t o m a t o e s & t e q u i l a

I believe that Oreos are the king of all cookies. Not sure why - they aren't particularly special. There is just something about that combination of crunchy cookie and cream filling that makes me swoon. So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to try them. Luckily, I attended an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party this weekend, giving me the perfect opportunity to try these. I should also mention that I took second place for my shoulder padded ensemble. Thank you very much. I also went home with a somewhat creepy, somewhat adorable wooden elephant that is now residing on my counter top.



Anyway, the original recipe called for sprinkling these with crushed candy canes. I changed these up a little bit from the original recipe because I am not crazy about candy canes. I thought the texture of them (too crunchy) would mess up my gorgeous Oreo pops. Instead, I added some peppermint extract to the candy coating for a subtle, minty taste. The result, as the hubby so eloquently stated, was "thin-mints on crack!" I have to agree - these were sort of amazing. Very much a thin-mint flavor, but more crunch, more chocolate, thicker and all around delicious.


 


These are a fun little holiday treat that I recommend if you are attending a cookie exchange or holiday party in the coming weeks. Enjoy!

 PEPPERMINT OREO POPS RECIPE
(Lulu the Baker)

1 package double-stuffed Oreos (the regular ones aren't thick enough)
2 bags white candy melts or 1 package chocolate bark (I used chocolate bark)
Paper lollipop sticks- I used 4 inch ones
1 tsp. peppermint extract
Red sprinkles

Line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Very carefully, twist the Oreos until the top comes off and you have two pieces. Set them on the cookie sheets. Don't worry too much if they break - you can use the candy coating to put them back together and then they get covered up with candy coating so you can't see it anyway.

Using a wooden skewer (or anything that size), start at the edge of the cream filling and carefully pull away the cream filling, bit by bit. This is where the lollipop stick will go.

Heat about a quarter of your bark or candy melts, following the instructions on the package. Dip the end of a lollipop stick into the bark/candy coating and carefully but firmly place the stick in the notch you created in the cream filling. Using a spoon or the end of another lollipop stick, place about a pea size dollop of bark/candy coating on the non-cream filled side of the Oreo. Place it back on top of the cream filling and carefully but firmly press down. Repeat until all Oreos are done. Let them set for about 20 minutes.

Heat the rest of the candy coating/bark. Once melted add, the peppermint extract. The extract will slightly thicken the bark/candy coating - don't work. Taste the mixture and see if you like the level of peppermint, add more if you like.

One by one, dip the Oreos into the melted bark/candy coating. Hold the Oreo parallel to the counter top, over the bow, and tap the stick against the side of the bowl to remove excess coating. I also used a spoon and gently "pulled" the extra off the bottom - no one will see this anyway. Place on the parchment paper and sprinkle with red sprinkles (or whatever you like).

As promised, here is another of the items I made for Thanksgiving last week. Remember these?

Well, I decided to do some experimenting and instead of using cake batter I used boxed pumpkin quick bread mix. They were as delicious as the first time. You can essentially make these using any boxed cake or bread mix - so get creative. Try red-velvet, or chocolate cake mix, or how about coffee cake mix? - that could be interesting. These are almost impossible to mess up!

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE BATTER TRUFFLE RECIPE
(Six Sisters)



Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.


Last weekend the hubby and I hosted a Super Bowl party. I found these adorable little footballs on Bakerella.com, a great baking blog that I frequently visit. These are so easy and surprisingly delicious - they were a huge hit at our party. These truffles are super versatile and can be done in all sorts of versions - Bakerella does many variations such as round truffles dipping in white or vanilla chocolate, mint, or shaped like these footballs.

OREO TRUFFLE RECIPE
(bakerella.com)

1 package oreo cookies (divided… use cookie including the cream center)
1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)
chocolate bark

Finely crush 7 cookies in a food processor or place them in a ziploc bag and crush into a fine consistency. Reserve for later.

Crush remaining cookies and stir in softened cream cheese. Use the back of a large spoon to help mash the two together.

Roll the mixture into 1″ balls (or in this case, form into little footballs about 1 to 1.5 inches long) and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet. (At this point, I put them in the fridge just the help them harden)

Melt chocolate as directed on the package and then dip balls into chocolate, tap off extra and set aside on wax paper covered cookie sheet to dry. You can sprinkle the tops with the 7 crushed cookies for decoration - though I didn't do this part, I just ground up all the Oreos

I made a simple icing of powdered sugar and milk and piped on the football laces. You could really create any design you like and any shape truffle you like.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.

Makes about 36 truffles.