Oreo Truffles

Yes, these look and sound amazing, but they taste even better...if you like oreos of course. They are also quite easy to make, and only take 3 ingredients.

The first time I made these it was a piece of cake and they turned out great. However, I attempted them a few months later when I was in a hurry and it was not a pretty sight. So, take my advice before attempting these on your own.

**Be sure to crush your oreos first, BEFORE mixing in the cream cheese.** I tried speeding up the process by throwing the oreos and cream cheese in a bowl together before the oreos were crushed. Bad idea. I could not get the mixture to be smooth for the life of me...I tried everything, from a little hand blender to smashing them with a spoon. Unfortunately, it was too late and little tiny pieces of oreo crunched in every bite.

So, crumble your oreos by themselves first, and then mix in your cream cheese. You'll be much happier with your results. The time I made these right, I threw my oreos in a blender first, and then transferred them into a bowl with the cream cheese. The blender crushes them up quite nicely.

Now for my second tip. Once you've formed your oreo + cream cheese mixture into balls, stick them in the freezer. There's no reason why you need to dip them in the icing right away...and they will be much prettier and less crumbly if they are frozen when you dip them.

Last tip. Work fast once you melt your white confection. They settle to room temp quite quickly, and you'll find that they can be a bit messy. The nice thing is, the white confection hardens very quickly once your oreo balls have been dipped, so you don't have to wait all day to eat them. I like to trim off the extra chocolate from the bottom that dripped off the balls onto the pan. It makes them look nicer.  However, mine will never look as pretty as they do in the picture above. Oh well, at least they taste amazing!! 

Oh, if you want to add sprinkles like we did below, add them right after they've been dipped. Like I said, the confection cools very quickly and your sprinkles won't have anything to stick to if you wait a minute.

Anyway, here is the recipe with my special instructions added to it. Enjoy!

Oreo Truffles
Ingredients:
1 8 ounce package oreo cookies, finely crushed 
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 pound white baking chocolate, melted (also called white confection). Don't use white chocolate..it doesn't taste the same, and it takes much longer to harden.

Directions:
Crush your oreos in a blender. In a large bowl, combine crushed cookies and cream cheese. Beat with mixer on low speed until well blended. (I used my hands to mix them). Form 1-inch balls by hand. Harden balls in freezer. Dip balls in white chocolate and place on baking sheet covered with waxed paper. To store, cover and refrigerate. Makes 50 truffles.

*They taste better cold...My husband and I like to freeze ours.
Rating:

Difficulty:

(if you follow my tips, it will be easy for you! If not though, this could qualify as medium-difficulty)

"Best-Ever" Chocolate Chip Cookies

"Best-Ever" is a pretty bold statement, but these cookies showed up multiple times on my pinterest homepage so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. No one I follow had actually tried the recipe yet, and I wanted to know if the rumors were true!

So, here's the lowdown. If you like soft, chewy cookies, you will love these. They really are slightly fluffy and perfectly gooey—just the way I like them. AND, the flavor is delicious! 

I have included the recipe below, but there is one thing I altered. I am an almond-extract fan and this recipe doesn't call for any...so, I put in slightly less vanilla than it calls for, and added that much extra almond extract. You'll still only be adding a tiny bit of almond so it's not overwhelming, but you'll find that your cookies have the perfect "kick." Everyone who has tried them so far concurs that the almond is an essential addition.

However, if you aren't an almond fan, don't despair! Just use 2 T of Vanilla and leave out the almond! You won't be disappointed.

Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients: 

3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened 

3/4 c. brown sugar 

1/4 c. granulated sugar 

1 egg 

1 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract 

1/4 tsp. almond extract 

2 c. all purpose flour 

2 tsp. cornstarch 

1 tsp. baking soda 

1/2 tsp. salt 

3/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy and light in color. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract and blend in.

3.  Mix in flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.

4.  Using a standard-sized cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop dough onto a prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges.  (The tops will not brown, but do NOT cook longer than ten minutes.)

5.  Let cool, on the sheet, on a wire rack for five minutes.  Remove from baking sheet and let cool completely.

Rating:

Difficulty: