These little bites are awesome for March Madness, kids’ parties or anywhere you wan to score some points. Plan ahead! Cookie centers must freeze for at least one hour and fondant must be refrigerated overnight. Also, this recipe is a labor of love. Allow yourself at least one hour both days, during the making process.

Makes 24 2-inch (coated) Cookies and Cream Basketballs

Ingredients:
Centers
Ktoos or other gf chocolate sandwich cookies (you can use store-bought or use our recipe for Oreo clone cookies)
8oz cream cheese, room temperature – you can use a df alternative like Daiya

Coating (adapted from AllRecipes Marshmallow Fondant):
2 Tbsp butter or df margarine
2 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows (we like campfire brand)
1/2 C water
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 pounds Better Batter Corn-Free Powdered Sugar, divided
At least 1 Tbsp Each of red and yellow food coloring (you may use natural if you wish, but the color will be softer)
1 C semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips of choice (we recommend Enjoy Life)

Instructions:
Make the Cookies and Cream center. Crush cookies loosely and place in food processor. Pulse food processor until most crumbs are sand-consistency. Avoid leaving large crumbs, because they will not form well into a smooth basketball shape. Pour crumbs in large bowl and combine with cream cheese. I recommend starting with a spatula and incorporating the finer crumbs with your hands.

Roll mixture into roughly one-inch balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and place in freezer for at least one hour.

While cookies are chilling, prepare the fondant. Place the butter in a shallow bowl, and set aside. Place the marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for 30 seconds to 1 minute to start melting the marshmallows.

Carefully stir the water and vanilla extract into the hot marshmallows, and stir until the mixture is smooth. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Add yellow coloring and red
coloring to the dough and mix until even orange color is achieved.

Form the fondant. Reserve 2 cups of powdered sugar for kneading. The dough will be very stiff. Rub your hands thoroughly with butter, and begin kneading the sticky dough. As you knead, the dough will become workable and pliable. Turn the dough out onto a working surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar and continue kneading until the fondant is smooth and no longer sticky to the touch, 5 to 10 minutes. Form the fondant into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Decorate the basketballs. Allow the fondant to come to room temperature, and roll it out (1/4-inch thick) onto a flat surface dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Cut circles in the fondant using a wide-mouth mason jar ring. Wrap balls like dumplings, rolling in your hands to smooth the bottoms. Use the sticky spot where the fondant connects as the bottom of the ball to keep from rolling. Melt chocolate in microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring between each round. Spoon into zip-top bag and cut pen-tip sized whole in corner of bag. Carefully pipe basketball design onto coated cookie balls. Allow chocolate to solidify before serving.

Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days or freezer (allow to thaw slightly before serving).