Cream Cheese Stuffed Lemon French Toast

So, I guess its been a while since I have posted any recipes on this here blog. My how time flies when you are pregnant and not cooking real meals! :)  But now that I am well into my second trimester and feeling better, I have actually been cooking/baking a ton. So apparently I am just super lazy and never post anything. Oops!

But... this was one recipe I just couldn't keep to myself. I saw it on a cooking blog a while ago and thought "I really need to give that one a try." Boy howdy am I ever glad I did. It was AMAZING. We actually had it for dinner and had plenty of leftovers for breakfast the next day. I can guarantee I will be making this again and again!

Cream Cheese Stuffed Lemon French Toast 
with Strawberry Syrup

6 *Large, stale Butter Croissants
1 {8 oz.} package Cream Cheese
1 1/4 Cups Powdered Sugar, divided
2 Lemons
1 1/4 tsp. Lemon Extract
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Milk
Fresh Strawberries, cleaned and sliced

Slice croissants in half lengthwise and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and 3/4 cups powdered sugar. Beat on high speed until smooth. Add in 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, and the zest of one lemon. Combine until light and fluffy.

Spread a generous amount of cream cheese mixture on the bottom of each croissant and replace top. Press down to flatten slightly. You will need to cut the croissants in half at this point to get them all to fit in your pan. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and place croissants in the pan, filling in all the little nooks {you may need to cut your croissants in smaller pieces to fill all the gaps}.

In small bowl, whisk together your eggs, milk, lemon extract, the zest of the 2nd lemon, and remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Pour evenly over the croissants. Cover your pan and refrigerate for 8-10 hours, or until it looks like the moisture has been absorbed.

When you are ready to bake them, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and cover pan with aluminum foil. Cook for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 18-25 minutes, or until tops are a golden brown color and you do not see any more liquid. Remove and allow to stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Cut into square portions and serve with fresh strawberries and strawberry syrup.

Plain French Toast

With Syrup and Fruit

* I used small croissants. Forgot to get the big ones when I was at Costco! Since mine were so much smaller I ended up using 14 and only needed to cut 2 of them to fill in any gaps. I also didn't need to soak them as long because they were so small {5 hours}. I will try the big ones next time... much more cost effective {$5.99 at my Costco for 12 LARGE ones!}.

Strawberry Syrup

1 pint Fresh Strawberries, cleaned and stems removed
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 tsp. Almond Extract {or Vanilla if you prefer}

Roughly chop strawberries. Place in medium size pot and add sugar and extract. Cook over medium heat, stirring and smashing strawberries as you go. Cook for about 5 minutes on a low simmer. Remove from heat and let cool.

When mixture has cooled considerably, pulse in blender or food processor to desired consistency. I don't like chunks so I obliterated mine! Serve over French Toast and Enjoy!

And if you are feeling extra fancy, throw a little cream on top! :)

...annnddd with a little extra lovin'!

P.S. This would make a lovely Valentines Day breakfast... especially since all the work gets done the night before!



recipe source: Our Best Bites

Grape Salad {eyeball salad}

Happy Halloween!!!

Since its a holiday, I thought I would share a "spooky" recipe with you. Then I realized I didn't have any, so I improvised and renamed this delicious grape salad "Eyeball Salad"! I got this recipe from my friend Tiff ages ago, and I still always have to ask her the exact ingredients when I want to make it again. I figured it might be time to actually write it down somewhere so I can stop bugging her!! :)

The funny part though? Its SO RIDICULOUSLY EASY. You will literally mock me once you see how few ingredients/instructions there are. What can I say...

Grape Salad

aka: EYEBALL SALAD 

{just for today though!}

1 Bag Red Grapes

1 Bag Green Grapes

1, 16 oz. container Sour Cream

1, 8 oz. container Cool Whip Topping

1 package Cream Cheese

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Soften cream cheese. 

Remove grapes from stems and wash well. Put grapes in a large bowl. 

Take softened cream cheese and beat it in your mixer until smooth. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until all incorporated and no clumps remain 

{or be like me and leave a few cream cheese clumps cuz you are impatient & want to put this salad in your mouth!}.

Pour mixture over the grapes and stir all together.

Chill, and serve!

Yup, its that simple folks!

But trust me... De-Lish!!

{I should know. I ate it for breakfast. Those grapes made me feel sooo healthy!!}

"Favorite" Chex Treat

This is another one from the Favorites recipe book.  I loved it and it was popular at my office.  One of my friends suggested making it as a "neighbor gift" for Christmas, etc.  It makes a ton and I had to use our big stock pot and a biggest mixing bowl to mix it all together.

1 (12 ounce) box Corn Chex
1 (13-ounce) box Golden Grahams
2 cups flaked coconut

Mix together cereal and coconut in a large bowl - or stock pot :-)

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup butter
1 (4-ounce) package slivered almonds (if you like almonds, you may want more)

Mix sugar, corn syrup and butter in saucepan and boil 3 to 4 minutes.  Pour over cereal mixture and coconut and toss to coat.  (Will be hot, be careful!)  Then add slivered almonds and toss again (if almonds are added first, they stay on the bottom of the bowl).  Spread out on waxed paper to cool.  (I just spread it on a greased cookie sheet because we were out of wax paper, at it worked just fine.)

Heath Bar Cake

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband, Richie!  I love you!

Turning 95 this year.

Birthday Kissie Face

 This recipe is in honor of Rich today as he requested this cake, that Shauna normally makes, for his birthday.  It's delicious and I can't believe this hasn't been posted already.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix (Chocolate, Devil's Food or German Chocolate*)

1 jar caramel ice cream topping

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 container whipped cream, thawed

4-6 Heath bars (or Skor bars) broken up or 1 package toffee bits

Directions
Make cake according to package directions in a 9" x 13" pan.  Remove from oven and immediately poke with a fork or end of a wooden spoon, all over the cake.  Pour caramel topping and sweetened condensed milk all over the cake, filling in the holes.  Let cool.  Spread whipped cream over the cake, then sprinkle with candy bits.

This is what happens when no one can wait long enough for the cake to cool.

*I never really knew the difference between the different chocolate cake mixes, so here's what I found out from my research:

• Regular Chocolate: flavored with milk chocolate
• Devil's Food: richer and darker, strong cocoa flavor.
• German Chocolate: usually a lighter-colored cake with a mild flavor of mild chocolate.

What's your favorite?

Oreo Cookie Lollipops

These are great little holiday treats that you can dress up for various holidys. I prefer the crushed candy canes for christmas. They are awefully delicious!

Ingredients:

1 package double stuff oreo cookies
1 package white almond bark
crushed candy cane or sprinkles
wax paper
lollipop sticks
lollipop bags
ribbon (50 cents a roll at michaels)

Directions:

1. Take a double stuff oreo and carefully put the lollipop stick through the creamy middle. The cookie cracks easily so be careful. But the chocolate will seal it in if it does crack so don't worry. Only push the stick through halfway or the cookie will fall into the chocolate.

2. melt almond bark. White or chocolate (Western family almond bark works the best. I tried regular chips and it was too thick).

3. Dip the oreo in the chocolate. I find it works best to scoop the chocolate onto the upside down oreo and let the chocolate cover the cookie.

4. Sprinkle with any embellishment you want.

5. Lay on wax paper to dry.

6. Place lollipop in a bag and finish with a ribbon.

Mini Caramel Apples

These were highlighted in a RS activity and I just had to make them. I did modify it a bit from the original recipe. They are SO cute and the perfect little bite size (IF you are not in the mood for an ENTIRE carameled apple). I made these tonight and took them to a halloween party. They were perfect! Annalisa, I thought these were right up your ally. So if you end up making them, please feel free to take pictures and replace my lame ones! My favorite part about making these was using my new chocolate pro-melter. It melts chocolate without butning it and keeps it warm while you dip. ANother great secret is that you can buy logs of caramel at Orson Gygi and just cut off a piece to melt. PERFECT!





Ingredients:

tooth picks with rounded ends
melon baller (mine had little claws and it was perfect!)
Granny Smith apples (1 apple makes 8-12 balls)
melted chocolate
melter caramel
chopped nuts, sprinkles, shredded coconut, crushed oreos, crushed graham crackers with cinnamon. .. endless possibilities!
small paper cups

Directions:

Scoop little balls out of the apple and insert a toothpick. Each ball should have a little section of the apple peel. Pat the apple pieces dry (I skipped this step and was fine). Melt chips or chocolate bark, and caramel according to directions. Dip the apples in the chocolate. You cannot dip them in the caramel first because it will slide right off. Next, have your hot caramel in a ziplock bag or something similar. Cut a tiny hole in one corner, then swirl the caramel over the chocolate as desired. Then dip in which ever topping you choose and drop it in your mini paper cups. I let mine set up in the freezer for a few minutes.

The original recipe said to just use butterscotch or peanut butter chips, but it just didn't seem right to me to make caramel apples without the caramel!

Halloween Treats

I found this recipe on the blog of an old high school friend. I think she sort of made them up but we tried them and they're fun and yummy. I think think they'd also be tasty with the caramel type of Hershey Kisses. I loved that the kids could really help me make them and had fun doing so.

Taken from My Computer is My Canvas "Just line a cookie sheet with wax paper and line up your pretzels in rows. Unwrap your Kisses and put one on top. Heat your oven to 175 and WARM the kisses on the pretzels for about 5 minutes. (I only did it for 3 minutes and that was plenty.) You only want to soften the chocolate, not melt it... so watch them closely or you'll end up with a big gooey mess! When you pull them out of the oven, they should still be in "kiss" form - but when you carefully drop an M&M on top and they'll flatten out like the picture above. Chill in the fridge to re-set; then share them with your little ghouls and goblins!"

Note: On Colette's blog she has a cute little tags you can print off to give these to friends.

Creamy Cumin Chicken Tacos

I made these taco's for our Cinco De Mayo Celebration. Ok, it wasn't a celebration at all. We just ate tacos. BUT... these were good, so celebrate that. I LOVE jicama & mango, so when I saw this recipe over @ Tasty Kitchen, I knew I should try it. My husband loved them. I thought they were good, but I felt like they were missing something... I'll have to think about that.

Creamy Cumin Chicken Tacos

2 Limes

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

2 tsp. Cumin

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

3 Cups Chicken, cooked & diced/shredded

1/2 of a Jicama

1 Mango

1/2 Cup Cilantro

1/2 tsp. Salt

Taco shells

Avocado, thinly sliced

Prepare your chicken however you like... I actually had to clear out some freezer space, so I roasted a whole chicken. It was perfect! You can cook your chicken however you like... grill, boil, bake. Whatever suits you, as long as you have enough meat to go around... and around.

Zest about 1 tsp. of the Lime. Juice them to make about 3 tablespoons worth of juice. Mix the mayo, sour cream, lime zest, cumin, cayenne, 1/4 tsp salt, and HALF of the lime juice together. This becomes your sauce. Set abut 1/4 cup of the sauce aside, and mix the remaining sauce with the shredded chicken. Set aside.

Peel and slice the jicama and mango into matchsticks. Toss with the chopped cilantro and the remaining lime juice and the 1/4th tsp. salt.

Layer the tacos with meat, jicama mixture, and sliced avocado, Top with a dollop of remaining sauce if desired.

Christmas Quiche {egg puffs}

I have been slacking off folks. Its not that I haven't been cooking... I just haven't been posting! Such a busy time of year. But I did want to post this delicious breakfast dish. We have had these on Christmas morning for the last few years and we love them! One of my favorite parts about this recipe is that the majority of it is done the night before. So, once the kids are all tucked into bed with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, you can start the process of Christmas day cooking! Or just make them whenever you feel like a good mini quiche... I've been known to do that as well.

We make these in individual muffin tins. They are so cute and just the right portion. You can also serve these up with some salsa on the side if you are feelin' spicy!

Christmas Quiche

NIGHT BEFORE:

10 Eggs, beaten

2 Cups Cottage Cheese

1 Lb. Jack Cheese, shredded

1 small Can Green Chilies

1 1/2 Lbs. Sliced Mushrooms, sauteed

4 Green Onions, chopped

2 Slices Ham, 1/4th inch thick, diced into small cubes

Mix together and refrigerate overnight, covered.

MORNING OF, add in:

1/2 Cup Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 Cup Butter, melted and slightly cooled

Mix well. Spray muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. Fill cups 3/4 full. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. If using Jumbo muffin tins, cook an additional 5 minutes, or until tops start to slightly brown.

**This makes quite a few mini quiche. If you are feeding a smaller group, I would recommend halving the recipe.

Appetizer Wreath

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 15 minutes + cooling

2 tubes (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (I added more until I could taste it just a little bit because I think the dill weed overpowers it easily)1-1/2 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
celery leaves

Remove crescent dough from packaging (do not unroll). Cute each tube into eight slices. Place on an ungreased pan and bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before carefully moving to a serving platter; cool completely.

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder until smooth. Spread over bread; top with broccoli, celery and red pepper. Arrange them in a circle to form a wreath on a platter. Form a bow garnish with celery leaves.

16 servings

(Nutrition info for 1 serving (1 slice): 125 calories, 9 g of fat (5 g saturated fat), 21 mg cholesterol, 166 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 3 g protein)

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

I got this recipe from the McCormick Co. and made it on Christmas morning. It was so easy and delicious.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 cans (7.5 oz. each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Mix sugar and cinnamon in plastic bad. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake about 8 pieces at a time in cinnamon sugar mixture. Place biscuit pieces in greased 10-cup Bundt pan.

Mix leftover cinnamon sugar mixture with melted butter. Pour over biscuits.Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Invert onto serving plate. Serve warm.Makes 16 servings.

Easter Breakfast Casserole

This is from a sweet little lady named Mazie Gray in South Carolina. She made it for a hoard of missionaries and its been made many times since! Its a great one to make the night before you have a large crowd.

Easter Breakfast Casserole

1 (12 oz.) package Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage Links
6 English Muffins, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 Cup Butter, melted
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Onion, chopped
1/2 Cup Red Pepper, chopped
12-18 Eggs {depending on the size of your group}
2 Cups Milk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/4 Cup Soft Bacon Bits

Cook sausage according to package directions. Cool slightly. Line the bottom of a 9x13 inch greased baking dish with the cut up muffins. Pour melted butter on top. Layer with sausage, cheese's, onion, and red pepper.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and beat. Pour egg mixture over bread/cheese mixture. sprinkle bacon on top. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator over night. remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking. Remove foil, and bake @ 350 degrees fro 50-60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean and eggs are cooked through. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve plain or with salsa on the side. Makes 12 large servings, or more if smaller.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I made this for our Thanksgiving dinner Emily and Spencer kindly hosted on Sunday. I thought I'd post this if anyone was interested in knowing.

To make the caramel sauce mix in a saucepan on low to medium heat until thick:

1 stick butter
1 C brown sugar
3/4 C canned evaporated milk

Casserole:

2 large cans (29 oz.) of sweet potatoes/yams or you can boil your own yams

1 bag mini-marshmallows (I only had large marshmallows when I made the casserole in the pics, they don't work as well but still taste good)

Spray a 9X13 pan with spray oil. Pour cans of sweet potatoes/yams, drained, into pan (or cut up the boiled yams, if you prefer). Pour caramel sauce over sweet potatoes, cover, and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Take out of oven and sprinkle marshmallows to cover. Bake uncovered until toasted and golden brown--no more than 5 minutes at the most. Watch carefully so they don't liquefy.

Fudgy Brownie Cookie's

After church yesterday, I decided to take a good long nap. It was wonderful, except that when I woke up I remembered that I was supposed to take treats to a church function that night. I was the only one taking treats actually. So, I rummaged through my cupboard until I found a few easy things that I thought would work, & these little brownie cookies were born. Originally, I was planning on them being more like homemade Oreo's, but the batter only made 20 cookies, which would have been 10 Oreo's. That just wouldn't do, especially since I was feeding a bunch of teenagers who inhale chocolate. I ended up using a pastry bag and plopping a little cream cheese frosting on top, and adding some Halloween jimmie's to give them a little color. Next time, I think I will actually make the Oreo version and turn them into cute little Halloween spiders.

Fudgy Brownie Cookies

1 (19 oz.) Box Brownie Mix

1 Egg

2 TBSP Water

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

Mix all ingredients until well blended and soft dough forms. Place small, rounded tablespoon size balls on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes @ 375 degrees. Cool completely and frost, or eat plain.

4th of July Cake

I made this cake for our 4th of July festivities, and it was a big hit! I was nervous because it started to overflow while it was baking, but I just peeled off the little parts that ran over the edge and my husband ate them all! I figured if he liked the little scraps, the cake must be good. I almost didn't finish preparing it because I was worried I didn't bake it right... But I am so glad I did! I halved this recipe because we didn't have enough friends at our feast, and I didn't want to be eating it for the next 17 years.

4th of July Cake

adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Cake:

18 TBSP (2 1/4 sticks) Unsalted Butter, @ room temperature

3 Cups Sugar

6 Large Eggs, @ room temperature

1 Cup Sour Cream, @ room temperature

1 1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

3 cups All-Purpose Flour

1/3 Cup Cornstarch

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Baking Soda

Icing:

1 pound (4 sticks) Unsalted Butter, @ room temperature

1 1/2 pounds Cream Cheese (3 8 oz. packs), @ room temperature

1 pound Confectioners' Sugar, sifted

1 1/2 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract

2 Half-Pints Blueberries

4 Half-Pints Raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 18 x 12 x 1 1/2 inch sheet cake pan.

Cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light an fluffy. On medium speed, add eggs, 2 @ a time, then add sour cream and vanilla. Make sure to scrape down sides of bowl and mix until smooth.

Sift together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Pour into the greased cake pan and smooth with spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool @ room temperature.

For the icing, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix until smooth (because of all the butter, this is a pretty runny icing. you will want to refrigerate your cake after it is decorated).

Spread half of the icing on top of the cooled sheet cake. Out line the star section of the cake with a toothpick. With a star tip on your pastry bag, pipe 2 rows of icing, then place 2 rows of raspberries, alternately, to form the stripes of the cake. Fill the upper corner with blueberries and then pipe frosting stars on top of blueberries.

**You will want to put this in the fridge for at least an hour to let it all set up. Anyone who eats this delight will love it... I promise! It was such a delicious and unique cake, and the cream cheese frosting was amazing! Make it with a random array of fresh berries for any other occasion!

Traditional Irish Breakfast

Here it is, The most traditional Irish Breakfast you could ever imagine! How can you go wrong with a little bowl o' Lucky Charms? Top of the mornin' to ya!

Ingredients:

Lucky Charms Cereal

Milk

Bowl

Spoon

Enjoy!

** Ironically, they don't even have Lucky Charms in Ireland. Also, the Irish think we are silly for celebrating this Holiday!

Swedish Almond Cake

This is a recipe my family's been making for a long time. My mom would make an individual mini cake just for me in a small pie tin when I was little. I loved it!

1 cup sugar

1 cup flour

2 beaten eggs

1 square (4 oz.) melted margarine

1 teaspoon almond flavoring

slivered almonds-garnish

Mix all ingredients (except the slivered almonds) together as little as possible. Everything should be incorporated, but it should still be lumpy--this is key! and what makes the cake rise and fluff. Pour into greased and floured pie plate. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top to nicely cover (optional). Bake at 350 F/180 C for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and cover with plastic wrap after it cools.

Chili

I have been meaning to post this since the fall and now it's pretty much spring here in Utah! I typed this up for a friend the other week so I finally have some measurements to post. My mom has been making chili like this for years and is our traditional Halloween dinner before Trick-or-Treating. She'd make "witches fingers" along with it (breadsticks she would mold into gnarly looking finger shapes and brush butter dyed green on top, with half an olive for a finger nail).

The measurements are really just whatever you like, so keep adding until it looks appealing to you!

1 large (approx. 30 oz. or so) can chili beans

1 large can kidney beans

1 large can stewed tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce

1 packet mild (or whatever strength you prefer) chili seasoning--I buy McCormick brand instead of the store brand, I have definitely noticed a difference in quality

Optional:
1 can black beans
1-2 c frozen corn, cooked in the microwave
(I've only started adding corn and black beans recently, my mom doesn't usually)

Pan fried in oil and 2 cloves of garlic:

Ground beef (sometimes my family prefers it without the beef, I don't include to keep it vegetarian)

1/2 to 1 red bell pepper

1/2 to 1 green bell pepper

1/2 to 1 onion

Combine all ingredients (do not drain beans) in a large pot on stove and stir over medium heat, uncovered, until heated through.

You can top with tortilla chips, sour cream, cheddar cheese, etc. We like to make virgin margaritas with ours! :)

Serves 4-6

Christmas Salad

Dressing
1/2 small red onion
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Combine all ingredients, minus poppy seeds, in a blender until smooth. Add poppy seeds right at the end. Again, make a few hours in advance if not the night before. I think this recipe makes about a pint of dressing - much more than you need for one salad.

Salad
green leaf lettuce (this is just my favorite, feel free to use whatever lettuce you like!)
green onions
bacon
pears
apples
gorganzola cheese crumbles
pomegranate seeds if in season
You choose the amounts!

Combine lettuce and green onions in advance. Add the rest of the ingredients and coat with dressing right before serving.

(a little secret: Costco has containers of pomegranate seeds during their season! I think it is a little more pricey than buying the fruit and getting the seeds out yourself but well worth it I would say!)

Oreo Truffles

(Self taught in the art of proper Oreo consumption)

This is a recipe that I love to make and seriously is enjoyed by all! Its a perfect little treat to take to people as well. The best part...

IT SO EASY!!! Delicious and Easy? Can it get any better??? I submit that it cannot! :)

OREO TRUFFLES

(Originally found over @ Kraft Food & Family)

1 Package Oreo Cookies, crushed finely (use the cookie and the cream)

1 8 oz. Package Cream Cheese, softened

White Chocolate Bark

1. Finely crush 4 cookies and reserve for later. (original recipe calls for 7. You don't need 7!)

2. Crush remaining cookies and mix in Cream Cheese. (I use the back of a large spoon for this step...Alison just uses her Kitchenaid.)

3. Roll the mixture into 1" inch balls and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.

4. Melt chocolate according to package directions & then dip Oreo balls in chocolate. Tap off excess chocolate and place back on Cookie sheet. Before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle crushed crumbs on top of truffle (not a necessary step, but I think they look better with the crumbs on top).

5. Once they have dried, refrigerate and ENJOY!! (And trust me, you will enjoy!)

I think I will go eat some of my holiday Oreo's now...

* I like to place the whole cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour, or in the fridge for a few hours before I try and dip them in the hot chocolate. It makes them a lot easier to work with!