Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Oreo Truffle-Swirled Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Right now, there's only three things I want from life...

change

adventures

and chocolate chip cookies.

Sometimes I forget I'm only 25 and get stuck in "this is it" thinking.

As in... the way my life is right now is the way it's going to be forever.


So not true.

So, to snap myself out of that, I've been daydreaming up a new chapter for my life and I think I'll just be real with you and put it out there.

Basically... I think I'd like to be a grown-up Veronica Mars who just so happens to own a bakery. I think it's perfect. A handful of cops (who just so happen to look the cast of Magic Mike, if you please) will stop by  early every morning for fresh-baked bear claws and cinnamon-sugar doughnuts. I'll pour coffee and bake cinnamon rolls and definitely flirt just a little as I pester them about their cases.

Blonde hair and cinnamon rolls will make anybody talk.


Sometimes I'll cater fancy, important events for people who may or may not be involved criminal activities. Weddings. Society parties. Masquerade balls. I can totally see myself in a classy black dress, spiky, glittery heels, a diamond necklace (it's secretly a video camera), sneaking around with pepper spray and handcuffs in a silver clutch after serving red velvet cupcakes all night.

I've thought this out a little bit.

And sometimes I'll team-up with my super cute police boyfriend and go undercover. Hello, who would suspect that quiet, innocent baker girl? She bakes cookies, what could she know? Naturally this leads to all kinds of bad, epic situations... high speed car chases, breaking into abandoned buildings, dodging bullets... basically stumbling into trouble wherever I can find it.

Kind of like real life.

And, also kind of like real life, after hunting for clues, staking out suspects, and bringing down the bad guy, I'll keep it real at the end of the day, go home, and eat kettlecorn for dinner. Then I'll watch Pretty Little Liars and make Oreo truffles... which I'll swirl into chocolate chip cookies like it's a totally normal thing to do. 

Because it totally is.


These cookies.

These are the best cookies I have ever made.

Crispy edges. Rich, soft centers. Semisweet and white chocolate chips. Swirls of Oreo cheesecake truffles.

It's a chocolate chip cookie meets cookies & cream explosion.

And the only time "this is it" thinking is perfectly acceptable. Put these in your life!



Oreo Truffle-Swirled Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable Recipe

Oreo Truffles
21 Oreo cookies, finely crushed
3 ounces cream cheese, softened

Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (or browned) plus 1 tablespoon and slightly cooled
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Line a small baking dish with foil; set aside. Crush Oreo cookies in a food processor or blender until finely ground, then in a medium bowl, mix with softened cream cheese until truffle forms. Press into foil-lined baking dish and flatten with hands. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt (or brown) 1 stick butter plus 1 tablespoon; pour into a separate bowl to cool slightly.

In a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the other stick of butter with the granulated sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and molasses and beat until incorporated. Add the slightly cooled butter and the brown sugar and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until fully incorporated. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add all at once to the butter mixture and mix on low until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and white chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Remove Oreo truffles from freezer and cut into small pieces. Gently fold them into the cookie dough. 

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll or scoop dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.


Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven (I pressed mine down slightly with the back of a spatulaand let cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Cookie base adapted from the Joy the Baker cookbook.