Oreo Cookie Butter

Oreo Chocolate spread 

Yes, I made Oreo cookie butter... Like peanut butter that tastes like Oreos and has no peanuts. Spreadable Oreo chocolate fudgy goodness.
If you've ever had an Oreo cookie (and who hasn't?) you know that flavour. It's the perfect cookie to transform into something else, and have people say HUH? and wonder how you did it.

It's so easy, it's embarrassing. It's almost not a recipe. It's magic.

What can you do with this magic cookie butter goodness?

Well, to start with, I spread it on Graham crackers. You could spread it between other cookies to make sandwich cookies .You could eat it with a spoon. You could mix it into ice cream. So many options, so easy to make ...

Oreo Cookie Butter

12 Oreo cookies*
2 tablespoons water


Put the cookies in your food processor and process until you have a very very fine powder. Scrape down the sides and make sure you don't have any chunky pieces left. Keep processing until it's all a fine powder.


Add the water a teaspoon at a time until you have a thick, shiny, fudgy spread.

And that's it. Pure magic.

*Note: I haven't tried this with the double-stuffed. I suspect it would take less water - maybe none.

Santa Hat Brownies

Christmas Special Santa Hat Brownies


Now here's a great idea for the family. Kids and adults will love these. They look and taste fabulous and you can also use the recipe for white chocolate brownies as a substitute for the chocolate http://forbakessake.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/white-winter-chocolate-brownies.html
You can use ready-made brownie bites or bake a pan of your favourite brownies. I whipped up some vanilla-mascarpone buttercream to simulate the white trim on the hats But you can use your own flavour buttercream if it suits. Voila! A festive dessert to get everyone into the spirit of the holidays. It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

Ingredients:
1 pan of your favourite brownies, cooled and cut into desired size and shape (I used a round cutter)
12-16 small strawberries, cleaned and hulled
vanilla-mascarpone buttercream (recipe below)
Mascarpone Buttercream
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2-1/2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Method:

• Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and mascarpone cheese until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and salt. 
•  Add 2-1/2 cups of sugar, half a cup at a time and continue beating until smooth. 
•  Add more sugar, if needed to reach desired consistency and sweetness.
• To assemble, pipe a ring of vanilla buttercream on top of each brownie. Cut off the base of a strawberry so it is flat and place it upside down on each brownie, pushing slightly to secure in place. 
•  Top the tip of the strawberry with a dot of buttercream to finish the Santa hat.

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

Sweet Smelling Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

This is one for the strawberry lovers. These taste amazing and will fill your house with the mouthwatering smell of strawberry shortcake. They are pretty simple to make and contain no flour...that's right these babies are made from oats and yoghurt.  I will give you the option of adding sweeteners instead of sugar in the recipe below. I personally prefer sugar as I generally as a rule don't like to use artificial sweeteners, but for those on a diet looking for something low cal the sweeteners work just as well.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cup Oats (old fashioned kind, not quick cooking)
1 cup Plain low fat greek yogurt
2 Eggs

1 cup sugar OR
1/2 cup Baking stevia OR 1 cup sweetener of choice that measures like sugar 1

1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 1/2 cup Strawberries, diced, and patted dry + (optional 1/2 cup strawberries, diced to place on top of muffins)

Optional 1 tsp lemon juice

*Note The paper liners don’t work well when baking with a base that does not include flour (which is the case with this recipe), they always seem to stick to the paper. If you don’t have a silicone muffin tin or liners, I recommend buying the foil cupcake liners at the store, and removing the paper inserts so you are only using the foil part of the liner! That way no sticking will occur!

How to make them

• Preheat oven to 200 c  195 c for fan assist. Line 12 muffin tins with silicone or foil liners, (or just use a silicone muffin pan)
• Place all of the ingredients (except the strawberries) in a blender or food processor, and blend until oats are smooth. Pour mixture into a medium sized bowl, and stir in strawberries. Divide remaining 1/2 cup diced strawberries over the top of each muffin. (This step is optional, but it really makes the strawberries burst with colour and flavour on top of each muffin!)
• Divide batter among cupcake liners, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Yummy enjoy!!!