MINI OREO CHEESECAKES

I've made these little gems many, many times, and I've never had a single crack in any of them and they go together in a snap. They are absolutely delicious and totally addicting. 

The only "extra" step, is that they really need to sit in the fridge overnight after baking (to soften the cookie crust), but this step is WELL WORTH IT. You can eat them as soon as they are chilled, but the cookie will still be crunchy.  If you let them sit in the fridge overnight, the cookie almost becomes part of the cheesecake...scrumptious.

 

24 Oreo cookies (divided)
1 pound of cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2  cup granulated sugar
1/2  cup sour cream
2  large eggs (lightly beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place 6 (original) Oreo cookies in the food processor and process into fine crumbs (set aside). Preheat your oven to 275 F and put 18 cupcake papers in your cupcake pan. Place a whole Oreo cookie in the base of each cupcake paper and set aside.

With your electric mixer (I used my stand mixer with a paddle attachment), mix the cream cheese on medium speed for three minutes.  Add the sugar and vanilla and mix for another 2 minutes on medium speed, or until very smooth. Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix on LOW until well combined. Fold in the sour cream and cookie crumbs with a spatula.

Fill the cupcake papers almost to the top (I used an ice cream scoop and it seemed to be the perfect measurement). Bake in preheated 275° oven for 30 minutes.

Once they are baked, leave them in the cupcake pan and immediately put them in the fridge. Chill overnight.  Delicious !!!

 

SPICED OATMEAL-CRAISIN COOKIES

We have all tried a LOT of oatmeal cookie recipes, some thick and heavy, some thin and crunchy, some bland and doughy. This cookie, however, is everything those "other" cookies weren't; it is tender, chewy, buttery, mildly spiced and they make your kitchen smell heavenly while baking; it is the perfect holiday cookie!!   



1/2 cup butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco (important)
1 cup brown sugar (I like to use dark, but light works well also)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
1½ cups craisins (or raisins)

Cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, eggs and butter flavored Crisco (the combo is MUCH better in texture and taste than if you use all butter).

Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt, then mix into the creamed mixture. Stir in the oats and craisins (I do all of this in my big stand mixer).

Roll into balls about the size of a small walnut and bake on ungreased cookie sheet (do not flatten) for 10 to 12 minutes (my oven takes 11 minutes) don't over cook. Let them cool for about 30 seconds before removing them from the cookie sheet.

Store in airtight container. Makes about 5 dozen.

DOG REWARD TREATS

I've been making this reward treat for our dog Chloe for 8 years and she loves them. As a matter of fact, when they are baking, she positions herself in front of the oven and waits "patiently".....well, there's only a LITTLE bit of drooling!!

If you want to make your dog very happy, bake up a batch of these "puppy treats". They are super easy to make and bake up hard and crunchy(they will "keep" forever, much like a commercial milk bone, but tastier).

Since Chloe isn't a BIG dog, I bake little treats, just the right size for her; if you have a big dog, you can cut them bigger.

Another reason WE love giving our dog these treats is that they don't cause the "gas" that many commercial treats cause.

2½ cups whole wheat flour (white flour will work too)

1/3 cup bacon grease (see note below)
1 egg
½ to ¾ cup milk (see update note)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
1 teaspoon onion powder (not salt)
3 heaping teaspoons beef bullion granules

Mix everything ( using the ½ cup of milk) into a STIFF dough (stand mixer works best). Beat until it comes together in a smooth ball. All flour is different, so if the dough seems dry and won‘t hold together in a  smooth ball, just start adding the other ¼ cup of milk (one tablespoon at a time) until it holds together in a nice moist (but not sticky) ball (the dough texture should feel like freshly kneaded Play Doh).

Roll the dough into ropes about ½” in diameter. Cut the ropes into small pieces and put on an UNgreased cookie sheet (try to spread the pieces out; it's ok if they get sort of close to each other, but just make sure they are in a single layer. 

Bake at 350° for 40 minutes; remove the pan from oven  and shake the pan a little (the pieces should slide around easily).  Cool the treats right on the pan. When the treats cool, they will be as dense and hard as a commercial milk bone treat; your dog will thank you!!!

 

NOTE: This recipe calls for 1/3 cup of bacon fat, sounds like a lot, but the recipe makes a LOT of treats. If you don't have bacon fat, peanut butter works well too.

NOTE: We keep Chloe's treats in a large peanut butter jar. We often find her staring at the jar, lol!!

 

UPDATE:  Our dog had developed problems when eating anything dairy, so I've been making these, lately, with water instead of the milk, and she doesn't seem to notice any difference.