Oreo Truffles

Originally I had planned elaborate treat baskets for all my friends for Valentine's Day, but I decided to make them into favor bags for Charlie's upcoming birthday party.

I've already made regular chocolate truffles for the favor bags, but I thought it would be nice to try out a new recipe too. Just about every food blog I read as made Oreo Truffles, and being so simple I just couldn't resist them. After having tried one I know I'll be making them again.

These Oreo Truffles are SO good. The centers are crunchy and creamy. They're so rich and decadent that I really only needed to eat one.

From what I've read you can use any kind of Oreos to make the truffles, so whatever flavor you feel like. I wouldn't recommend using Double Stuffed, people have said they fall apart and I think they would be too sweet. But feel free to experiment with golden, mint or chocolate filled Oreos. (I used generic Wegmans Sandwich Cookies and they worked perfectly.)

Use chocolate or white chocolate candy melts, it doesn't matter. I like the contrast between the centers and the white chocolate, but regular chocolate would be very delicious.

Oreo Truffles
(as seen on the internet everywhere)
1 package of Oreo chocolate sandwich cookies
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 lb(ish) white chocolate candy melts

Crush the Oreos as fine as you can get them, either with a food processor or a large ziplock bag and a lot determination. (I smashed them in a ziplock bag and it worked out great.)

In a large bowl, mix the crushed cookies and cream cheese. You can use a spoon, but it's much easier to mix by hand.

Scoop and roll out small balls of the cookie mixture. You want to get about 35-40 truffles, so use a teaspoon as a scooper. They should be one bite.

Chill for about an hour in the fridge (or half an hour in the freezer if you're impatient).

Melt white chocolate wafers in a double boiler or in the microwave. It took about 2 minutes in the microwave. You don't want it too hot, so pull it out before it's completely melted and stir it the rest of the way.

Dip each truffle into the melted chocolate and drop onto a parchment paper/wax paper lined tray. Once you've dipped them all, use a fork to shake any remaining chocolate over the top of the truffles.

Refrigerate until set.

Peanut Butter Kisses

This week has been a whirlwind of baking, but I knew I had to make a big batch of my dad's favorite cookies.
I didn't realize till about halfway through making the dough that I was using a recipe that's already tripled. So it made A LOT of cookies (I'll be giving you a scaled down version, you probably don't need 12 dozen cookies).

Make sure to unwrap all the Hershey Kisses ahead of time, they need to go on as soon as the cookies come out of the oven. Better yet, have someone who isn't baking do it for you (you will have to repay them in cookies.)


Peanut Butter Kisses
(yields 4 dozen cookies)
1/2 cup of unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup of flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 bag of Hershey Kisses

Another 1/2 cup of sugar (to dip the cookies in)

Cream the butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract together in a mixer.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture.

Scoop out balls of dough slightly smaller than a tablespoon (these cookies should be very little) and roll the balls in sugar.

Place about one inch apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden.

When you remove them from the oven, quickly transfer to a cooling rack and press a Hershey Kiss down into the center of each cookie. The Hershey Kisses will melt, let the cookies cool undisturbed until the Kisses set back up.

Fresh from the Oven- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

The countdown to Christmas has begun, so this week I've got lots of baking to do.
It pales in comparison to the elaborate cookie baskets we made when I was little, sometimes we'd make a dozen varieties to give out. It was pretty chaotic.
This year my dad and I decided to just make three. (He's handling the sugar cookies.)

I had to track down a recipe online for Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, because I couldn't find our family recipe. Luckily these tasted exactly the same as I remember them growing up.
The cookies taste like little brownie bites. When I make them again I think I'll add walnuts.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Combine cocoa powder, sugar, and vegetable oil.
Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla extract.
In another bowl mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to the wet mixture. (The dough should be pretty thick.)
Chill the dough for 3-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Scoop out tablespoon sized pieces of dough, roll into balls. Roll in powdered sugar.

Place on a greased baking about an inch apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy.

Homemade Oreos

I've always been a little weary of the "homemade" versions of treats.
While homemade Samoas and Thin Mints have always looked delicious, the number of steps to the end product doesn't seem worth it. (Although at $3 a box, I might soon be reconsidering).

I ran into Homemade Oreo recipes a few times recently and thought it was time to get on the homemade bandwagon. There are two versions circulating The Thomas Keller Oreos and The Smitten Kitchen Oreos.

I went with the former, seduced by the white chocolate ganache, rolling out the dough took a little effort, but the cookie was so spot on the original. The combination with the white chocolate ganache filling was close to the storebought, but fresh and uniquely tasty. (I snuck a few before packing them up as a housewarming gift.)
These cookies got ecstatic responses from everyone who tried them and I'm sure I'll be coerced into making them again soon.
Homemade Oreos
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
15 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 3/4" cubes, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces white chocolate

In a small pan, bring the cream to a boil (if you prefer, you can do it in the microwave).
Pour cream over white chocolate, let sit for a minute and then whisk until smooth.
Refrigerate.

In a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed. With the mixer running, add the butter, a piece at a time. The mixture will look sandy, and will slowly begin to incorporate. Once it forms a dough transfer to a work surface.

Divide the dough in half. Roll each half between two large pieces of parchment paper to 1/8 inch thick. Stack the rolled sheets of dough onto a baking sheet (to keep them flat) and chill until firm, at least 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment (I used the same sheets that I chilled the dough in between.)

Working with one sheet of chilled dough at a time, use a round 2 to 2 1/2-inch cutter to cut the dough into rounds. Place the rounds about 1/2 an inch apart on the baking sheets. (They won't puff up.) Scraps can be rolled out again.
(I didn't have a roll cookie cutter, so I used a 2in flower cookie cutter, it worked fine.)
Bake for 12-15 minutes, let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes then transfer to a baking sheet.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, whip up the filling with a mixer, it won't really grow in volume, but it needs to be fluffed up a little. Transfer to a piping bag/plastic baggie. Cut a small tip off the end. Pipe about a teaspoon and a half of filling onto half the cookies. Top with the remaining cookies and press down lightly. Refrigerate and enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies were pretty much my first serious baking venture. I've made them a good 50 times (at least). I've made tiny half batches to satisfy cravings and massive quadruple batches for bake sales.
I would frequently make them from memory, and then realize that I'd forgotten an important important ingredient. (I always forgot eggs!).

It's actually been awhile since I've made chocolate chip cookies though and I got to thinking about them while I was looking for Halloween treats.

I thought I'd whip up a batch since I've got all the supplies here and this particular recipe caught my eye.

The cookies just came of the oven and it seemed like a great opportunity to write up a blog with the house still warm and smelling like peanut butter.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of peanut butter (the recipe called for creamy, but I used chunky)
1/2 sugar
1/3 brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.

In an electric mixer, combine peanut butter, butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, mix on medium for about 3 minutes.
Then add the egg.
Slowly add the flour.

Add the chocolate chips and oatmeal, but use a spoon to mix in, the dough will be pretty thick and my mixer didn't want to uniformly disperse the chocolate chips.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with non-stick spray.
Spoon generous tablespoons of dough onto the sheets, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool, devour.

Quick Carrot Cake Cookies

On a routine visit to see some family in PA, I was astounded to discover a huge vegetable garden at my grandparents house.
They gave me a huge bag if carrots, beets and garlic. I've been trying to make good use of them, and of course my primary focus has been sweets.
I stumbled upon this recipe and it seemed like the right fit.
The dough was easy to put together and the cookies baked up quick.

I should stress though, that you use real maple syrup, the fake stuff will just make these taste funky.
Quick Carrot Cake Cookies
(the original recipe)

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

1/2 cup Old-Fashioned Oats
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 cup Grated Carrots
1/2 cup Raisins
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well blended.

Scoop out 1 tablespoon sized portions unto a greased baking sheet. (As you can see mine are too big, so do as I say, not as I do on this one.)
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.