No Bake Red Velvet Oreo Trufles

The big move keeps creeping closer! Now that we found a place and rented a moving truck -- it's all about wrapping up the little things. But it is always the little things that add up and make you a little bonkers. On top of that I am co-hosting both a bachlorette party and a baby shower in the same week. ::breathe in and breathe out:: Thankfully, I have a few celebrations squeezed in. Last Thursday we had an end of the semester/we are going off to internship celebration at Napa Flats. I was excited because I heard really good things about this place. I got the blackened red fish, tried a bit of the poblano mac n' cheese and had the Ghiradelli brownie.

The dinner was super fun. But I cannot say the same about the food. It was a total let down. The food was completely bland and eh -- I am pretty sure I could have bought a frozen fish, chopped up some vegetables and still got something yummier. Which is absolutely pathetic for a restaurant of the caliber they claim to be.

I tasted the poblano mac n' cheese -- which was decent. The concept sounds amazing and I will probably try to make it for the hubby -- but it was a white mac n' cheese with maybe a hint of poblano. It was delicious only in that it was mac n' cheese. I finished with the brownie topped with cookies n' cream gelato. It was good but not amazing -- but who am I to turn down a free brownie?!?

So its dessert time :) I was a big fan of the seasonal Red Velvet Oreos that were released for Valentine's Day. And took down a pack in less time than a normal person should ever do. I thought I would never see them again, but a little while ago the local Target had a close out sale on them! Well, I could not just let them go to waste. I knew I had to use them to make truffles and spread the joy that is Red Velvet Oreos to others. Sure enough everyone who tried them, loved them. I think the words used were yummy, delicious, and super moist. Dear Nabisco - I really hope you bring these delicious cookies back! Until then you can still buy these on Amazon.

RED VELVET OREOS TRUFFLES

From Home is where the Boat is  

INGREDIENTS 

1 (10.7 oz) package of Red Velvet Oreos
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
10-12 oz. of vanilla almond bark
1-2 tbsp. of olive oil
Red sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

Making the Oreo Truffles:
First crush Oreos. Here is what you can do:

• The  Oreo pack comes in three columns. I placed each of the these "batches," one at a time, in the food processor to get a nice, even consistency of crushed Oreo. If you put too many Oreo in the food processor at once, you are likely to get lumps of cookie that are not crushed. 
• If you do not have a food processor- you can crush the Oreos by placing each batch in (1) in a blender or (2) in a freezer size Ziplock back and crushing them by hand or with a rolling pin.

After each batch was crushed, I dumped the crushed Oreos into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment. Once all the Oreo have been crushed and placed in the bowl- add in the cream cheese. Mix until well combined and a dough like consistency has formed. Place in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Roll into 1 inch sized truffles. Place in freezer for 15 minutes or in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Dipping the Oreo Truffles:
In the meantime, melt either chocolate bark or candy melts according to package directions. This is my secret, once the chocolate is melted I stir in the vegetable oil. This makes the chocolate have a smoother and shinier coating :)

Now, I am going to tell you how I get perfectly dipped cake truffles but if you have your own method that works-- you are more than welcome to do it that way--this is just whats worked best for me. Once chocolate has melted, take an Oreo truffle and while holding the top half, dip the bottom half into the chocolate, then dip a cake pop stick into the chocolate (about 1/2 inch) and push into the center of the truffle until about, no more, than half way through. Let cool. This will make it much easier to dip the rest of the truffle- otherwise I have found that the truffle either gets stuck in the chocolate or falls off the stick.

Once cooled, dip the top of the truffle and a little part of the bottom, that was already coated into the chocolate. Immediately cover with sprinkles and allow to cool by sticking into flower foam. Once dried- holding the truffle with one hand, gently twist (while pulling slightly down) the cake pop stick with your other hand, and pull the stick out.

If you love these check out my No Bake Oreo Truffles and No Bake Golden Oreo Truffles.

Enjoy,

Mint Oreo Brookies

The great part about some of the dessert recipes I am sharing with you is that they tend to be "winter" desserts that you can make anytime in the season and a lot of the mint chocolate recipes are great for St. Patrick's Day. Hahaha, yes, I am already thinking ahead for upcoming holidays! I can't wait, especially for Valentine's Day! I love that holiday!

Today I woke up early to do my after holiday sale creeping. I had high hopes from last year but sadly this year I was a bit disappointed -- well somewhat. I love using after holiday sales to stock up on dog toys. I really love Ninja having a lot of toys but he also can rip up toys fairly quickly. And since Ninja has no clue (and probably wouldn't care) that he's playing with Christmas toys in the summer ;) it works perfectly. BUT this year there was nothing but a few things left :/ I was able to pick up a few really nice Christmas things like gift tags, ribbons, bows and wrapping paper. And they are so cute that I cannot wait till next year! AND I made the hubby promise that next year we could spend the holidays with my family!

If you remember, I love cookie bars because it's the fun of eating a cookie without all the scooping BUT I have never made a brookie!!! I love when I make something for the first time. These are super simple to whip up BUT if you want it even easier (like making these in less than 30 minutes) you can use a family size fudge brownie boxed mix. This will cut your prep time down significantly. These brookies have the same amazing fudgey goodness of brownies! Plus they have that awesome crunch of Oreos and the melty mint goodness of the Oreo filling.

MINT OREO BROOKIES 

Adapted from Averie Cooks

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 stick of butter, melted
1 large egg
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. of peppermint or mint extract
20 Mint Oreos, quartered

*to cut down on prep time you can use boxed brownie mix. 

DIRECTIONS

Line a 8 x 8 baking dish with aluminum foil. Grease aluminum foil with butter, shortening or cooking spray. This will help when removing bars from baking dish, allow for cooling, and easier, cleaner cutting into squares.

In a small bowl, sift and then whisk together cocoa powder and flour. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, combine melted butter (slightly cooled as you don't want to cook the eggs), eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and peppermint extract. Stir in dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.

Remove from stand mixer and fold half of the Oreos into the batter. Transfer batter to baking dish and spread evenly using a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining Oreos evenly over the batter and then slightly press into the batter. Bake for 28-30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting.

Enjoy,
Chika  

Mint Oreo Crunch Cookies

I wanted to share some other fun things I have done while I was MIA. Another place I tried when in Houston was this place called Bombay Pizza. Ironically the hubby heard about this place while we lived in Houston but we were under the impression it was in the underground tunnels which are open Monday thru Friday from 9am-5pm. But we were wrong apparently :/ Being absurdly Sri Lankan, I love all things with curry, tandori, tikka, paneer, etc. :) Hahaha...what type of Sri Lankan, generally brown person, would I be if I did not?!? Well I told my cousin about this place when they moved here. And apparently they were interested enough to have gone...several times!

So when I went down to Houston, they took me there. I was sad because the hubby had wanted to go but he was not down visiting me that night. BUT no worries, I brought him my half of what I got...that way we could share in the experience! I know...corny...bu I love him so much! I ordered a pizza (they have rolls, pasta, etc.). For my toppings I chose tandoori chicken, tandoori panner (it's a cheese), and bombay sauce (a spicy curry type sauce) with mushrooms. I could have easily eaten an 8 inch pizza all by myself. Bombay Pizza was featured on Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate, how cool, right?!? And I know why...it was DELICIOUS! And it inspired me. I see me making an Indian pizza in the near future. I love cool twists and creation of fusion foods! First Fat Bao and now this!

The lighting was awful, so I'm sorry for the picture.

This was one of my more favorite recipes that I made. It had all the things that I love: Oreo, Chocolate and Mint! The hubby doesn't like mint, especially mint + chocolate (not sure if I've already told you guys). I think its weird...and I may have called him a weirdo. Okay, I love him, but I can still call him weirdo, right? Well the cookie was a soft chocolate pudding cookie, with a perfect mint Oreo crunch and then melted chunks of Andes in it. It's like the ultimate mint chocolate treat!

CHOCOLATE OREO MINT CRUNCH COOKIES

Inspired by Baker Girl

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 350F Degrees

2 c. of flour
1/3 c. cocoa powder (Hershey's Special Dark)
3.4-3.9 oz. chocolate pudding mix (dry)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 stick of butter, softened
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
12-15 mint Oreos, quartered
4.67 oz package of Andes, chopped (or Andes baking chips) 

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, chocolate pudding mix and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until fluffy, approximately 5-8 minutes. Next, mix in eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Then, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, slowly mixing until just incorporated. Remove from stand mixer and gently fold in Oreos and Andes.

Line baking sheet with a baking mat, aluminum foil, parchment paper, or wax paper. Using a cookie scoop (or large spoon)- scoop out 1 1/12 inch cookie dough balls onto sheet (roll between between palms of your hands for a nice round shape). Space the cookies 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet. Press down on each cookie to flatten, these cookies do not spread at all- so make sure to press down. Bake 8-10 minutes and let cool before serving (but not too much, melted Andes chocolate is delicious ;).

Enjoy,
Chika

No Bake Oreo Truffle Eyeballs

Day 2 of my Spooktacular countdown to Halloween!!! Whoo! :) I will make this short and sweet (haha...sweet...get it?) Because this is part 2 of a two part post. Click here to see my No-Bake Oreo Truffle (i.e., Oreo Truffles minus the Eye ball ;) -- when you want to make Oreo truffles any other time of year).

The hubby has a work Halloween party each year where they host a competition for the most ghoulish dessert. I noticed that when searching for "ghoulish" or creepy Halloween desserts, there is not much out there. Plus, when looking for something that looks creepy but is easy to make, it is especially hard to find :/ Trust me, I have spent hours searching for treats and foods to make for my Spooktacular countdown. Sure, I could just make anything but that would not be fun!

::queue superhero music:: For the Love of Dessert to the rescue ;) hahaha..just kidding. In doing a Google search I found this picture of a cakeball or truffle eyeball (did not know which, because the link did not take me to the recipe -- don't you hate that?!?) and since I was already going to make Oreo Truffles -- I decided to tweak what I saw, so that it would be something anyone could make. And sure enough, I got a delicious recipe that was yummy that looked just a bit creepy! This would be a fantastic Halloween party treat that catches people eyes and their tummy! And if you want you can do what I did, make half as regular truffles and half as eye balls. For those squeamish people who might not want to digest eyeballs ;)

OREO TRUFFLE EYEBALLS

A For the Love of Dessert Original Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 regular or family size package of Oreos, finely crushed 

8 oz. cream cheese (slightly softened)

12 oz of white candy melts or baking chocolate 

1-2 tsp. vegetable oil

7 oz. pack of Life Savers Gummies 

Chocolate chips

Red pen with edible ink

*Ghiradelli's chocolate melts are delicious but regular store brands work too.

DIRECTIONS

Making the Oreo Truffles:
First crush Oreos. Here is what you can do:

• The  Oreo pack comes in three columns. I divided each column in half. I placed each of the these "batches," one at a time, in the food processor to get a nice, even consistency of crushed Oreo. If you put too many Oreo in the food processor at once, you are likely to get lumps of cookie that are not crushed. 
• If you do not have a food processor- you can crush the Oreos by placing each batch in (1) in a blender or (2) in a freezer size Ziplock back and crushing them by hand or with a rolling pin.

After each batch was crushed, I dumped them into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment. Once all the Oreo have been crushed and placed in the bowl- add in the cream cheese. Mix until well combined and a dough like consistency has formed. When you have reached a dough like consistency- roll into 1 inch sized truffles. Place in freezer for 15 minutes or in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Dipping the Oreo Truffles:
In the meantime, melt either chocolate bark or candy melts according to package directions. This is my secret, once the chocolate is melted I stir in the vegetable oil. This makes the chocolate have a smoother and shinier coating :)

Now, I am going to tell you how I get perfectly dipped cake truffles but if you have your own method that works-- you are more than welcome to do it that way--this is just whats worked best for me. Once chocolate has melted, take an Oreo truffle and while holding the top half, dip the bottom half into the chocolate, then dip a cake pop stick into the chocolate (about 1/2 inch) and push into the center of the truffle until about, no more, than half way through. Let cool. This will make it much easier to dip the rest of the truffle- otherwise I have found that the truffle either gets stuck in the chocolate or falls off the stick.

Once cooled, dip the top of the truffle and a little part of the bottom, that was already coated into the chocolate. Immediately center a Life Saver on the top of the Oreo truffle (Life saver writing side diwn). Then place a chocolate chip, upside down (point down), into the center of the Life Saver. Push down and hold Life Saver and chocolate chip for 2 seconds to set in. Allow to cool by sticking into flower foam. Once dried- holding the truffle with one hand, gently twist (while pulling slightly down) the cake pop stick with your other hand, and pull the stick out. Using your red pen with edible ink, draw veins.

Enjoy,

Chika

No Bake Oreo Truffles

When I was dating the hubby for just a few months, he had come over to my apartment with a friend. I was making him brownies (yes from a box) because I wanted to do something special. His friend asked the hubby if I was a good cook. My ears perked up because I wanted to know the answer (of course -- every girl, or at least me, wants a guy they are interested in, to think they are a good cook. Especially if we were just newly dating, I thought it would be a good indicator of what he thought about our relationship and me long term). Well, the hubby responded along the lines of -- I was a good cook as long as it came out of a box! ::insert shock, disgusted face:: I was not a happy camper. But I did not want to throw a fit, so I just kept my head down. I was angry and sad. From that moment on, I just knew I wanted to rub those words in his cute face ;) And each year I worked on my culinary skills until now -- having a blog, with every post, I do in fact bring up this very story and rub it in! ;) He has to eat his own words so to say!

I am an Oreo addict. If there was a 12-step Oreo program, I would definitely be the perfect candidate for it. I sneak Oreos when no one is looking and crave it non-stop...it's bad... I have made several Oreo recipes before. And I never seem to get tired of Oreos or cookies n' cream recipes. There is just something so overwhelming delicious about Oreos. I mean seriously!?! Though I have to say, that most people love the Oreo filling but for me, I am all about the cookie. which is perfect because the hubby loves the filling and I love the cookie :) See, we were just meant to be. But really, I have never met anyone who hates Oreos. It's like not being a fan of puppies! ;)

I never tried Oreo Truffles until I moved to Texas. I went to a Christmas party my in-laws were hosting and someone had made these. The hubby was immediately hooked. But at the time I did not know what they were, because it was a big party and I didn't know who to ask about making them. Then, we had a party through our program and another student had made these. I thought to myself, that I was clearly missing out and needed to figure out how to make these ASAP. The first time I made these (way before I started blogging) they came out miserably. My Oreos broke apart in the chocolate and the chocolate went all over the place. But with time, and learning my own way to dip cake balls and truffles, I have mastered the Oreo Truffle. I've made a No Bake Golden Oreo Truffle recipe before as well, so check it out! These babies are delicious and addicting. Trust me when I say that you cannot just have one Oreo Truffle. They are super easy to make, but dipping can be tricky. Definitely will be a hit at any party!

OREO TRUFFLES 

A For the Love of Dessert Original Recipe 

INGREDIENTS 

1 regular or family size package of Oreos, finely crushed 

8 oz. cream cheese (slightly softened)

12 oz of white candy melts or baking chocolate 

1-2 tsp. vegetable oil

Sprinkles 

*Ghiradelli's chocolate melts are delicious but regular store brands work too.

DIRECTIONS

Making the Oreo Truffles:
First crush Oreos. Here is what you can do:

• The  Oreo pack comes in three columns. I divided each column in half. I placed each of the these "batches," one at a time, in the food processor to get a nice, even consistency of crushed Oreo. If you put too many Oreo in the food processor at once, you are likely to get lumps of cookie that are not crushed. 
• If you do not have a food processor- you can crush the Oreos by placing each batch in (1) in a blender or (2) in a freezer size Ziplock back and crushing them by hand or with a rolling pin.

After each batch was crushed, I dumped them into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment. Once all the Oreo have been crushed and placed in the bowl- add in the cream cheese. Mix until well combined and a dough like consistency has formed. When you have reached a dough like consistency- roll into 1 inch sized truffles. Place in freezer for 15 minutes or in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Dipping the Oreo Truffles:
In the meantime, melt either chocolate bark or candy melts according to package directions. This is my secret, once the chocolate is melted I stir in the vegetable oil. This makes the chocolate have a smoother and shinier coating :)

Now, I am going to tell you how I get perfectly dipped cake truffles but if you have your own method that works-- you are more than welcome to do it that way--this is just whats worked best for me. Once chocolate has melted, take an Oreo truffle and while holding the top half, dip the bottom half into the chocolate, then dip a cake pop stick into the chocolate (about 1/2 inch) and push into the center of the truffle until about, no more, than half way through. Let cool. This will make it much easier to dip the rest of the truffle- otherwise I have found that the truffle either gets stuck in the chocolate or falls off the stick.

Once cooled, dip the top of the truffle and a little part of the bottom, that was already coated into the chocolate. Immediately cover with sprinkles and allow to cool by sticking into flower foam. Once dried- holding the truffle with one hand, gently twist (while pulling slightly down) the cake pop stick with your other hand, and pull the stick out.

If you love these check out my No Bake Golden Oreo Truffles and No Bake Red Velvet Oreo Truffles.

Enjoy,

Chika

No Bake Golden Oreo Truffles

Today is the hubby and I's one year anniversary! They say the first year of marriage is always the hardest (though when talking to married couples I got the first five years...oh boy....). I do have to say- there was some time needed to adjust to living with one another, getting to know each others little quirks in how each of us liked to arrange things. It's amazing how much you continue to learn about your significant other when you start living together, no matter how long you dated before. Though- quirks, bumps and all-- it went by fast! It truly felt like I married the hubby just a month ago! I have loved every minute of married life and being a "Mrs." :) I really feel lucky to be married to the hubby! Happy Anniversary to us! I'll save the rest of the corny talk for the hubby!

Our day started off by giving each other our "surprises." We agreed to not be too extravagant, as we just like simple things BUT I cheated. See, I married a gamer. I have come to terms with that ;) And the Nintendo Wii-U came out. And so I decided to splurge and get the hubby the new system, which I knew he wanted (sadly, I found out the Play Station 4 is coming out....so I see that in my near future ;). I also got him a game to go along with it. He was sooo excited! It was absolutely adorable! He was expecting something small- like a basket of treats he has never tried before, maybe some shirts for work, but not a gaming system. Score for me! And I am quite proud of myself- because I did the research and everything myself- and not being a gamer- I have to say, it's quite complicated. The hubby got me, by far, my favorite card ever! It was so sweet! And my favorite flowers and one of my favorite treats- cake balls :) I may have already eaten them all :/

For dinner we headed off to one of College Station's few "nice" restaurants.  It's called Christopher's World Grille. I like it because even though it is  "fancy" it's really quite simple and not pretentious. You can really sit down and have a nice quiet, romantic meal. For our appetizer I got the crawfish and shrimp fondue (for two- but the hubby's not a fan of shrimp or crawfish) and the hubby got onion soup. Then for our main course, I got a chicken with goat cheese mashed potatoes and fresh veggies. The hubby got a snapper with veggies. And for dessert- I got a napoleon and the hubby got a spiced toffee cake. This place had a TON of desserts. And I love it! I truly will pick restaurants based on their desserts and not their main entrees. It was super sweet- because when we had made our reservations they asked us if it was for something "special" and we told them our first wedding anniversary. Well- when my dessert came out- I got a specially decorated dessert from the chef :)We finished the night off by eating the top tier of our wedding cake! It was perfect!

And since it is our anniversary. I cannot share anything but dessert. And so I decided to do one dessert that did two things: (1) keep the theme of cake balls/truffles going and (2) make a pun on the hubby and I. I present you Golden Oreo Truffles. Have you ever had traditional Oreo Truffles? I saw this twist to the Oreo Truffle using the Golden Oreos instead. It seemed really cute, so I tried it. Plus it keeps to my anniversary theme of cake balls. Then- Golden Oreo balls, ::laugh::, are the hubby and me- a little bit of vanilla and a little bit of chocolate to make awesome ::cue corny:: COME ON...its funny right?

NO BAKE GOLDEN OREO TRUFFLES 

Slightly Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

INGREDIENTS

1 family size package of Golden Oreos, finely crushed
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
12 oz of baking chocolate (or Candy Melts)*
1-2 tsp. vegetable oil
Sprinkles

*Ghiradelli's Baking Bars are delicious but regular store brands work wonderfully too!

DIRECTIONS

Making the Oreo Truffles:
First crush Oreos. Here is what you can do:

• The family size Oreo pack comes in three columns. I divided each column in half. I placed each of the these "batches," one at a time, in the food processor to get a nice, even consistency of crushed Oreo. If you put too many Oreo in the food processor at once, you are likely to get lumps of cookie that are not crushed. 
• If you do not have a food processor- you can crush the Oreos by placing each batch in (1) in a blender or (2) in a freezer size Ziplock back and crushing them by hand or with a rolling pin.

After each batch was crushed, I dumped them into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment. Once all the Oreo have been crushed and placed in the bowl- add in the cream cheese. Mix until well combined and a dough like consistency has formed. When you have reached a dough like consistency- roll into 1 inch sized truffles. Place in freezer for 15 minutes or in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Dipping the Oreo Truffles:
In the meantime, melt either chocolate bark or candy melts according to package directions. This is my secret, once the chocolate is melted I stir in the vegetable oil. This makes the chocolate have a smoother and shinier coating :)

Now, I am going to tell you how I get perfectly dipped cake truffles but if you have your own method that works-- you are more than welcome to do it that way--this is just whats worked best for me. Once chocolate has melted, take an Oreo truffle and while holding the top half, dip the bottom half into the chocolate, then dip a cake pop stick into the chocolate (about 1/2 inch) and push into the center of the truffle until about, no more, than half way through. Let cool. This will make it much easier to dip the rest of the truffle- otherwise I have found that the truffle either gets stuck in the chocolate or falls off the stick.

Once cooled, dip the top of the truffle and a little part of the bottom, that was already coated into the chocolate. Immediately cover with sprinkles and allow to cool by sticking into flower foam. Once dried- holding the truffle with one hand, gently twist (while pulling slightly down) the cake pop stick with your other hand, and pull the stick out.

If you love these check out my No Bake Oreo Truffles and No Bake Red Velvet Oreo Truffles. 

Enjoy,
Chika