Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Hello again,

So after the disastrous donuts of earlier this week, I really want to whip something up that was simple, yummy, and stress-free. I've been thinking these past few weeks, as I near my 100th post on this blog, how much stress I've created in publishing on this. It shouldn't be that way. I shouldn't be freaking over how each cookie looks, how the lighting is crappy in my college apartment, how a kitchen experiment of my own creation seems to always go horribly wrong.

It should be, above all else, a stress reliever. I love baking, and I've unfortunately done a terrible deed in turning into something to stress about. Because I've had these dreams of opening a bakery...because I'm a perfectionist...whatever the reason, the reason no longer stands to justify the stress. It's time to de-stress some parts of my life. I wish I could de-stress all of it, but somehow I feel as though total de-stress would result in my gallavanting off to Europe to eat French bread and read novels all day every day.

Would you like to know a great recipe for de-stressing?

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies.

Yes, the name may sound intimidating, what with cheesecake being a dessert I never go near in my own kitchen, but these cookies are merely inspired by the creamy, decadent flavors of cheesecake and the crunchy, chewy cookie we've all come to know and love: the Oreo. So it's a wonderful de-stresser for numerous reasons. For starters, it only has about six ingredients. I like it already.

Two: the cookie dough is egg free. Translate: Though it may not be nutritious, the dough is absolutely safe to eat raw. Woohoo! I do offer a cautionary word though; this dough tastes very much like cheesecake, so sticking a finger in or two before getting the cookies onto the pan may be a bad idea. You could soon end up with a huge amount of cookie dough in your stomach, only to cause a considerable stomachache in a few short moments, and no cookies on the pan. So try to restrain yourself. Hopefully you are stronger than I am. My stomach ache wasn't huge but, well, I did need to let loose after all.

Destressing Moment Number 3: Pulverizing Oreo Cookies with a mallet. Do I even need to explain why this would be loads of fun?

And of course, the final stress-free moment: the glorious first bite into a chewy, Oreo covered cheesecake cookie. Friends, do you remember the Banana Bread Snickerdoodles? How I said we could achieve world peace with those cookies? Let's do care packages of those AND these, and I promise you we can make it happen. I think it's high time everyone in the world got a little moment of stress-free enjoyment.

So if you need a breather from the frantic mess of everyday life, why not whip up some of these to take the edge off? I know most people do that with a glass of wine (or three) at the end of the day, but I prefer a cookie...let's make that a cookie and an inappropriate amount of cookie dough.

Happy Baking!

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies Via PassthePlate

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup oreos, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl cream together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Then beat iin sugar and vanilla.
3. Stir in flour until soft dough forms (it will be sticky, this is ok!). Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Scoop out tablespoonfuls of dough, form into ball and roll in oreo cookie crumbs.
5. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until edges are just slightly browned and the center is puffy.
6. Let cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to wire cooling rack.