Happy Father's Day! And more Oreos!

I'm ba-ack!!  Just got back from a family vacation to North and South Carolina, and I couldn't wait to get back into the kitchen!!  Seriously, we were home for about an hour before I started getting stuff ready in the kitchen to bake something.....it had been almost two weeks without making anything!  Talk about withdrawal!

Since I hadn't even had a chance to get to the grocery store, I had to work with what I had.....and you guess it.....I've got Oreos!

One of my mommy friends from my son's preschool, Liz, gave me some of these cookies right before we left on our trip......Oreo Chunk Cookies, with chunks of Oreos cookies, as well as some Oreos ground and blended into the dough......fantastic!  They basically taste like Cookies and Cream ice cream in cookie form.......so delicious!  I couldn't wait to make a batch of these bad boys!  

I did a search to see if I could find the same recipe already online, but none of the other recipes that I found included the ground up Oreos.  Also, most included chocolate chips, which Liz's didn't, so for a change I'm posting a recipe, instead of just including a link.  If you don't want to bother with the ground Oreos (but please do try it) you could use this recipe from Cookie Madness.

OREO CHUNK COOKIES

12 T unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup plus 2 T granulated sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 T dark brown sugar

1 1/2 t vanilla

1 egg

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 

1 t baking soda

3/4 t salt

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t cream of tartar

7 Oreos crumbled in a blender or food processor until the consistency of dirt

12 broken Oreos (broken into halves, then each half into thirds or fourths)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  Cream the butter and sugars together until smooth and fluffy.  Add the vanilla and egg and mix until thoroughly combined.

3.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and cream of tartar.

4.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine until fully incorporated.

5.  Add the crumbled Oreos and mix until just combined.  Fold in the broken Oreos gently with a spatula.

6.  Using a medium cookie scoop (try not to crush up the Oreo pieces too much), place dough balls 3 inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet and flatten the tops slightly.

7.  Bake for about 12 minutes or until just slightly darkened around the edges.  Do not overbake.  Cool slightly on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to set.

Well, there ya go!  I actually tried out one other recipe yesterday, but I think I should probably go see what the hubby is up to.....since it is Father's Day and all.  So give these a try.....and Enjoy!!  And Happy Father's Day!!

This post is linked to:

Sweets for a Saturday

These Chicks Cooked

Cast Party Wednesday

Sweet Indulgences Sunday

Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays

Pies on a Stick

Does everything taste better when it's served on a stick?  It sure doesn't hurt.....but I do know that it sure does make things cuter!

Today is my oldest's last day of Pre-K.  As a little Thank You to his teachers I thought these little strawberries pies on a stick from Our Best Bites would be so cute!  But since we're getting to leave for vacation I did take a couple of shortcuts to make these a lot faster.

1 - I used store-bought pie crust.  Especially with something small like this, no one is going to be able to tell if you use store-bought vs. homemade.  

2 - I used a strawberry pie filling that I bought at our local baking supply store.  It had real strawberries in it, and was very tasty....and saved me the step of making it myself!  

You could really use any fruit filling that floats your boat......strawberry just really sounded good to me.  In fact they almost tasted like strawberry Pop Tarts....and there's nothing wrong with that!  Just make sure that whatever filling you use, you don't put in too much filling, or it will seep out the sides when you try to put the top layer of crust on.  The amount of filling you'll need will depend on the size of the cookie cutters you use, but just be aware that the bigger the size of your pie, the harder it will be to keep the pie on the stick when it's picked up.  I'd say that if your cookie cutter is bigger than 3 inches (that's why my heart was), then you should do the hand pies (which are also very cute!).  I think for 4th of July I'm going to do some star-shaped hand pies (maybe with blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries).

When these come out of the oven, make sure that you give them a few minutes to rest....the dough will still be very soft and tender and the stick will pop right out if you attempt to pick them up right away.  I learned that lesson the hard way....but got a yummy little snack out of it.....oops!

Check out Our Best Bites for the recipe, as well as ideas on how to make hand pies or pies-in-a-jar......and Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
These Chicks Cooked
This Week's Cravings

Blueberry Boy Bait

It's blueberry season!!  After buying a couple of huge containers of blueberries, I had to start finding some recipes to use them in........and this one uses a whole 2 cups of blueberries......yeah!

According to Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy, this is based on a recipe from the 50's that was entered in a Pillsbury baking competition.  The baker that submitted it claimed that one bite of this cake and the boys were hooked.  Well, I gotta say the hubby loved these!  

One goof-up I made in this one (and it's a pretty easy recipe, so I feel kind of silly).......I forgot to toss the blueberries with flour before folding them into the batter.  Because of that, most of my blueberries sank to the bottom while the cake was baking.  If I had remembered to do that step (my fault for trying to get this in the oven and get the boy's dinner on the table at the same time), then the blueberries would have been scattered throughout the cake, instead of being primarily on the bottom.  Oh well......at least the cake still tasted fantastic.....moist, buttery.....and with a yummy sugar-cinnamon topping.

The hubby and I had this for dessert last night.....fantastic with a little whipped cream!  Today I had a piece with my afternoon coffee.....a perfect pick-me-up!!

Check out Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy for the recipe.......Enjoy!!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Yes, these are called Cookie Dough Balls, and yes, they do taste like peanut butter cookie dough (with chocolate chips).....but actually these guys are cookies that have been baked!

I made these the first time right before Christmas after seeing them on the blog, What's Megan Making, and they were a huge hit!  I don't know why it took me so long to make these again....oh wait, I remember......the hubby does not like peanut butter/chocolate desserts!  His loss!

The first time I made these I left them plain, without the melted chocolate on top.  They aren't the most beautiful cookie, so if you're trying to get people to look at them, you may want to add a little fancy finish to the top of them to attract people's attention.  Unless, of course, your goal is to get them all to yourself....then by all means, leave them plain and let them fly under the radar.  More cookies for you!

Check out What Megan's Making for the recipe.......Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
These Chicks Cooked

Oreo Cheesecake Brownies

Continuing with our household's love affair of all things Oreo (did I mention I bought a giant pack at Costco the last time I was there?)....may I introduce to you, the Oreo Cheesecake Brownie!

A fudgy brownie packed with Oreo cookies chunks, and then topped off with a delicious cheescake-y swirl.......yes please!!

This is my kind of dessert.  I'm pretty much a sucker for most brownies....but my oh my......adding in brownies and the cheesecake topping.......get in my belly!

It's a pretty rich dessert, so like my post from yesterday, you're probably not going to eat the whole pan in one sitting.....but if you need a choco-fix (I'm not the only one right?), this will definitely hit the spot!

Check out the blog Brandy's Baking for the recipe......Enjoy!!

This post is linked to:
Everyday Sisters Sharing Sundays

Cake Batter Blondies

You might want to give your dentist a call if you make these......just a friendly warning.....

 I like sweets......I definitely have a sweet tooth......but these are actually almost too sweet for me.

While the recipe calls the Cake Batter Blondies, the hubby summed them up best when he said the tasted like a concentrated version of birthday cake!  That's exactly it....with the addition of sprinkles and white chocolate, you get the taste of a piece of birthday cake with one bit of these guys.

This is definitely one of those desserts that you can only eat a little of, but if you like your sweets sweet (I'm thinking of my sister-in-law), then you will like this.  It's also really easy to throw together....gotta love that!

Check out Girl Meets Life for the recipe.....Enjoy! (oh, and brush your teeth so your dentist won't get mad at me ;)

Update:  Took these bad boys to a family birthday party today......they were gone really fast!  They were a big hit with the kids and my sister-in-law ;)  Guess it was just me that thought they were too sweet!

This post linked to:
These Chicks Cooked

There's always room for Oreos!

I know, I know........the very first post that I did on this blog was for these cookies.....but come on!!  Chocolate chip cookie + Oreo cookies = match made in heaven!!  Why haven't you made these yet?!?

I made these again for our dear friend's birthday.  He had tried one from the first time around and loved them, so, bingo!  An excuse for me to bake up some of these bad boys again!

They were just as delicious this time around.......but these cookies are huge!!  I gave our friend a 1/2 dozen of these, and it felt like I was handing him a brick!  There is possibly a few calories in each of these cookie ;)  But, they are soooo good.....who's really keeping track?

Head on over to Picky Palate for the recipe.....and make some today!  You won't regret it.....Enjoy!

This post is linked to:
Sweets for a Saturday