Cookies n' Cream Oreo Bars

I've got a good one for you today. 5 ingredients (I'm even generously counting the salt and vanilla in this number!) + 10 minutes = HAPPY HAPPY eaters!

There's no baking required, and no special tools! I love these bars for so many reasons. Here are a few:

1) They're made with Oreo cookies. Enough said.
2) They have marshmallows, which makes them a fancy version of a Rice Krispy Treat.
3) There are no complicated ingredients required, meaning you can throw them together in the spur of the moment.
4) They travel very well. No refrigeration or special care is needed. Take them with you anywhere!
5) Probably my favorite reason to love them...kids can make these and get their hands dirty in the process! Anything that gets the kids in the kitchen gets a thumbs up in my book!
6) It should go without saying that these TASTE INCREDIBLE! ;)

My sister, the same one behind these addictive cookies, made these one day into a bark-like form. I was skeptical because they were very thin, but the flavor was REALLY yummy, so I begrudgingly ate more but complained about how they looked. Then my other sister re-made them, but about 1000000% thicker, and they were just as good but now way too rich and heavy. This is where I came in and evened them out into what we all consider the perfect ratio of thickness, sweetness and indulgence.

Feel free to add mini-marshmallows when you add the Oreo cookies for extra texture in your bars. I've also made these with flavored Oreo cookies (the most recent trial was mint Oreo) and they're all good!

Makes about 16 bars

Ingredients
----------------
-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
-14 ounces marshmallow cream
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-26 Oreo cookies (2 sleeves from large package)

To make
------------
-Line a 7x11 inch pan (or 8x8) with parchment paper and butter the pan and paper, making sure to butter the sides of your pan.
-Heat a pot on the stove and add butter. Once butter is melted add the marshmallow fluff, vanilla and salt. Stir until everything is mixed together. (I use a silicon spatula so the mixture doesn't stick to my spoon).
-Remove the pot from the heat. Roughly crush Oreo cookies with your hand and put them into the pot. Stir them into the marshmallow mixture until all the cookies are well coated with the marshmallow.
-Press the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth out the top to make sure it is even.
-Allow the cookie bars to cool, then cut into desired sizes and serve. Store leftovers tightly covered at room temperature.
-Enjoy!

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Reader favorites! Try some other bar recipes:

Smore's Bars

Chocolate Date Bars

7 layer cookie dough bars

Cookie Butter Rice Krispies

Nut and Seed Granola Bars

 I like to call these my energy power bars. They are LOADED with (healthy) fat so I treat them as a meal or substantial snack...in other words, I don't just munch on these. When I have a bar I'm full for hours, making them an ideal on-the-go meal for a busy day.

In an effort to be awake as little as possible during suhoor this Ramadan, I've prepared these for our early morning meal. I love that they're nutritious, filling, extremely satisfying and will not make us thirsty throughout the day!

I wanted to stay true to the essence of these nut bars and chose to omit any dried fruit, but you can easily customize these to your taste. Some delicious add-ins include: shredded coconut, dried fruit (chopped apricots, figs, cranberries, cherries, raisins...), and a dash of cinnamon would make these super yummy.  Try your favorite combination of nuts, anything should taste great! Of course it should go without saying that the addition of chocolate chips would be divine ;)

I made my own almond butter, but if you prefer you can use 1/2 cup of ANY nut butter in place of the 1 cup whole almonds I used below to make my nut butter.

Makes 12 bars

Ingredients
--------------
-1 cup old fashioned oats
-1/2 cup honey roasted slivered almonds (Trader Joe's)
-1/2 cup whole almonds
-1/2 cup pepita seeds
-1/2 cup sesame seed cashews (Trader Joe's)
-4 tablespoons chia seeds
-2 tablespoons flax seeds

-1 cup whole almonds
-1/2 cup maple syrup (sub honey)
-1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional, will make the bars more moist)
-1 tablespoon vanilla
-1/4 teaspoon salt

To make
-----------
-Turn oven on to broil setting. In a large roasting pan, combine oats, slivered almonds, whole almonds, pepita seeds, cashews, chia seeds and flax seeds. Roast on LOWER RACK of oven (to prevent burning) in 5 minute intervals, checking and tossing the mixture around to get an even roast. I roast mine for about 10-15 minutes.
-Meanwhile, combine whole almonds, maple syrup, optional coconut oil, vanilla and salt in a powerful blender or food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
-Line a 7x11 inch pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray with non-stick spray. Add the creamy almond butter to the roasting pan with the nuts and use your hands to mix together well. The mixture will be sticky, but keep combining until everything is well coated with the almond butter. Taste your mixture and adjust maple syrup content, adding more if you feel it isn't sweet enough.
-Press the mixture tightly into the prepared parchment lined pan until you have an even layer. Cut into bars and enjoy. I keep this out of the refrigerator for about 3 days then transfer to the fridge. It will keep for weeks when refrigerated.

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Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

Oatmeal cookies are often deceptively high in fat, because oats tend to yield a dry and unappetizing lump of dough. Swapping out the butter for peanut (or any other nut) butter makes these soft, moist and chewy. These cookies are perfect when you want a peanut butter cookie that tilts to the healthy side. I LOVE that NO CHILLING is required since there is no flour! The oats give them a nice chewy texture and the slight amount of cinnamon is delicious with the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Use the best chocolate you have access to. I typically use Guittard chocolate chips or I chop up some creamy milk chocolate from the 1 pound sized bar found at Trader Joe's.

Get creative and add your own touch: dried fruit, m&m's, nuts...the flavor combinations are endless. I'm providing a base recipe that is easily adaptable, but I recommend staying within the measurements given.

Get yourself a cold cup of milk and get ready for a healthy and sweet treat! You're one bowl, a couple ingredients and 30 minutes away from something delicious ;)

Makes 20 cookies

Ingredients
-------------
-2 eggs
-3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, if using salted pb skip the salt addition below
-2/3 cup brown sugar
-1 tablespoon vanilla
-1 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
-pinch of salt
-2 cups rolled oats
-1 cup chocolate chips (this is a generous amount, you can use 1/4 cup less)
-1/2 cup shredded coconut
-2 tablespoons flax or chia seeds (optional)

To make
-----------
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-With a spatula or in a mixer, stir together eggs, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.
-Add baking soda, cinnamon and rolled oats and mix until well incorporated.
-Stir in chocolate chips, coconut and flax/chia seeds.
-Place rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until the tops look a little dry but the cookie remains soft. Remove from the oven and let cool.
-Store leftover cookies well sealed at room temperature for up to 1 week.
-Enjoy!

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Try these other healthy sweets!

Banana Oat Muffins

Raspberry Oat Bars

Peanut Butter Oreo Truffles

The only thing better than chocolate? Chocolate + peanut butter. Peanut butter lovers rejoice at this addition to the classic Oreo balls, and peanut butter haters are also pleasantly surprised at how well the flavors mix together. My daughter refuses to eat anything with PB but makes an exception for these truffles. Don't be discouraged if you're completely anti the peanuts, I've included the measurements for traditional Oreo truffles as well.

These are easy to make and are a good activity to involve kids in the kitchen because there is no stove top or oven required to make them. The hardest part about making these truffles is not eating the mixture before its complete, because it really tastes that good! The flavor of the Oreo mixture intensifies the longer it mixes with the cream cheese, so these are a GREAT dessert to make ahead of time! You can even keep the mixture in your freezer (as a whole portion of dough or pre-sized balls) and just dip them in chocolate when you're ready to serve.

A variation to dipping the mixture in milk chocolate is to use white chocolate chips. It tastes incredible...however white chocolate is annoying to work with and if the Oreo truffles are not super firm when you dip them in the chocolate the truffle dough will mix with the white chocolate as you dip them. Milk chocolate is much easier to dip, so for the sake of ease I've included the measurements for that here. When I have extra time I like to dip half my truffles in milk chocolate and half in white for the variety and color contrast :)

Ingredients
--------------
-36 Oreos (chocolate wafer cookies filled with cream)
-8 ounces cream cheese ( I always use reduced fat)
-2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
-1/4 teaspoon vanilla
-1/8 teaspoon salt (if using salted peanut butter don't add extra salt)
**You can make regular chocolate Oreo truffles by reducing the amount to 30 Oreos with 8 ounces cream cheese and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Leave out the peanut butter and salt**

-1 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (my favorite brand is Guittard)
-1 tablespoon vegetable oil

-1/3 cup peanut butter chocolate chips (I usually buy the Reese's brand or buy them during the winter season from Trader Joe's)
-1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil (I've found it takes more oil to make peanut butter chocolate chips smooth than it does for regular chocolate chips)

To make
------------
-Using a food processor (not necessary but this will give you the smoothest texture) grind the Oreos until they turn into a fine crumble. Add cream cheese, peanut butter, vanilla and salt and pulse the mixture in your food processor until smooth and well mixed. Place mixture in your freezer for about 30 minutes to set. You can leave it in your food processor bowl or transfer it to something else if you like to add more dishes to your sink ;) (Alternatively you can skip this step of freezing the mixture if you're pressed for time and move on to the next one, but your shaped truffles may not be as smooth because the soft mixture is sticky and messy).
-Remove your Oreo mixture from the freezer and shape into balls using a tablespoon scoop. Place the rounded truffles on a tray lined with parchment paper and refreeze for another 30-60 minutes until the truffles are firm.
-Place milk chocolate chips in a bowl with vegetable oil and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth and melted.
-Remove frozen truffles from the freezer and dip each ball in the chocolate and gently remove with a fork and tap off the excess chocolate, then place on the parchment lined tray. Repeat the process until all your Oreo truffles are coated. As the truffles start to come to room temperature dipping them will get messier, so try to work as fast as possible.
-Place the peanut butter chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in a bowl and melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring every 30 seconds until well melted. You may need to add more vegetable oil to get a smooth consistency. This mixture needs to be thinner than the milk chocolate coating. Place the melted peanut butter chips in a ziploc bag and close tightly, letting out the extra air. Snip the bottom of the bag and drizzle neatly across each truffle, until your truffles are all coated.
-Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. These keep well for about a week.
-Enjoy!

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Browned Butter Ginger Molasses Cookies

 

I've been making these cookies for several years. They're the perfect chewy and soft gingerbread cookies. The recipe originates from a tea shop in New York called Alice's Teacup. Everything I've ever made from this cookbook is amazing.  So much so that if the cookbook has a recipe for something I'm looking to make, I won't do anymore searching for a better version. For a food blogger, that says a lot about my confidence in these recipes :) This past year I've been OBSESSED with anything salted caramel, and I'm constantly trying to sneak that flavor into anything I bake. So naturally this year when I went to bake these cookies again, I thought "Duh!" browning the butter will give a caramel-y flavor to these cookies without actually adding any more calories. Woohoo! And thus the transformation has taken place.  Browning butter is so fun and it adds such a depth and complexity to any baked good. I really think that 99.9% of the recipes out there will taste a million times better with browned butter. Especially this one. The nutty caramel aroma and flavor that the browned butter adds to these cookies just screams FALL.

 

Let's talk fall. Back to school, routine, cooler weather, the changing color of leaves, and the excuse to bake anything with pumpkin (look for lots of those recipes coming your way soon.)  I wanted to pass this recipe on for those who are itching to bake a fall-flavored treat and haven't gotten a chance to get some pumpkin yet. I spent a lot of time yesterday searching for the perfect pumpkin debut recipe for this season, only to get into my kitchen ready to start and discover that the can of pumpkin that I keep on reserve had been used up :/ Then I remembered these babies and all was right in the world ;)

 

 

Probably my favorite thing about getting rid of summer heat is that baking becomes fun again! During the summer I seek out recipes that don't require the use of my oven, and during the fall I seek out those that do! Between the amazing aroma that comes from browning the butter and the spicy scents of cinnamon and ginger as these bake, members of your family will be racing to the kitchen to get a taste.

 

 

Head's up! I've actually made this cookie dough as the base for a new recipe I'm working on...it's going to be awesome and I can't wait to share it with you all! More fall flavors (with actual caramel!) and no pumpkin. I know there are lots of fall lovers who just can't get themselves on the "We love anything and everything pumpkin" bandwagon. I'm here for you guys.  So make your first batch into cookies and get ready to enhance on these flavors again!

 

 



Ingredients
---------------
-2 1/4 cups flour
-2 teaspoons baking soda
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 teaspoon  ground ginger
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
-1 cup packed brown sugar
-1/4 cup white sugar
-1 egg
-1/4 cup molasses
-1 teaspoon vanilla
Additional 1/4 cup white sugar for sprinkling on cookies after baking

Rounded spoonful's are flattened and ready to bake

To make
------------
-Brown your butter: Heat a medium sized frying pan on medium heat. Add butter and whisk gently as it begins to melt. Keep whisking as the butter foams. Continue to whisk as you carefully watch for the color of the butter to go from light cream to a light brown. The aroma will start to smell like caramel...this is my favorite part! At this point remove from heat and continue whisking, making sure to scrape down the sides of the butter so nothing burns. If your butter has a lot of brown specs in it (some of the butter solids burned) then place a fine strainer over your mixing bowl and pour it through. Place the mixing bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the butter cools and begins to slightly firm up. *alternatively you can skip this step and use room temperature butter...
-Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a 2 quart bowl and set aside.
-Once your browned butter has cooled down, remove the bowl from the freezer. Add the brown and white sugar to the butter and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the egg, molasses and vanilla and continue mixing until mixture is smooth and well blended.
-At a low mixing speed, add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time until the dough is mixed.
-Transfer the batter back into the 2 quart mixing bowl that had the dry ingredients, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. I like to refrigerate the dough for a few hours. The flavors will absorb each other better and chilled cookie dough tends to bake better. You may also just refrigerate in your mixing bowl, but I like to transfer it to a Tupperware because I don't always bake all the dough at one time.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-After your dough has chilled sufficiently, remove it from the fridge and form tablespoon sized balls of dough and place them 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Using the back of a spoon, slightly flatten the balls of dough.
-Bake 8-12 minutes @ 350 degrees or until the cookies have spread out and are slightly browned on top.
-Remove from oven and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Cookies will crack as they cool to get the charmingly rustic look of ginger molasses cookies.
-Enjoy :)

*Your cookies will not bake properly if your dough isn't chilled!
*I make the dough up to 5 days in advance and bake when I'm ready...the flavors set in really well and the taste is amazing!

Nutritional Information
-----------------------------
Serving size: 1 cookie
Servings: 20
Calories: 162
Fat: 7.5g
Saturated fat: 4.5g
Total carbohydrates: 23.1g
Sugar: 12.1g
Protein: 1.8g

Straight out of the oven and piping hot!

 

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

This is what it looks like pre-baked

bake to puffy goodness :)

sliced and ready to go!

I hope you're ready for another easy brownie recipe, because here it comes! One day I figured brownies and cookies would be an awesome combination, so I started researching recipes. All the ones I found required baking brownies and then making a separate egg-less cookie down that gets spread on top after the brownies are baked.  Sounds kind of weird...and time consuming. So I did my own experimenting and confirmed my hunch that this was super simple to do.

I took these bars to a dinner party and the reaction was "Brownies...AND cookies?!...Amazing!"

These are really dense, so a nice cup of milk is a great way to wash down them down!

Use your favorite brownie recipe and your favorite cookie dough recipe...or use a mix like I did!

Ingredients

-----------

-1 box brownie mix, prepared as directed

-1 pound chocolate chip cookie dough (feel free to use the refrigerated kind, I don't judge ;-))

To make

----------

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Prepare brownie mix and spread in 9x13 inch baking pan.

-Scoop tablespoons of cookie dough evenly all over the pan.

-Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until brownie seems set and cookies have puffed up slightly.

-Let cool and then slice into bars.

-Devour with a cup of cold milk :)

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

I've been baking a lot of desserts lately, and these bars still reign up there as one of the best things I make. Consider yourselves lucky to get this recipe; its easy and delicious, which makes it super special :)

These cookie bars are LOADED with goodness. Caramel, coconut, chocolate chips, nuts......mmmmmmmm!  They are rich and gooey, and a little bit goes a long way, but since they have nuts they are semi-healthy ;) Customizing options are limitless, I like to vary the types of chocolate chips I add, frequently using peanut butter chips or toffee bits. Cover these well and they will stay fresh for about a week.

Makes 24 squares

Ingredients
------------
-3 cups raw cookie dough (make your own or use store bought refrigerated)
-1 1/2 cups quick-cook oats
-dash of salt
-5 tablespoons flour
-2/3 cup caramel sauce
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-3/4 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
-1 1/2 cups TOTAL chocolate chips (I use a variety of milk chocolate, white chocolate and peanut butter chips)
-1 cup shredded coconut

To make:
------------
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, break up cookie dough. Add oats and salt, mixing until well blended. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture and press the rest into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes, until dough puffs up and appears dry.
-In a small bowl, combine flour, caramel sauce and vanilla. Stir until mixture is combined.
-Remove pan from oven and sprinkle walnuts, chocolate chips and shredded coconut.
-Drizzle caramel mixture evenly over the toppings, then crumble reserved cookie dough.
-Bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
-Remove from oven and cool completely.
-Cut into squares and enjoy :)

*Note: This will take its shape after cooling completely, otherwise it will appear to be too soft. Don't over bake otherwise it will harden.

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Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

I just finished making these and HAD to share them with you guys right away! They're that good...and simple! I spent the better half of the morning searching for oatmeal cookies, but everything called for 1 stick+ of butter, and thats just not my style. I finally found a low fat oatmeal cookie recipe and then discovered that I only had 1/2 cup of oats :-/

So to improvise and satisfy my oatmeal cookie craving, I came up with these :) Feel free to add your own mix-ins. Macadamia nuts would go great in these cookies...

Makes 26 cookies

Ingredients
------------
-1 box yellow cake mix
-1/2-2/3 cup of oats
-2 eggs
-1/2 cup of vegetable oil
-1/2 cup of shredded coconut (go for the unsweetened)
-1/2 cup of white chocolate chips
-1/2 cup of dried cranberries (I used orange flavored)

Directions
-----------
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
-Mix cake mix, oats, eggs and oil until combined. Add coconut, chocolate chips and cranberries.
-Scoop into balls using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon. Arrange 13 cookies per sheet and bake 8-11 minutes.
-Cool and enjoy!

Polka Dot Fudge Cookies

My sister Layla made these up and she's getting a patent on the title :) After a quick search I discovered the basic version of this recipe is already all over the internet, but her's are still better ;-)

These are gooey and fudgy and soft and crumbly and JUST SO GOOD. They only take 10 minutes of prep time before they're baking in the oven, and I'm willing to bet 99% of people already have these ingredients in their kitchens. I love when I read a recipe and realize I can make it on the spot because I have everything needed and a bit of time to spare, and this is one of them!

The add-in possibilities are ENDLESS with these: chocolate chips, m&ms (these look SO cool), shredded coconut, nuts, toffee bits, chewy caramels...

Depending on the size (and how much batter you eat) these measurements should make about 36 cookies.

Ingredients

------------

-1 box chocolate cake mix

-2 eggs

-1/3 cup of vegetable oil

-1 cup mix-in (white chocolate chips, etc...)

To make

-----------

-Heat oven to 350 degrees.

-Mix cake mix, eggs and oil for 2 minutes until well blended.

-Stir in mix-in

-Shape into rounded teaspoons and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 7 minutes. This is for soft and chewy cookies. Bake an additional minute or two if you want them crispy. Cool for a couple minutes.

-DEVOUR!!!