Oreo bark

So, I made what some people would consider to be a "mistake." I told my husband, "Oh, babe, I love you soooo much that I'm' going to make treats for all your co-workers! It's going to be awesome and they're going to love you and love me and it will be fabulous." Then I casually asked how many co-workers he had.

"18."

That is a LOT of baking. And time. And money. So I decided to fill a few large $1 Christmas plates up with mostly no-bake goodies for those fabulous folks at the church. I also decided to be selfish. See, I don't do anything mint-chocolate. Nothing. That's blasphemy, to taint the flavor of my beloved chocolate with anything other than peanut butter.

Who does that? This is a rhetorical question since I realize I am the 1% of the world that hates this combo. Moving on.

This is such a cool recipe, and as someone who is not a fan of white chocolate, I can say this is delicious. So give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 2 bags white chocolate chips
• 18 regular Oreos

Directions:

• Melt the chocolate chips in a double broiler on a very low heat, stirring constantly until completely melted.
• Pour chocolate into a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes to cool.
• Crush 15 of the Oreos in a large ziploc bag and add to the chocolate. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
• Place a piece of wax paper in a shallow baking pan and pour chocolate/Oreo mixture in it. Using a spoon, spread evenly.
• Crush the remaining 3 Oreos and sprinkle on top of the mixture.
• Refrigerate for about 20 minutes or until very hard.
• Lift hardened Oreo mixture by lifting the wax paper out of the pan and placing on the counter.
• Use a knife (carefully) and break up bark.
• Remove the actual chunks and dispose of all the crumbs. Yes, you may eat them off the counter. No one is watching.

To answer your question, yes, your counters will be a mess. And it will even get on the floor. But it will be worth it when you see...well, hear about...the looks on your husband's co-workers' faces.

It might not be worth the thirdhand experience for me, but it will be worth it for you.

Love and no-bake,

Rachael

Gooey Chocolate Butter Cookies

So, Rebekkah and I threw a Christmas cookie swap.

And it was awesome.

There were 5 other lovely ladies there who made fantastic cookies, and yes, they did "follow the rules" and make Christmas-themed cookies. I, on the other hand, am rebellious and pushed the limits.
Is there anything Christmas-y about my cookies? No. But man, were they good.

My apologies-I'm bragging. Let's just get on with it. This is so easy. It's easier than any other cookie recipe I've ever tried (literally). It's just a few basic ingredients, and they'll be a huge hit.

Here we go.

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. block of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
• Powdered sugar

Directions:

• Throw the block of softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
• Add the stick of butter. Doesn't this have the makings of a healthy, nutritious dessert?)
• Mix it up. A friend of mine at work made these cookies after I brought her some to taste, and she tried to mix it by hand. BIG mistake. Do yourself a favor and use an electric mixer.

 Unless you want guns like this. Ow ow.

• Add an egg
• Add the vanilla 
• Mix it up.
• Add the chocolate cake mix and mix it up. It should come out as a very thick, rich texture. Go ahead and eat a few spoonfuls. I won't tell.
• You'll need to refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes; preferably an hour or two. When it's chilled, it's easier to roll into balls. 
• Once it's been refrigerated, roll them into little balls.
• Pour some powdered sugar into a separate bowl.
• Cover each ball completely
• Put them on a non-stick pan about an inch apart.
• Bake them at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. They are supposed to be gooey, so if they're still soft when you pull them out of the oven, that's a good thing. And the cracked look is how it's supposed to be.

And that's that, folks! Make these...they're insanely good.

Love,

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