Happy 100th Birthday Oreo!!

For without you, I would be so sad, boring and lonely. So today we celebrate your life and birth, and thank you for all of the wonderful deliciousness you have brought to the hearts and waistlines of all.

Cookies and Cream Brownies

Cookies and Cream Cake

Tarta de Chocolate y Cafe

Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oreo Mini Cheesecakes

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I remember in seventh grade, a girl Erin got me a package for Oreo's for my birthday. It wasn't the single serving sizes but it also wasn't the entire package. It was probably 15 cookies. It was probably my favorite gift ever.

I remember sitting in my basement, my awkward seventh grade self with the palate expander that gave me not only a gap in my teeth but a lisp, knobby knees and indoor soccer shoes on. What a gem I was! I don't know why I wasn't on more guy's "top fives." What a horrible time. I think I cried almost every single day at Frost middle school when I came home. I wanted to be way cooler than I was but for some reason I guess my training bra wearing self wasn't Grade A material. If they could see me now! Alas, I have grown out of that stage, and my taste for Oreo's has mostly come and gone. Well, with the exception of these, as taken from The Picky Palate.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 sticks softened butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

10 oz bag chocolate chips

1 bag Oreo Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough.

3. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Black Bottom Cheese(cup)Cakes

I like surprises. A lot. But I'm not very spontaneous. I used to think I was (wrong). 

 Even though I won't randomly take a road trip across the country with 20 bucks in my pocket doesn't mean I don't like a little mystery.

 

A little pizazz?

I like things that are stuffed. I like to stuff my already busy days with time with friends. I like to stuff my belly with awesome food. I like to stuff my feet into cute high heels.

Everything is better stuffed.

I like to stuff Oreo in the bottom of my cupcake. Oh. I mean... I like to stuff Double Stuf Oreo in the bottom of my cupcake.

Robin Hood.

A Nerdy Tourist.

Read on and change your life. Amie found this recipe from Handle the Heat. Oh, and Happy late Halloweenie!

Happy 2 Holidays Before Christmas!!!

What ya need (for about 24 cuppies):

A package of Oreos, 22-24 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped

1 pound cream cheese (8 oz regular and 8 oz lower fat is what we did), room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

1/2 cup sour cream

Pinch of salt

What ya do:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Top with any leftover crumbs if desired. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Yum!!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate & Oreo Mini Cheesecakes

Ever since I started baking, I’ve been looking for a reason other than “just because” to create wonderful desserts--not that I don’t use “just because” all the time… Luckily, birthdays, holidays and anniversaries run rampant, and I just made a new friend who gets to benefit from my hobby!

Enter Brit. She works at the fitness center with me, and one day we discovered we share a similar passion for eating foods that are overly rich and delightfully sinful. Luckily, we both are personal trainers/athletes/group exercise instructors, so a little indulgence won’t kill us.

Well, unfortunately, a little indulgence is an understatement. This dessert is crazy delicious, and I can proudly say that I claim rights to it. Yep, I created this… on accident.

Brit and I both were gabbing about how much we love the Cheesecake Factory, and when she mentioned her favorite flavor was discontinued, I realized this was the perfect opportunity to recreate it for her. Her poison? Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake… ahhhh…..!!! As you all know, not only do I love love LOVE the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, but throw in sugar, butter, cream cheese, and a graham cracker crust? Well…I think I just fainted.

Just to confuse everyone, the ones with the crumbled Oreo are the peanut butter.

Problem #1: I left my spring foam pan in State College, Pennsylvania.

I couldn’t decide if it would be better to make mini cheesecakes or a cheesecake bar. After much research, I decided that mini anything is so much cuter than a bar. So, I looked up how the baking times vary for minis and went for it.

Likewise, the ones without any garnish are the Oreo...

Problem #2: The recipe I was sort-of going from would have had way too much cheesecake filling for just my minis, so I really had to do my own thing. And I did. In fact, I really went nuts after I made one set of 12, because I changed my second batch. In fact, my second batch had no peanut butter. My second batch is Oreo Cheesecake. Anyway, I’ll get there. Here’s how it went down… and some pictures of the process.

What ya need: (for 24 mini cheesecakes!!)

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup crushed crème filled chocolate sandwich cookies... oh c’mon, we all know that means OREO!

6 tbsp sugar

10 tbsp butter, melted

Filling

2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened

2/3 cup sugar

2/3 cup sour cream (I used light… it’s all we had)

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup fudge topping

¾ cup creamy peanut butter

Extra Oreos… (didn’t measure them.. you’ll see)

What ya do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake tins with 24 paper liners. In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, Oreo crumbs, sugar and butter. Press on the bottom of each of the bottom of each cup. Bake for about 4 minutes, and cool on a wire rack.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, heat peanut butter on high for 30 seconds or until softened. Spread carefully over the crusts of TWELVE of the crusts **

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs and beat on a low speed until just combined. Stir in vanilla. Stir in hot fudge sauce that has been melted and thinned in the microwave. Split your batter in HALF**

4. Take one half of the batter and pour carefully over the peanut butter in the TWELVE crusts. In the other half of the batter, pour in desired amount of crumbled Oreo cookies and fold into batter. Pour the Oreo batter over the remaining unfilled cups.

5. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes, or until the center is almost set. Cool completely on wire rack before serving. Sprinkle more crumbled Oreo on tops if desired.

6. Store in refrigerator… it gets even better with time!!

**If you’d rather make 24 of the peanut butter chocolate mini cheesecakes, double the peanut butter and spread it in all 24 cups!

**Again, if you’d rather make 24 of the same cupcakes, no need to split your batter

This recipe was so great. I tried both the mini cheesecakes and I cannot pick which one I like better. The thought that I can combine them next time and make Chocolate Peanut Butter Oreo Cheesecake is running through my mind, that’s for sure.

Pretty mixture. I was sold already on this crust.

How artistic am I? Don't answer that.

 

Trusty coffee scooper for the crust.

The pre-chocolate cheesecake

This is the half that is NOT peanut butter

The peanut ones are rich and nutty, smooth and creamy. The Oreo ones have a texture and a flavor that’s so familiar. Either one will be a hit, or if you can’t decide, do like I did and make both! You’re going to be the hit of a party, trust me!!

The layer of graham cracker, then peanut butter, then chocolate... heavenly. Really

And the Oreo... such a familiar taste. It just reminds me of childhood. You're going to love this.

Happy Birthday Brit!!