Oreo Muffins

My son loves muffins, if I haven't mentioned it before.  I think I have 5 different kinds in the freezer right now.  I make a batch, we eat them for breakfast, and they immediately go in the freezer.  Works great!  Then when he wants muffins again another day, he gets to pick what kind he wants.  I take one out, microwave it for 30 seconds, and he get a warm muffin for breakfast!  

I saw this recipe on Knead for Speed, and knew I just had to make it.  So when I had Oreo's left from making Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies, I knew exactly how to use them up.  Because eating them straight out of the bag by the handful seemed like a bad idea.  As much as I wanted to, I had to resist! 

Oreo Muffins
Recipe from Knead for Speed
Printable Recipe

Muffins:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup skim milk
12 Oreos, coarsely crushed

Streusel:
2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, diced
6 Oreos, finely crushed

Preheat oven to 385 degrees F.  Grease or line muffin tin with liners.

Prepare streusel first.  Stir together flour, sugar, and finely crushed Oreos in a small bowl.  Cut in butter until consistency becomes like coarse meal.  Refrigerate 10 minutes.



Whisk together flour and baking powder in a medium bowl.  Set aside.



Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, stirring between additions.  Add vanilla.  Add flour all at once.  Mix on low speed for a few seconds, then add milk and continue mixing just until incorporated.  Fold in crushed oreos.




Divide batter between 10-12 muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full.  Evenly sprinkle Oreo streusel atop batter.



Bake 16-18 minutes, or until done.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you have ever wondered if there was a way to add more calories and make a more delicious Chocolate Chip Cookie - I have the answer for you.  It is a resounding YES!!  Thanks to everyone in the blogosphere who have published cookies like this on their site, I couldn't resist.  You take an Oreo, and surround it with cookie dough, bake, and then you have the most delicious cookie! 

My son came home from school, and I let him have one for his snack.  He wanted to know what it was inside there.  I wouldn't tell him, I wanted to see his face when he figured it out.  It was pure joy on a 6 year olds face.  WHAT?!?!  An Oreo is in here?!  He was so excited, he had chocolate practically from ear to ear (these cookies are HUGE).  He took one in his lunch the next day to school, and all the kids were amazed by his cookie.  He said he got a lot of "How did your Mom DO that?!"  So without further ado....the recipe.


Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup crisco shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 bag chocolate chips
Oreos

This is a pretty standard chocolate chip cookie recipe.  The one main difference is most cookies call for 2 sticks of butter, instead of the shortening.  I grew up with these cookies, it was always how my mom made them.  It wasn't until I met my husband that he questioned why I put shortening in a cookie.  I had never looked at another recipe to know that I did it differently.  I think this makes a much softer, chewier cookie.  I think they stay moist longer, and I just like it better.  So if you are feeling daring, go out on a limb and try your next batch of chocolate chip cookies this way - you will not be disappointed!  Sorry, got side tracked.



Cream butter and sugar together.  Add in the eggs and vanilla.  Mix in the flour and baking soda and salt.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Then comes the magic.  Take a ball of cookie dough and place it on a cookie sheet.  Top with an Oreo.  Then take another ball of dough and place that on stop of the Oreo. 



Then squish the dough all around the Oreo - so it looks like a big glob of cookie dough.



Bake at 350 for about 14 minutes.  It will take a little longer than it normally would to bake a chocolate chip cookie.  When it comes out of the oven, oh my word is it good.  I was thinking I would let it cool a little before I tried it, not sure what the Oreo would do in the baking process.  But I couldn't wait, and it was delicious.  Now if you want to go all out - use a Double Stuffed Oreo!!! 

Pies, Pies, Pies

I found these Thin Mint Pies on Lick The Bowl Good, and they are awesome! I made them last week for a business dinner my husband had at our house. They went over very well, so I am making them again! My son has his first ever music program at school tonight. He has a speaking part!! Both sets of grandparents are coming to watch the program. This means I have to have dinner and everything for 7 people and be out the door by 6pm to get to school. These little pies seem perfect! I used up my Girl Scout cookies last week, but I found Keebler makes a Grasshopper cookie, that looks and tastes like a Thin Mint - so you can make this pie year around!

Creamy Thin Mint Pies
Makes 1 - 9 inch pie, or 10 mini pies
2 packed cups chocolate cookie crumbs
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1-8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream (makes 2 cups whipped cream)
1 tsp mint extract
Pinch of Salt
1 sleeve Girl Scout Thin Mints (16 cookies, divided)


I used a food processor to make quick work of the Oreo's. Mix the melted butter with the cookie crumbs, and press into the pie plate. Put it in the fridge while you make the filling. You could easily use a store bought crust for this. I could not find the mini pre-made crusts anywhere around here. I like the idea of individual desserts, and they are just so cute! I also could not find the disposable mini pie tins either. So I raided my cabinets and came up with enough small dishes to make individual pies.



To make the filling take 11 Thin Mints and break them up. I put them in a plastic bag, and took a frying pan to it. Helped with some frustration as well :) You still want them in big chunks, not crumbs. Using an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until it becomes fluffy.


Put the whipped cream in a separate bowl. Beat the cream cheese, mint extract, pinch of salt and the sugar together until it becomes creamy. Fold together the cream cheese and the whipped cream. Then gently stir in the cookie pieces. Scoop into the pie crust. Top with the remaining cookies, cut in half.

I had problems cutting the cookies in half, so I just used the whole cookie. Didn't figure I would get any complaints by my tasters.

If you look closely you will notice one of these things is not like the other. My mom is not a big fan of mint, so I stirred in crushed up Oreo's, and topped with an Oreo. I am hoping it will be equally delicious.

Store these in the fridge overnight. They get more minty the longer the sit.