You've gotta see the baaaby

Originally Posted:
Friday, April 13, 2007
11:15:00 PM CDT
Feeling Chillin'
Hearing House


Once Upon A Time I had a student named Mindy. Her friends called her Min, Mindo or Mindums. Mindy graduated from the Interior Design program and went onto graduate school seeking a degree in Student Affairs (or something like that). She, along with another graduate in the same class, Emily, and I have kept in close contact since their undergraduate graduation in 2003. Well, Min went and fell in love with a nice guy named Adam. They got married, Emily and I made a silly video of our trip to the wedding, and before we could blink, the Johnson Two were soon to become the Johnson Three. Emily and I jumped on the chance to throw a baby shower for Mindy and we got to planning back in, like, September of 2006 for the January 2007 shower. We handmade very cool pink and brown invitations with handmade envelopes. Ya, see, "it" was supposed to be a GIRL. Well, guess what? The baby came out a BOY and over a month early. Emily called me while I was at Dancing With The Stars to tell me the news and both of us were like, "Yea, yea, yea, it's a boy. But what about OUR baby shower that was supposed to happen that weekend!?!?" Seriously. All worked out, little Ashton had a few ups and downs at the hospital as preemies do before being sent home a few weeks after his birth. Unfortunately, due to the timing of all this, and my plans to return to Savannah in March, I couldn't be at the baby shower when it finally happened. So, I baked lots of cookies for them to serve and asked for pictures so I didn't miss anything. That fills you in on who the baby in the pictures is.

One batch of cookies in particular was a huge hit with Mindy and her sister. She asked me for the recipe, which I thought I'd share with everyone. Enjoy! Warning: They are addictive.

1. Shopping
1 package Oreos (I go the cheap route and use Walmart's Twist and Shout cookies)1 box of cream cheese1 package of vanilla/almond bark (that's what I use) -or- white chocolate chips

2. Chopping
Crush the package of cookies (I use my handy-dandy Black and Decker mini-chopper (basically makes cookie dust rather than leaving chunks). A food processer works well too. Or, you can use the palm of your hand to crush them on the counter which leaves big chunks. Try to get the chunks down to crumb size.)

3. Squishing
In a bowl big enough to hold the crushed cookies, mix the cookies and cream cheese. I use my hands to squish them together because my blender gets clogged up when I use it for this.

4. Rolling
Roll the mixture into balls using your hands. Stack the balls to the side. (You can refridgerate them like this and come back to the dipping later if needed.)

5. Melting and Dipping
I use my mini-Crock Pot (the tiny Crock Pots used for cheese dips and what not at parties. Not the big Crock Pot!) to melt the almond bark and keep it warm while I'm dipping the balls. If you don't have a mini Crock Pot then melt the chocolate in small amounts in the microwave and dip the balls quickly. The problem with the microwave is that chocolate gets nasty if over cooked in the microwave. It burns and stinks!!! The other option is using a double boiler pot on the stove top.

Dip the rolled balls in the melted chocolate (use an olive pick or a small pair or tongs to dip with. Hot chocolate will burn your fingers. Ouch :-()

Place the chocolate covered balls in wax paper and allow to dry.

6. Eatting
It's safe to leave the cookies at room temp in a storage container for weeks. If you are making them ahead of time, they can be frozen and thawed as needed.

Variations: Get crazy with those Oreos...use the mint ones or the strawberry milkshake ones.