On the seventh day of Christmas our little family…tried to make some cookies.
Take two literate, logical adults and one adorable, semi-sleepy four-month-old and add some ingredients, a few kitchen gadgets and ambition. Say a prayer. Laugh. Videotape for prosperity. Laugh some more. Go to the grocery store and buy a holiday dessert.
This was a highlight of our wonderful weekend of holiday prep. Baking cookies was a must on our list of Christmas traditions to introduce to the Little One. Not wanting to disappoint him, well, ourselves I guess, we gathered our supplies and set out Saturday evening to do whatever it took to fill our Tupperware with holiday cookies.
We settled on two kinds of cookies. First, we made sugar cookies and held the Little One on our laps as we used cookie cutters to make holiday shapes. Yes, I bought a pouch of Better Crocker sugar cookie mix and added the eggs and butter it required. I am not ashamed of cutting corners this way. Buying a simple mix is as much a tradition for us and as anything else we do.
Those finished cookies made it into our "Yum!" pile of things to eat this holiday season. Then we turned our attention to the most wonderful cookie around. Oreo balls are happiness coated in chocolate.
We have tried to make them several years in a row but often run into a speed bump. Mainly, how do we get the chocolate to melt for the dipping stage. Needless to say we once again were not successful this year. As I write, there are a couple dozen balls frozen to a plate in the freezer awaiting their glaze and a heap of dried chocolate chunk sitting in our garbage can.
Regardless of wether we finish the glazing or decide to eat them "naked," I think they are perfect. Yes, they look unusual and don't taste the way most people make them, but that wasn't our goal. I'm sure we'll eat our fair share of cookies made by much better bakers, but none will be so outstanding as the chaos we baked up together in our kitchen that night. The laughter will linger long after the taste of chocolate and Oreos fade.
I love naked oreo balls! I also loved gramham central ice cream pie! Love,laughter, and little ones are the best ingredients ever!!! Keep up the good memories - ie peppermint cake and peanut butter icing.
ReplyDeleteI can help you with chocolate melting strategies.
ReplyDeleteI always have a tough time melting chocolate on the stove-top too!
ReplyDeleteI find it easiest to use the melting chocolate from the produce department (comes in a round tub with tablets inside). You can get it in either regular or white chocolate...which would also be yummy on oreo balls!
Hey Kate for Chocolate dipping My Mom and I enjoy the microwaveable kind you can get for dipping strawberries. you can find it in the fruit section. Hope this helps. Happy Holidays.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-oreo-truffles-95085.aspx
ReplyDeleteThis is the recipe I used...it holds your hand through the process. I used trader joes and then ghiardelli semisweet baking chocolate that I melted in the microwave, no double boiler in our house.
what you need
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed (about 4-1/4 cups), divided
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
make it
MIX cream cheese and 3 cups cookie crumbs until well blended.
SHAPE into 48 (1-inch) balls. Dip in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.
HOW TO MAKE COOKIE CRUMBSCrushing OREO Cookies is a cinch with a rolling pin and a Ziploc® Brand Slider Bag with the Smart Zip™ Seal.
HOW TO MELT CHOCOLATEPlace unwrapped chocolate squares in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 2-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted, stirring every 30 sec.
HOW TO EASILY DIP TRUFFLESTo easily coat truffles with the melted chocolate, add truffles, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Use 2 forks to roll truffles in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove truffles with forks, letting excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Place truffles on prepared baking sheet; let stand until firm.