Oreo cheesecake cookies

Saturday night was Derby night in Milan. The city's two soccer teams, Milan and Inter, were playing against each other and the tension in the air was palpable. My husband was visibly nervous and I admit I was pretty happy to be getting out of the house to go to a university reunion.

I thought I had organized things reasonably well: the kids were changed and pretty much ready for bed, their dinner was ready and just needed to be heated. My husband, however, was running around the kitchen like a beheaded chicken, desperate to get them to sleep before the game started. As I was walking out the door, he asked me the same question (along the lines of "where are the spoons?", something he can usually  find blindfolded) for the fourth time in a row. I know that glazed-over look. His mind wasn't functioning, his thoughts and heart were with his blood brothers, his other family, the red and black-clad players of his team. When I told him to relax, that the game was only starting in an hour and a half (I promise I would never leave him with the kids up just a few minutes before a game) he looked at me, incredulous. Forgive me all of you sports fans. How could I not know they were about to start broadcasting from the stadium live? How do the soccer widows of the world not understand that their men need to sit and concentrate for a while before the game?

                         

Our 21 year old nephew was at our house too, visiting on a University break from London. Minor detail: he roots for the other team, Inter (black and blue). Uncle and nephew are very close, in case you are wondering how my husband can watch the derby with the enemy. Good wife that I am, I had baked these cookies for them to munch on after pizza and beer. Black and white, the colors of Juventus. Neutral territory for that evening.

The night ended very well for Milan supporters: they won 3-0, a pretty amazing result. When I heard the outcome of the game, I immediately wrote my hubby a text message and raised my (oops! almost empty) glass to him. Too bad that in all the excitement, he forgot about the cookies. Surprised? I wasn't.

These cookies were pretty much what they promised to be: rich, sweet and...well, a pretty perfect replica of Oreo cheesecake. So if you are partial to Oreo cheesecake, you will love these.

I like cheese cake and Oreo cookies as much as the next girl and grew up opening my Oreos and licking out the filling pretty much like everone else. To be more specific, I usually twisted open the cookie, ate the 'boring' side first and then enjoyed the yummy side with the sugary white filling on it last. How did/do you eat yours?

Er, sorry. Back to my point. As much as I like cheesecake and remembering afternoons at my Nana's eating Oreos, I do not like things that are overly sweet or loaded. So why, you must be wondering, did I make these? First of all, Oreo cookies are still pretty new around here, so it was exciting to just be able to go out, buy them and make something so American it had the words cheesecake and Oreos in its name. Secondly, I was intrigued by the picture of the cookies. They looked very good and pretty cool. I mean, how do you get that wacky crumb effect?

Well, now I know, even if my cookies did not turn out as three dimensional as the Brown Eyed Baker's did (but that is the story of my life).* I would definitely cut down the sugar the next time I bake them, but now I have a good recipe for a birthday party or a playdate. They are the perfect, fun cookie to make for/with kids. Me? I think I will stick to cookies that don't have other cookies as an ingredient.

Last but not least, there are no eggs in this recipe so these are the perfect cookies to make for friends/family with egg allergies.

Ingredients (about 12-15 cookies)

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

3 oz. cream cheese (I used the 80gr package), at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract (I didn't have any)

1 cup flour

1/2 semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream together the butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth and well combined. Add the sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until well combined. Add the flour and mix slowly until it is well incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Pulverize the oreo cookies. My kids helped me crush the cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. They almost liked that better than licking out the bowls. Place the crumbs in a small bowl. Roll the dough into about 1 1/2 to 2 inch balls and then roll in the cookie crumbs. My dough was pretty soft and I didn't think I would be able to roll them into a ball, but it worked and I helped myself with a spoon. Place the balls on the baking tray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden and the tops are slightly puffed. Cool on the pan for a few minutes and then transfer onto a cooling rack.

*I made two different sizes. When I checked the smaller ones after 10 minutes, they had already overcooked. They weren't really burnt but a little too crunchy and dark for my taste. I left the larger ones in for about the same time and they were perfect and chewy. The pictures are of the first batch of course, which was decidely less puffy than the second.