No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake Bites

These little bite-size goodies were delicious! I was going to try something different with the recipe because I wanted to have enough to share at work and make them easy to grab-n-go. So, I used mini-muffin tins and ended up making 40 mini versions, 1 8" cake pan version AND I still had a good portion of filling left over...after nomming on some, of course, because how could I let any of it go to waste? The recipe below has my tweaks added in so please don't ignore my earlier warning, you will have LOTS of the cheesecake mixture to work with so don't be shy.

No-Bake Oreo Cheesecake Bites

Crust:

1 1/2 cup crushed graham cracker

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

7 Tbsp unsalted butter(melted)

1. Combine graham cracker crumbs with sugar.

2. Add melted butter and blend until combined.

3. Press into pan. I measured about 2 Tbsp and used the bottom of a medicine cup to really press the crust into the pan. Set aside.

Cheesecake:

2 1/4 C heavy cream

1 pound cream cheese, softened

2/3 C sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla powder

3/4 cups Oreo Cookies, crushed

1. Beat heavy cream until medium peaks form. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl: add cream cheese, sugar, salt, vanilla powder, lemon juice to a bowl and beat with the whisk attachment until smooth (approximately 3-5 mins). If you do not have a stand mixer or a whisk attachment a hand beater will work as well, but will take twice as long to achieve a smooth consistency (but everyone needs a stand mixer in their life!).

3. Add cream cheese mixture to heavy cream and beat until incorporated.

4. Gently fold in Oreo cookies.

5. Fill chosen pan with a slight mound at the center, as the cheesecake will become slightly sunken at the center.

6. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set or overnight for best results.

7. Remove from refrigerator and smooth top to level with edges. Serve with whipping cream and garnish with mini Oreos.

I would also suggest not putting the whipped cream on these little babes until you are ready to serve. Even just a couple of hours in the fridge, the whipped cream on mine started to fall and they just weren't as pretty. We all know this doesn't affect the taste, but it will most definitely affect the appearance.

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"Mountain Dew" Cupcakes

As a Mountain Dew junkie, I can honestly say that these were a little disappointing. As a citrus fan, I would say these were fantastic! The crew at work liked them, but I am probably going to tweak the recipe if I attempt these again. The flavor was excellent (as long as you're a citrus fan) and the consistency was fine, I just feel a little misled with the Mountain Dew Cupcake title.

"Mountain Dew" Cupcakes

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

3/4 cup Mountain Dew

1/4 cup of lemon and lime juice (juice from 1 lemon and 1 lime)

Zest from half of one lemon and 1 whole lime

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat butter on medium for 30 seconds. Add sugar and lemon, lime zest. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, Scrape sides of bowl in between additions

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to mixer bowl. Turn on low for 5 seconds.

Add the Mountain Dew, lemon/lime juice, and lemon extract . Mix to combine.

Scoop into cupcake papers about two-thirds full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

"Mountain Dew" Buttercream

1 cup butter

4-5 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons Mountain Dew

Juices from half of 1 lemon and half of 1 lime

Zest from half of 1 lemon and 1 whole lime

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Neon green food coloring OR Yellow & Green Sprinkles

Beat butter at medium-high speed until creamy - about 5 minutes. Mix in about half of the powdered sugar.

Add the Mountain Dew, zest, and lemon extract . Beat until combined. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar until you get to the consistency and sweetness you like.

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Cookie Dough Truffles...YES Please!

I took these in to work today and they were a HIT! One of the best things about this recipe is the fact that it's egg free so you can finally feel guilt free while eating chocolate chip cookie dough. I would love to experiment more with recipes like this. It is a little time consuming and you should make sure you have lots of fridge/freezer room to chill the dough balls, but they are well worth the effort. It's honestly hard to eat just one...or two...or three...

Makes About 4 Dozen Truffles

Ingredients

1/2 C butter

3/4 C brown sugar

1 t vanilla

2 C all-purpose flour

1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 C milk chocolate chips

1/4 C rolled oats

For the coating (next time I would make 1.5x for the coating since there wasn't enough left to actually do the drizzle/sea salt bit):

1 C milk chocolate chips

1 Tb vegetable shortening

sea salt

Instructions

Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in vanilla and combine. Add flour and sweetened condensed milk and combine well.

Mix in chocolate chips, toffee bits, and oats using a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.

Scoop teaspoon sized balls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator or freezer for about 15 minutes until firm.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat on 70% power for about 1 minute to melt. Stir until smooth and glossy.

Remove baking sheet from refrigerator or freezer and dip each ball into the melted chocolate with a spoon. Hold the dipped truffle over the melted chocolate bowl for a few seconds and gently tap on the side of the bowl to allow the excess chocolate to flow back into the bowl. Place the dipped truffle back onto the parchment paper to allow to cool and harden. Repeat until all have been dipped.

Using your fork or a spoon, drizzle little bits of melted chocolate over the top of truffles. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Set aside to allow to thoroughly harden. These can be stored in the freezer up to a month.

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