Using a food processor, blend cookies in batches until they are fine crumbs, pouring each batch into a large bowl as finished. Place half of the crumbs back into the processor with half of the cream cheese and blend until very smooth. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the remaining crumbs and cream cheese. Mix both halves together along with vanilla and stir well to combine. Leave no white specks of cream cheese—the whole mass should be dark and smooth.

Roll the mixture into quarter-sized balls and place on a waxed-paper-lined sheet pan. Recipe makes approximately 55 balls. Chill for at least one hour in the freezer (two hours is best).

After chilling, begin melting white chocolate chips. Use a double boiler, making sure the water never boils and only simmers. Stir occasionally, until chips are fully melted and smooth. Remove frozen chocolate balls from the freezer and place the bowl of melted chocolate on a hot pad or dish towel next to the frozen sheet pan (keep work areas close).

Working rather quickly, stick a toothpick into the top of a chocolate ball and dunk it into white chocolate. Use a spoon to mound the chocolate on the top of the ball around the toothpick. Lift the coated ball from the white chocolate and bounce slightly to remove the excess white chocolate. Do not scrape it on the side of bowl.

Set the coated truffle back on the sheet pan and twist the toothpick out. Using a spoon, take some melted white chocoate and place a small dab on top of the truffle and swirl it to cover where the toothpick came out. Repeat with all truffles, returning the white chocolate to the double boiler as needed to keep a melted consistency.

You’ll need to return the sheet pan to the freezer every 5 minutes or so to keep them cold. You may choose to take 5 or 7 at a time from the freezer, putting them in their own, smaller waxed-paper-lined pan. Dip them and return their small pan to the freezer. Once set (about 2 minutes), transfer those few to the large pan and repeat with 5 to 7 more.

Once all truffles have been dipped, store in the fridge until ready to serve. Although these trufles are good at room temperature, they are the very best with a chill on them, about 5 or 10 minutes out of the fridge.