Oreo Truffle Tease

On Sunday night, I turned my little kitchen into a sugary chocolate zone and made the always fun, always easy, always sticky and slimy Oreo Truffles.  You know 'em - the little round treats made of three ingredients that will make just about anyone's day: cream cheese, oreos, and Baker's chocolate squares.  I got artsy, my husband got a little worried, but in the end my truffle photo shoot turned out well.  

You might need a nice cup of coffee to go with this post - get ready to eat your computer screen!

Oreo Truffles:

1 8 oz. package of softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese

2 pkgs Baker's semi-sweet chocolate squares (16 squares total)

1 pkg  Oreo cookies

assorted sprinkles and fun things :)

Toss all cookies but 9 into blender; chop into a fine oreo "dust".

Pour into large mixing bowl, mix together with softened cream cheese.

Continue to stir/fold/mix until oreo and cream cheese are throughly blended.

Melt chocolate squares in microwave, a few seconds at a time - take out between intervals, stir, replace in microwave.  Continue doing this until chocolate is completely smooth, but be careful not to "cook" it!

Roll oreo/cream cheese mixture into 1" balls and coat with melted chocolate.  Place on wax paper. Do a few at a time, decorate.

Refridgerate.  (Makes 3-4 dozen.)

*Try to wait at least a couple of hours before devouring all of them - they're way better cold.

Oh, and don't forget to clean up (why do i enjoy running soapy water through my blender?):

Ok, you got me.  I just wanted to show off my awesome blender and lime green toaster!

Quotes from a Dove Chocolate

Just thought I would throw that out there! You're drooling, aren't you? 

I'm on a little bit of a blogging drought this week, too much work and not nearly enough playtime! I'll be back tomorrow with a wonderful, thought-provoking piece. 

Until then, let me share with you my latest chocolate find:

I spotted the new Cold Stone Creamery Smooth Cravings hot cocoa mix at the grocery store yesterday, and scooped it up {in Dark Chocolate flavor}! Unfortunately, Southeastern Ohio is in the middle of a random October heatwave, so my fat Marshall University mug full of Cold Stone Hot Cocoa will have to wait.  I'm tapping my foot and counting down the days!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend - mine was filled with a delicious late Friday lunch at Red Lobster, an Old Navy shopping stop, the unsuccessful search for Minnesota Vikings gear (going to have to hit up NFLShop.com), an Ohio Bobcats win (and the debut of an amazing Ohio wild [bob]cat offense that scored 49 total points), and an evening of stand-up comedy featuring David Koechner (you know him as Todd Packer from The Office!)

It's Monday (insert sarcastic "YAY" here.) So tonight, when you're finished with work, dinner, and the dishes, take a load off and enjoy a little bit of chocolate!

Post It Note Tuesday: Peanut Butter & Chocolate!

Today is a very special edition of Post-It Note Tuesday. 

Why?

Because today...

I'm in the mood for dessert.

Specifically...

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Dessert!

(Enjoy!) 

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It's no secret that I love sweets (it's also no secret that I have to hit the gym several times per week or I would die from eating so much sweet stuff.)  With fall nipping at our heels, it's time for everything rich- spices, dark chocolate, peanut butter, pumpkin, and lots of cream cheese! 

It's all my mom and I talk about when we're on the phone!

I blame Bob Evans for getting me started on the fall desserts this soon. As I was eating my Blueberry crepe on Sunday morning, i couldn't stop looking at the new fall dessert lineup flipcards - Supreme Pumpkin Pie, Fall Harvest Pumpkin Pie, Blackberry Cobbler, and Peanut Butter Brownie Sunday. Thanks alot for a huge waistline in advance, Bob! (No, seriously... thanks!)

Head on over to Supahmommy's corner of the couch and join in the Post-it Note fun!

 

Christmas In July and Friday Fives!

Big things are poppin' today -I'm linking up at several Friday Blog Hops, it's a Christmas in July Link Party over @ The Answer is Chocolate, and it's also Friday Fives w/Beth @ Just Me and My Life! I'm attempting to combine everything today, so here goes:

Friday Fives Christmas Edition:
Five things you do to relax, de-stress, maintain your composure, or just enjoy doing for yourself (During the Holiday Season!):
1. Listen to Holiday music on my iPod, earbuds in, while I paint or sketch and nosh on candycanes.
2. Take a hot shower using Bath & Body Works Vanilla Bean Noel Shower Gel
3. Curl up on the couch and enjoy a big fat cup of Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa in my  favorite Marshall Mug, or a nice TALLE Starbucks Hot Chocolate if I'm out and about shopping.
4. Ditch work a little early, pick up some Applebees Boneless Buffalo Wings to go, hide out at home and watch a cheesy Christmas movie (I did this a couple times during the past holiday season, and it was AWESOME.)
5. Watch basketball and wrap presents with my husband after a long, crazy day of Christmas shopping (the wrapping is a de-stresser... the shopping, however, IS NOT!)



And now, for those stopping by from the Christmas in July Open House Link Party: my favorite, quickest and easiest, richest, prettiest, chocolatey-est treat to make during the Holidays - OREO TRUFFLES. 
Thousands of girls make them.  Thousands of girls eat them.  I do both.

Oreo Truffles

1 pack Oreos (use all but 8 or 9 cookies)
2 boxes (8 squares ea.) Baker's Semi-sweet melting chocolate
1 pkg (8 oz) Phili Cream Cheese

Toss Oreos in the blender and crush until fine; mix crushed Oreos with cream cheese in a large mixing bowl (this takes a while to stir, but don't give up! Mix until everything is a nice big ball of mush. Don't use a blender - It messes up the texture.)
Melt chocolate in the Microwave - only melt around 8 squares each time. I like to use a small to medium sized ceramic bowl (like Fiestaware), it heats evenly. Take chocolate out a few times, and stir several times to promote melting. Do not cook the chocolate!
Roll Oreo/cream cheese mixture into 1" balls (or use one of those nifty cookie-dough scoops, like this one from Crate&Barrel: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=744&f=10578 )
Dip into melted chocolate, and coat entirely. Place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, sprinkle on some pretty decorative sugars and other fun thingies, then place in the fridge until the chocolate coating sets - the colder they are, the better they are! They literally melt in your mouth but are extremely rich, so eat with caution. Makes a ridiculous amount (typically around 45 truffles.)
I like to play with the recipe a little - sometimes, I'll substitute chocolate oreos with Golden (vanilla) oreos, and use White (vanilla) chips instead of melting chocolate for those who aren't addicted to chocolate. Or, use different flavors of melting chocolate for the outer coating. Let your creative foodie side go crazy!
*These look great arranged inside mini cupcake liners and placed in a cute tin - delicious gift idea!

Be sure to check out both links below for some Friday Fun!

Christmas in July Open House

Friday Fives @ Just me and my life

And finally, I would like to Welcome all of those stopping in from the Friday Blog Hops!  I hope you check out some of my posts and decide to stay a little while! 

Happy FRIDAY!

Dear Chocolate

It's Wednesday!  Which means... it's time for some Mama Kat Writing Prompts! I've selected the following topic from Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop: 

"Write a letter to whatever is stopping you from losing the extra weight you'd like to lose."

After crap-tons of hard work, I'm in pretty good shape - but the one thing that has always kept me a little "soft" is sugary treats.  And my favorite sugary treat is (you probably guessed it): chocolate. 

Dear Chocolate:
     You have a special place in my tummy... that little pouch I've had underneath my belly button nearly my entire life is for you and only you. 
     Chocolate, you are what's been keeping me from having the perfect stomach for years.  You in your many forms... completely destroying any progress I make at the gym.  I try to sweat all of you out but I take you back at the end of the day - most recently in the form of those new Cheerios or lovely little Dove pieces.  
     I fell in love with you as I grew in mom's womb - her cravings of chocolate mini donuts with chocolate milk sealed my fate.  I'm just going to have to accept that your extra baggage is never going away.  I have to have you - loving you is dangerous, but I can't resist your m&ms, your Applebees Triple Chocolate Meltdown, your Ben & Jerry's Fudge Brownie Ice Cream, your Starbucks Iced Mochas... you make life so much better.  I will continue to try and get rid of you each day that I spend with the Arc Trainer and the Elliptical Machine, but I know that we'll keep crawling back to each other no matter what happens.  One thing is for sure - you will always have a special place in my chocolate pouch.

Chocolate'll Shut Her Up

Chocolate. Need I say more? It is my drug of choice. It's the single thing I REALLY indulge in. The only downside is that Chocolate definitely does not help with my current cholesterol situation. I eat A LOT of the stuff, but I also exercise quite a bit, so I do not recommend the following treats if you're a total couch potato (you know what i mean... just eat in "moderation" - whatever the heck moderation means. I certainly wouldn't know, because there is no moderation when it comes to Chocolate & I).

My FAVORITE tasty Chocolate treats (in no particular order):

Applebee's Triple Chocolate Meltdown

Who knows how many servings are on this plate - but who cares? (At least it has 3 grams of FIBER.) Eat it all anyway. And be careful - the hot fudge inside the cake is scorching. Make sure to eat a little icecream and a little cake on each spoonful to prevent tongue torch. Best if eaten after a long, stressful day @ work.

Cold Stone Creamery Chocolate Devotion ("Love it" size)

Who doesn't love chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, and a brownie all mixed up into one glob of Heaven? I love this on a Saturday afternoon.

Starbucks Hot Chocolate (Size "Tall", or "small")

I only get a small in this drink - it warms me up! And makes me happy. I especially like it when strolling through the mall during the Holiday Season. Go ahead, get the whipped cream. And it's not the same without the whole milk.

m&m's Dark Chocolate (Plain)

When a man and a woman get married, they often times discover little things about one another that are gross. I'm pretty sure that when I sit on the couch and devour a large bag of Dark Chocolate m&ms by the handfuls, I disgust Todd to no end. It could be the position i sit in, all curled up and hunched over my bag of candy, or the crunchy, nasty sounds I make when I chomp on a handful. I think the whole scene is probably pretty nasty, but it's one of my favorite ways to unload after a long, monotonous day at the office. m&ms are especially good on evenings when I don't have much to say. I just keep my mouth full :)

York Peppermint Patties

I love these, and love that you can eat your weight in them and not feel too guilty about it. I love to grab a regular size PP (LOL) at the checkout after grocery shopping. The mini sized ones are great for after lunch/after dinner... they don't really do much for my mood, but they do take care of the chocolate craving. And a little mint after eating is always good for digestion, too.

MY TRUFFLES

Anyone who's had my chocolate truffles at Christmastime knows... they are amazing. And i could sit and eat them for hours, only I know it really would kill me. They are best when chilled, and I just LOVE the way the outer chocolate shell cracks when you bite in! They're super cute/attractive when put inside mini cupcake/muffin wrappers and placed inside a decorative tin (great gift idea!)The absolute best thing about them? They're super easy to make (trust me - I don't make anything unless it's EASY):

1 pack Oreos (use all but 8 or 9 cookies)

2 boxes (8 squares ea.) Baker's Semi-sweet melting chocolate

1 pkg (8 oz) Phili Cream Cheese

Toss Oreos in the blender and crush until fine; mix crushed Oreos with cream cheese in a large mixing bowl (this takes a while to stir, but don't give up! Mix until everything is a nice big ball of mush. DO NOT USE BLENDER! It messes up the texture.)

Melt chocolate in the Microwave - only melt around 8 squares each time. I like to use a small to medium sized ceramic bowl (like Fiestaware), it heats more evenly. Take chocolate out a few times, and stir several times to promote melting. Do not cook the chocolate!

Roll Oreo/cream cheese mixture into 1" balls (or use one of those nifty cookie-dough scoops, like this one from Crate&Barrel: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=744&f=10578 )

Dip into melted chocolate, and coat entirely. Place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper, sprinkle on some pretty decorative sugars and other fun thingies, then place in the fridge until the chocolate coating sets - the colder they are, the better they are! They literally melt in your mouth but are extremely rich, so eat with caution. Makes an ungodly amount (typically around 45 truffles.)

I like to play with the recipe a little - sometimes, I'll substitute chocolate oreos with Golden (vanilla) oreos, and use White (vanilla) chips instead of melting chocolate for those who aren't addicted to chocolate. Or, use different flavors of melting chocolate for the outer coating. DO NOT put food coloring in melted white chocolate. It completely destroys the texture and hardening abilities of the chocolate!

So, are you hungry yet?

Sorry If i ruined anyone's diet today!!!