i've recently started to frequent BJ's Wholesale Club. What can I say? I have a toddler who eats me out of house and home. i buy in bulk. the worst thing one can do when going to these kind of stores is go there hungry. on this particular day i went there starving. not a good idea. when i arrived back home and started unpacking the groceries i realized i bought what seemed to be everything that could possibly NOT be good for you. chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. frozen yogurt bars. graham crackers (i must say, my son will eat these). pasta. cheese slices. veggie chips. and oreos. yep, that's right a big ol' box of oreos. my husband's face lit up like a christmas tree when he came across the box of oreos as it is one of his favorite junk food items. i too love oreos, but having a ginormous box of them in the house is not a good idea.
so naturally i wanted to bake something to at least get rid of some of the oreos. what could be better than an oreo cheesecake? (have i mentioned that any kind of cheesecake is my all time favorite dessert? you'll start to pick up on a cheesecake baking trend as my blog progresses.) i started researching oreo cheesecake recipes and stumbled across a blog, Handle the Heat, which had a recipe for "Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes". i've already told you cheesecake is my favorite dessert, but cupcakes are my second favorite, and oreo cookies are my third favorite. JACKPOT! i couldn't wait to make them.
mama says: i always try to take recipes and add my own little flair. for this one, i added white chocolate chips to the batter. i topped each cupcake with whip cream and a fresh raspberry. divine!
mama's drink: you know it...Bailey's Irish Cream! i also think a cappuccino would be amazing with these or a big tall glass of ice cold milk.
COOKIES and CREAM CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES
adapted from Handle the Heat, originally from "Martha Stewart's Cupcakes"
INGREDIENTS
42 cream filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos. 30 left whole, 12 coarsely chopped
2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 c. sour cream
pinch of salt
1 c. white chocolate chips (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.
2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.
3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies and white chocolate chips if using by hand.
4. Divide batter evenly among cookie lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Remove from tins before serving.
