Shore Girl Goes South: Rugby Oreo Truffles for Baking for Hospice

So sorry my lovelies for the massive break between posts.

I honestly think these last two weeks have been the most eventful two weeks I can remember.  And on top of the life changing, literally earth shattering events recently, I also haven't had access to internet where I am staying so my poor wee blog has been a bit neglected.

So humongous apologies to everyone, I've missed you all heaps and I would like to explain my tardiness by sharing with you all the massive events that have been going down in the world of Nessie.

Massive event numero uno:  Moving down to Dunedin. 


I grew up on the North Shore (cue the Shore Girl jokes) in Auckland, New Zealand and have lived in Auckland since 1989.  Yes, since the eighties.  I can still remember a time when milk was delivered to your door, Cobb & Co was considered haute cuisine and not all malls were Westfield.  So moving down to the South Island was a bit of a shock to the system to say the least.  From a city of about 1.4 million to a city of 125,000, 25% of which are students).  We are so much closer to Antarctica it's almost like a different country down here. I went from wear tiny beach dresses because it was 28oC and 99% humidity to wrapping up in two layers of merinos, jeans and boots.  That first week was a classic case of spot the Jafa (Jafa of course, stands for just another effing Aucklander), since everyone else was telling me it was actually warm for Dunedin when I thought it was freezing.  Apparently eating lots of pies will help me acclimatise.  I'm working on it.

Massive event number 2: Starting Medical School.

The reason for making the move down was to start studying Medicine down here.  I went straight into second year and have hit the ground running.  The amount of lecture/tutorial/lab time is intense....so many contact hours, so much reading, so much catching up to do but I am loving every minute.  I've been studying/practising law and doing basically no science for pretty much the last four years so getting back into all the sciencey stuff is a wee bit of a task for the old noggin.  But it is SO much fun and interesting and we've got such an awesome bunch of us graddies (graduate *coughmature* students) to hang out with, commiserate getting old with and sit at the front of the lecture theatre with.  Fun times.

Massive event number 3: Christchurch Earthquake


A literally earth shattering event for all New Zealanders.  I was sitting in the library here in Dunedin (which is 5 hours drive away from Christchurch) and felt everything shake.  I think it's New Zealand's largest natural disaster in history, it was devastating, terrifying and heartbreaking.  We have been glued to the telly at the 24/7 news coverage.  My friend who I am living with had to do a 10 hour round trip to drive up and pick her brother and his wife up at 3am in the morning and bring them down here.  There are still so many missing, and the death toll keeps on rising and rising.  My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Christchurch and their friends and families...what an absolute tragedy. Kia kaha Canterbury.

Massive event number 4: My Grandma


In the midst of all the drama and chaos down here, up in Auckland my Grandma had a stroke and is currently in hospital.  The doctors say that it doesn't look good at all and I haven't felt more far from home than I do right now.

So do pretty please I get let off this time for slack posting????  :)

Just before I left Auckland, I made these Rugby Oreo Truffles for the Baking for Hospice Kiwi Round and I've been dying to show you all these cute wee things!  And I have so many posts in the back log to share so hopefully we will get the internet sorted soon and I can tell you all bout my recent kitchen disasters and triumphs. Onward and upward!

These truffles were honestly one of the easiest things I have ever made.  The effort to  wow factor pay off was off the charts.  I first saw these adorable treats on Bakerella's amazing blog and with the Baking for Hospice round theme being all things Kiwi and this year being Rugby World Cup year, it was like all the stars were aligned for me to try out these rugby-ball-shaped, cookies-and-cream-tasting, nuggets of yumminess.

 

{oreo and cream cheese filling just rolled out looking remarkably like sheep poo}

C thought the pre-chocolate coated truffles looked like something else similarly iconically Kiwi and usually found in paddocks....cheeky wee monkey.  But they definitely don't taste anything like sheep poo - these truffles are jam packed with oreo-ey goodness, totally moreish and highly addictive!

And they are so darn easy you'll want to make them again and again.  The only tricky part was doing the white chocolate stripes and you just eat the ones that look a bit munted....win win I say!

Rugby Oreo Truffles

Original recipe found at Bakerella.com

Makes around 30-40 truffles

2 x 150g packets of oreos
250 g cream cheese, room temperature
~200 g dark chocolate drops
~50 g white chocolate drops (for decoration)

1. In a food processor, whizz up your two packets of oreo cookies until they resemble crumbs.  Add the cream cheese and whizz until it forms a stickyish dough.

2.  Shape tablespoon sized balls of the dough into rugby balls with your hands by rolling them into a ball then using your fingers to roll the ends into points.

3.  Melt the dark chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl by heating on high for 30 seconds bursts till melted.  Line two baking trays with baking paper or waxed paper.  Use two forks to dip the balls into the melted chocolate to coat and place on the baking paper to harden.

4.  When the dark chocolate coat has hardened, melt the white chocolate in the microwave.  Let it cool a little and then pour into a snap lock bag.  Cut a small hole in the corner and pipe the stripes on to the truffles to look like a ruby ball.

5.  Let the white chocolate harden before placing in an airtight container.