wafers‚ etc. It’s all the same thing. Candy melts are made of sugar‚ vegetable oil‚ and milk solids. The sugar and vegetable oil combine to give it a creamy texture. Milk solids give the melts an added richness that allows them to melt easily. They are usually disc-shaped and sold in bags.You can usually find them in the baking or party aisle at Walmart or you can check your local craft store like Michaels. I believe Michaels carries the Wilton brand and a brand called Sweet Tooth Fairy that calls them “Meltables”. When I was looking at Amazon when writing this post‚ I couldn’t find the bright colored green. But‚ they may have added it since then‚ so you can check there too. How do I dip the cookie balls? Don’t let this task seem daunting or scary. It’s not as hard as it may seem once you get the hang of it. I usually just use a fork (don’t poke the ball with the fork‚ just lay it on top)‚ roll it around in the coating‚ scrape the excess on the side of the bowl then use a toothpick or another fork to push it onto the wax paper. You could also stick a toothpick or wooden skewer into the end to dip it into the melted chocolate as well. Figure out what works best for you.I think this is one of those things that takes patience and a bit of practice so don’t get disheartened if the first few aren’t as pretty as you wanted. Remember‚ they don’t have to look perfect to be delicious! Any tips for melting the almond bark? I like to do this task with a partner if I can‚ it makes it easier to move quickly and efficiently. But‚ if you’re working by yourself‚ you can make it work too! The key is to just work with one color at a time so you don’t let the other colors harden by the time you get to them. It can be helpful to use a melting pot for this and if you want to get one‚ Wilton (paid affiliate link) makes one to help. They also make a chocolate “thinner” (paid affiliate link) that can be added to the melted chocolate or almond bark so it thins it out just enough to make it easier to dip. How to store Christmas cookie balls? I recommend storing these in the refrigerator and taking them out 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. Personally‚ I think they are easier to eat when the chocolate has softened a bit‚ but they hold up better when they are cold. They will keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I recommend storing them in one flat layer so as not to mess up the decorations.  They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE) Oreo cookies – you can have a lot of fun with this base recipe by using different flavored Oreo cookies. cream cheese – the cream cheese needs to be fully softened or it won’t mix in fully with the cookies. If you’ve never eaten these before‚ the cream cheese do not give these a tangy taste at all. You won’t even taste the cream cheese. vanilla and chocolate almond bark – I made these cookie balls in white (vanilla) brown (chocolate) and green (candy melts) but you can use any combination of colors you want. You can just use one color if you want. green candy melts – have fun with the colors. Red and yellow candy melts would also look pretty. Reese’s mini unwrapped cups – you’ll find these in the candy aisle of your grocery store. Here is a link to them on Amazon (paid affiliate link) so you can see what the packaging looks like. Unfortunately‚ I don’t have a substitute for these if you can’t find them. edible gold spray paint – I talk more about where to find this above in the FAQ section. Christmas sprinkles – I bought a few different varieties of sprinkles and thought the non-pareils seem to stick on the best. HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT COOKIE BALLS Add half of the Oreo cookies to a food processor‚ layer on half of the softened cream cheese cubes‚ add the rest of the Oreo cookies and cream cheese then pulse together on high until combined and smooth. Be sure to stop the processing every so often to scrape down the sides. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and use a 1-inch cookie scoop to scoop out uniform half spheres of Oreo ball mixture. Roll each scoop into a smooth ball and place them on the lined baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. Next‚ lay all of the Reese’s mini cups on wax paper‚ wide end facing down‚ and spray each one with the edible gold spray. Set these aside for now. When there is about 3 minutes remaining of chill time‚ heat the almond bark and candy melts in separate microwavable safe bowls according to the package instructions. Usually 1 minute on full power‚ stir and continue in 15 second intervals‚ stirring after each interval until melted. If you’re doing this without any assistance‚ I would only melt one at a time so they don’t cool before you can get to the other colors.  Set these on your counter when melted and take the chilled Oreo balls out of the freezer.  One at a time‚ dip each of the Oreo balls into the various melted chocolates‚ covering completely‚ and set them back on the baking tray.  Immediately top with the coated Oreo balls with a gold Reese’s mini and decorate with sprinkles quickly before the chocolate hardens. It really helps to have a partner to do this so they can top and sprinkle while you dip.  Place back in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the Oreo balls to completely set up. CRAVING MORE RECIPES? Ritz Cracker Christmas Ornament CookiesChristmas Cut Out Sugar CookiesRudolph Reindeer CookiesReindeer Cookie BarsSoft Gingerbread CookiesChristmas Jell-O Poke CakeChristmas Sugar Cookie Bars (+Video) Print Christmas Ornament Cookie Balls Oreo cookie balls decorated to look like cute Christmas Tree Ornaments! Course DessertCuisine AmericanKeyword Christmas Ornament Cookie Balls Prep Time 10 minutes minutesCook Time 55 minutes minutesTotal Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes Servings 20 servings Calories 316kcal Author Brandie @ The Country Cook Ingredients14.3 ounce package of Oreos (about 35 Oreos)8 ounce block of cream cheese‚ softened to room temperature and cut into cubes6 ounces vanilla almond bark (see note below)6 ounces chocolate almond bark (see note below)12 ounce package green candy melts (you can also use red or other colors you prefer)20 Reese’s mini unwrapped cupsedible gold spray paintChristmas sprinkles InstructionsAdd half of the Oreos to a food processor‚ layer on half of the softened cream cheese cubes‚ add the rest of the Oreos and cream cheese then pulse together on high until combined and smooth. Be sure to stop the processing every so often to scrape down the sides if needed). Line a baking sheet with wax paper and use a 1-inch cookie scoop to scoop out uniform half spheres of Oreo ball mixture. Roll each scoop into a smooth ball and place them on the lined baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up. Next‚ lay all of the Reese’s mini cups on wax paper‚ wide end facing down‚ and spray each one with the edible gold spray. Set these aside for now. When there is about 3 minutes remaining of chill time‚ heat the almond bark and/or candy melts in separate microwavable safe bowls according to the package instructions. Usually 1 minute on full power‚ stir and continue in 15 second intervals‚ stirring after each interval‚ until melted.Please note: If you are coating these without any assistance‚ I would only melt one at a time so they don’t cool before you can get to the other colors.Set these on your counter when melted and take the chilled Oreo balls out of the freezer.One at a time‚ dip each of the Oreo balls into the various melted chocolates‚ covering completely‚ and set them back on the baking tray. Immediately top with the coated Oreo balls with a gold Reese’s mini and decorate with sprinkles quickly before the chocolate hardens. It really helps to have a partner to do this so they can top and sprinkle while you dip. Place back in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the Oreo balls to completely set up. Notes Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions. Note: Almond bark usually comes in 24 ounce packages so for this recipe you would use 1/4 of the package (usually 3 of the blocks in the package).  NutritionCalories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 88mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 157IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 3mg

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