Have some fun with your kids and make these Cookie Crumble Cheesecake Caterpillars! They’re so delicious and spooky, the best of both worlds for your Halloween celebration!
So lets get this Creepy Crawler party started with a quick 4 ingredient recipe.
Have you made the simple Oreo truffles – where you blend crushed Oreos with cream cheese? I’m guessing that a lot of you have. It’s an easy recipe, right? I used that recipe to make Longtail, the rat for our Halloween party last year and it got devoured.
When I began working on ideas for this theme, I came up with so many recipes that could be transformed into caterpillars, but finally decided to make a version of the Oreo truffles using Golden Oreos. I purchased a package of the vanilla cream filled cookies a while back thinking I would try the truffle recipe using them, but when I finally got around to it, I realized I had used the cream cheese for another recipe. Instead of trekking up to the grocery store, I searched my refrigerator for a possible substitute and found some Philadelphia Ready To Eat Cheesecake Filling. I crushed up some cookies and stirred in a bit of the cheesecake filling and was very pleased with the results. The cheesecake filling added a rich custard flavor to the truffle and it balanced nicely with the vanilla cookies. So, I saved myself a trip to the store, which is always good, and ended up with a truffle that I think tastes even better than if I had used plain cream cheese.
These Cookie Crumble Cheesecake Caterpillars are so easy to create – all you need to do is roll some truffle balls in crushed cookies, lay them in a squiggly row, then add some antenna and eyes. This is a great project to do with the little ones and would even make a fun afternoon snack.
Cookie Crumble Cheesecake Caterpillars (makes 6)
Ingredients:
36 Golden Oreo Cookies
1/2 cup Philadelphia Ready to Eat Cheesecake Filling
12 chocolate chips
6 pretzel sticks
Special Equipment Needed:
optional: food processor (or you can use a rolling pin, a pan, or even a book)
optional: small ice cream scoop or spoon
Instructions:
Crush cookies into crumbs either in a food processor or by placing them in a zip top bag and smashing them with a rolling pin, a pan, a book, or your hands. Whatever works. Reserve about 1/3 cup of the crumbs. Mix the cheesecake filling into the remaining cookie crumbs – you can just add the filling to the food processor or even to the zip top bag.
Place the reserved cookie crumbs in a shallow bowl. Pinch off about 2 teaspoons of the cheesecake cookie mixture and roll into a ball (here’s where you may opt to use a small ice cream scoop or a spoon.) Roll in the crumbs to coat. You may need to press the crumbs onto the balls. Repeat until you have 30 balls.
To make a caterpillar, set 5 cheesecake cookie balls in a squiggly row. Press two chocolate chips into the front of the first ball for the eyes. Break one pretzel stick in half and press the two halves into the top of the same ball to create antenna. Repeat. If you really want your caterpillars to stick together, you could break up more pretzel sticks and press one in between each of the balls. The pretzels won’t show and will hold the row of 5 balls together.
Set on a serving platter or fun plate. Serve at room temperature for best flavor.
Be sure to check out all the Halloween recipes here on Hungry Happenings.
These are so cute! I made cheesecake mice last year at Christmas for my cheesecake. I think they were a bigger hit than the cheesecake! I am going to have to try these out. Great idea!
Yumm!!!… we make similar balls here with sweet condensed milk and crushed graham crackers, they are very good as well as yours!
Thanks for the recipe!, i'm looking forward to more creepy crawlers… we don't celebrate Halloween that much here, but with so great ideas I might start!
Greetings from Perú! 🙂
Hi Anilu, Do you just mix the graham crackers with regular sweetened condensed milk or do you use caramelizes sweetened condensed milk? I'd like to try it.
Beth @ Hungry Happenings
It's just a lot of crushed graham crackers and regular sweetened condensed milk, til u have the desired consistency. You can add some cocoa powder as well (bitter)… and u get chocolate balls 🙂 first you mix, then u refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes, then u shape the balls… u can cover them with crushed crackers, coconut or cocoa powder… and that's it!
Anilú
Thanks Anilu, I'll have to try making some.
Thanks for sharing. This is really a sweet and wonderful treat.
What a fun idea! We have a caterpillar cupcake pan, but this looks much easier. Just pinned it. 🙂
Oh, so cute. My girls would love these. If you get a chance I would love you to link your caterpillars up to More the Merrier Monday. http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
Hi, there! You've got so much creativity and I'm admiring them all. Can you share your creative posts at my Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop? Hope to see you there 🙂
Hi, there! I featured your post here, pinned it on Pinterest, and posted on my facebook. Thanks for sharing this creative post with us at the Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop.
HI SJ, thanks for all of the features. That is so nice. I'll try to stop back by to add other recipes to your bloggers parties.
Beth @ Hungry Happenings
I made these last night! But for a friend who spent the week going through a nasty break-up.
I ended up using a cheesecake sampler tray (the store was all out of the cheesecake filling) and simply used a fork to squish together each flavor separately with the cookie crumbs.
Then my fiance used the pretzel sticks to even prop the first ball off-center on top of the second to make it look like the little guy was looking up! So cute.
The caterpillars were delicious and adorable, and we loved not knowing which flavor cheesecake each ball was going to be.
And as for the friend: she cheered up instantly, eventually realized she's too good for him, and has a date with with her best guy friend next week. 🙂
Laurenann, I love to hear that my little caterpillars helped to cheer up your friend. So sweet. I love the idea of having different cheesecake flavors in the caterpillars, what a fun surprise. If you shot any photos of your cheesecake treats, be sure to send me one to post here for everyone to see.
Beth @ Hungry Happenings
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these! I featured them on my blog: http://www.organizinghomelife.com/archives/2334 Thanks for the great idea. 🙂
I'm sure that the kids will love this when I make some over the weekend. Thank you very much for sharing this recipe.
Have fun making the caterpillars. I'd love to see pictures!
Super Cute – My daughter would love these! Visiting from Friday Favs 🙂
These looks super fun and yummy! Love it.
I would love to have you link this up at my linky party! http://domesticrandomness.blogspot.com/2012/08/new-to-inlinkz-first-linky-party.html