Creative Ways to Use Oreos

Nothing says indulgence quite as well as a glass of cold milk and Oreo cookies. These classic black and white treats are quintessential Americana but more importantly absolutely scrumptious! Just when you thought that Oreos were just fine on their own Oreo super fans have taken the tasty cookies and reinvented them. Oreos have been added as the main ingredient to classic recipes such as cheesecake and have been transformed using techniques not usually associated with dessert--deep-fried Oreo cookies, anyone?
Sneak a peak at these 15 recipes using Oreos via Springpad.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sophia via Flickr

Circus Animal Cookies

Step right up all of you circus animal fans: Mother’s Cookies’ scrumptious Circus Animal Cookies are back! Thanks to Kellogg’s, this month the pink and white mammals are making their way back onto the shelves and into our tummies.
Back in October of 2008, Mother’s Cookies abruptly went out of business and along with filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the company ceased production on all of their classic treats. In December of 2008, Kellogg’s Co. bought the trademarks and recipes for Mother’s most famed creations including sandwich cookies, wire cut cookies and our childhood favorite: iced animal cookies. These nostalgic goodies are all coming back in their original red and purple packaging with the smiling Mother herself in the corner.
Thanks to the fabulous folks at Foodbuzz I got a sweet sampling of these tasty animals before anyone else and I was not disappointed. I reached into the big glossy bag and pulled out a white camel with festive, colorful sprinkles and I instantly remembered how much I loved these cookies; the thought of them not existing anymore was unfathomable. After all, for finals week during college, these were my main source of nutrition! Mmm, elephants…


Photo Credit: Courtesy of Heather Scott (Ephemeron)

Tim Tam Cookies

You're probably wondering what that chocolaty treat peaking out of the center of the hot cocoa is. It's an Australian cookie called Tim Tam that is supposedly the best chocolate cookie according to ilovetimtamcookies.com (well, that was expected). These scrumptious biscuits come in chocolate creme and caramel flavors and are coated in chocolate. Tim Tams are the #1 selling cookie down under with a whopping 35 million packages sold each year. If you're skeptical, you should try them for yourself. The company making these decadent treats have teamed up with Pepperidge Farm to give Americans a teeny taste of Australian confections.
Target is exclusively carrying the Aussie favorite now through March.

Sweet Delivery

Have you been too busy to go out and find a Valentine’s Day gift for your special someone? Is your loved one far away but you still want to surprise them with a gift? Do you have a significant other who is attached to your hip so you can't sneak away to find them something special before February 14th? You’re in luck because I’ve discovered a bakery that creates sweet treats made to order. Harvard Sweet Boutique makes fresh goodies baked from scratch and ready to deliver. Their products are all natural and made with top-of-the-line ingredients like rich European chocolate with the highest cocoa butter content, pure double-strength vanilla extracts, the finest flours, premium grade nuts, and fresh Grade A butter. The bakers at this sweet bakery do not use preservatives so they recommend devouring their confections as soon as they arrive or storing them according to their guidelines (found in the FAQ section on their website). Their charming packaging is the icing on the cake with cute poka dot designs, pink hearts and faux crocodile boxes. Harvard Sweet Boutique ships their goodies all over the U.S. and even do custom orders for weddings and other special occasions.

Here are some Valentine’s Day special packages from Harvard Sweet Boutique.

Raspberry Chocolate Fudge Brownies
Rich and dense chocolate brownies layered with jazzy raspberry buttercream icing and a shiny coat of bittersweet chocolate to glaze.






Sweetheart Shortbread Cookies
Freshly baked vanilla shortbread cookies coated with rich white chocolate glaze. Charmingly hand decorated and sprinkled with sugar crystals.






Valentine’s Day Truffles
Gourmet truffles made with richly smooth chocolate ganache dipped in bittersweet, and white chocolates.







Manly Brownie Sampler
Decadent, dense, rich and chocolaty brownies in three scrumptious flavors: chocolate fudge, mint, and raspberry. These macho brownies are packed in a manly faux crocodile box.





Petite Sweets Tower
For the cookie monster Valentine this creation is perfect. Overstuffed with delectable mini cookies including, heart-shaped sugar cookies drizzled with bittersweet chocolate, chocolate toffee cookies and chocolate chunk cookies.








Valentine’s Day Tower (pictured at the top)
This three-tier tower includes tantalizing raspberry chocolate brownies, scrumptious sweetheart shortbread cookies, and decadent chocolate truffles.


Photo Credit: Courtesy of Harvard Sweet Boutique

Peanut Butter and Nutella Cookies

We have all been deprived of peanut butter goodies lately and we're not too thrilled about it. When I found this recipe for these pretty peanut butter and Nutella cookies I was excited to try it. Courtesy of Jamie from The Cupcake Review, I've brought you a fabulous recipe for scrumptious cookies that will have you savoring each and every morsel and crumb! Thanks to this yummy recipe now I don't have to streak the Nutella jar in the kitchen with traces of peanut butter as I try to get the best of both on a spoon...

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Cupcake Review