It's been over a month since my last post b/c I've been super busy with my new job and my new workout regime!!! (These cupcakes are pre-workout craze) I started a new job one month and a day ago. I work for an insurance company that writes policies for specialty lines. I handle claims, which I did before, but this is a whole different monster! It's definitely fun, I love working in the city, where there is sooooo much good food! And the people are great. I'm so lucky that when I left my family at ELCO, I managed to find a good fit with Tower Group.
I've also started out a whole new lifestyle in regards to what I eat, how I workout and essentially, how I take care of myself. I joined XSport Fitness and I work out 5-6 times each week, which includes once a week with my trainer, Jason. I feel great!!!
So I've been super busy this last month, but I'm hoping to get back in the sing of things, and post some of these GREAT recipes I've been trying out.
These are obviously not healthy in any way, but they are deliciousness in a cup!!! Who doesn't love Oreos? YUM!
I also made the Cannoli cupcakes and bacon chocolate chip cookies (that recipe will be posted below as well)
Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes
Ingredients:
42 regular Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsley chopped
2 lbs of cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temp and lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place one whole Oreo cookie in each cup.
With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Add sugar and beat until combined. Add vanilla.
Drizzle in the eggs, a little bit at a time. Keep scraping the sides as needed to make sure everything is fully combined. Beat in sour cream. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.
Pour batter into the cookie-filled cups evenly. Bake about 22 mins, rotating half-way through.
Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate, in the tins, at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Remove from tins just before serving.
EAT!
Doesn't it look like a sad face?
Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Pan Cookies with vanilla pudding
1 package thick cut bacon (about 10 strips)
brown sugar for sprinkling
Chocolate chip pudding dough
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 package vanilla pudding mix (four serving sized)
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 bag of chocolate chips
To make the candied bacon:
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lay bacon on a parchment covered baking sheet so they are not overlapping. Sprinkle about 2 tsp brown sugar evenly on each strip of bacon.
Bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven, flip bacon and drag it through the syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Put the bacon back in the oven for another 12-15 minutes, until it is fully cooked and very dark. Remove the strips from the sheet and cool on a wire rack. After they have cooked, chop them into tiny pieces.
To make the cookies:
Combine flour, baking soda, salt and vanilla pudding mix in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and bacon pieces.
Spray a cookie sheet with canola oil spray.
Spread dough onto the baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for aprx 12-15 minutes. I go a little less than that because I like soft gooey insides.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into squares.
These were such a hit with the kids. Every one of them were like "ew" when they heard me talk about them. And then they tried them... Boy, were they devoured!!!
