Description
Santa Farts are fun, easy no-bake cherry almond Christmas treats made with vanilla wafer crumbs, ground almonds, mini white chocolate chips, and sweetened condensed milk. Each bite-sized treat has a juicy maraschino cherry hidden in the center and a festive coating of red and white sprinkles. These delicious holiday treats require no baking, are easy to prepare with children, and are perfect for Christmas parties, cookie trays, and homemade edible gifts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups ground vanilla wafer cookies (Nilla Wafers)
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1 1/2 cups mini white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (approximately 300 mL)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 24 maraschino cherries, drained and thoroughly dried
- Red and white sprinkles or extra vanilla wafer crumbs, for rolling
Instructions
- Grind the vanilla wafer cookies into fine crumbs using a food processor. Transfer the crumbs to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the ground almonds to the cookie crumbs and stir until evenly combined.
- Mix in the mini white chocolate chips, distributing them throughout the dry ingredients.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Stir thoroughly until everything forms a thick, cohesive mixture.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for approximately 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.
- Meanwhile, drain the maraschino cherries and pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Take a small portion of the chilled mixture and roll it into a ball. Make a small indentation in the center with your finger.
- Place one maraschino cherry into the indentation and gently shape the mixture around it until the cherry is completely enclosed.
- Roll each finished ball in red and white sprinkles or extra vanilla wafer crumbs until evenly coated.
- Arrange the Santa Farts on a parchment-lined tray and refrigerate until firm. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Notes
- Grind the vanilla wafer cookies finely for a smoother and more consistent texture.
- Make sure the maraschino cherries are thoroughly drained and dried before wrapping them in the mixture.
- Refrigerate the mixture for approximately one hour to make shaping easier.
- If the mixture becomes too sticky while rolling, return it to the refrigerator until firm.
- Use Nilla Wafers or another similar vanilla-flavored cookie.
- Ground almonds provide the nutty flavor and replace coconut in this version of the recipe.
- Finely chopped white chocolate can be substituted for mini white chocolate chips.
- Red and white sprinkles can be replaced with extra cookie crumbs or other festive decorations.
- Seal each cherry completely inside the mixture to prevent it from showing through.
- Store finished treats in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- For longer storage, freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers and thaw in the refrigerator.
- Yield: Approximately 24 treats, depending on their size.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Christmas Cookies, No-Bake Treats
- Method: No-Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 treat
- Calories: 266 kcal
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 166 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg