OREO RICE KRISPIES TREATS: National Cereal Day

Today is National Cereal Day! Who hasn't made the ultimate cereal treat -- Rice Krispies Treats? They were very special at my house when I was growing up. We didn't have them a lot, but I loved them. I like this recipe because it takes it up a notch and adds chopped Oreos (you can use other cookies, too, but this is a chocolate blog!). Perfect, too, because yesterday was Oreo Day, so it's another two-for. 

This quick and easy recipe for Oreo Rice Krispies Treats is from Kraft, the maker of Rice Krispies, and it only takes 10 minutes. O.K., this may not be the healthiest of treats, but they're certainly delicious! You can always substitute your own puffed rice cereal, sandwich cookies, and homemade marshmallows. Happy National Cereal Day!

As I've mentioned many time, food companies often have fun recipes on their sites! Enjoy!

OREO RICE KRISPIES TREATS

Ingredients
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 pkg (10 oz.) JET-PUFFED Marshmallows
5 cups KELLOGG’S® RICE KRISPIES® cereal
16 OREO Cookies, coarsely chopped, divided

Directions
Microwave butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 45 seconds or until melted. Add marshmallows; toss to coat. Microwave 1-1/2 min. or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 sec.
Add cereal and 1 cup chopped cookies; mix well.
Press onto bottom of 13 x 9 inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining chopped cookies; press lightly into cereal mixture to secure. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Ultimate Turtle Cheesecake

I love Cheesecake, and since I'm from Philadelphia, I usually use Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Did you know the Italian word for cream cheese is Philadelphia? Really! I saw it on the Cake Boss in the episode where Buddy visits Sicily with his family. He taught some bakers to make New York style cheesecake, and since they don't usually use cream cheese in their baking, they brought out Philadelphia brand cream cheese for the cheesecake. They really do call cream cheese Philadelphia. Talk about branding!

I've posted several cheesecake recipes, but as I've mentioned many times, it's always good to go to food product websites for new recipes. This really decadent Cheesecake recipe for Ultimate Turtle Cheesecake is adapted from the Kraft website. This recipe kept popping up in my sidebar on Facebook, so I finally broke down and made it. You'll love it. You can, of course, substitute other cream cheese, caramels, nuts, chocolate, and cookies, but you might want to try the Kraft products on your test run. Yum!!

ULTIMATE TURTLE CHEESECAKE

24 Oreo Cookies, finely crushed (about 2 cups)
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 pkg. (14 oz.) Kraft Caramels
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped Planters Pecans
3 pkg. (8 oz each) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 squares Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Directions
HEAT oven to 325°F.
MIX crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and 2 inches up side of 9-inch springform pan.
MICROWAVE caramels and milk in small microwaveable bowl on HIGH 3 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each minute. Stir in nuts; pour half into crust. Refrigerate 10 min. Refrigerate remaining caramel mixture for later use.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over caramel layer in crust.

BAKE 1 hour 5 min. to 1 hour 10 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.

MICROWAVE reserved caramel mixture 1 min. stir. Pour over cheesecake. Melt chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over cheesecake.

Photo: Kraft

Ribbon Fantasy Fudge

I love Fudge. Well who doesn't? I love both the texture and the taste. What makes it special for you?

Here's a great Retro Ad & Recipe from Kraft for Ribbon Fantasy Fudge using Marshmallow Creme. I usually use Marshmallow Fluff which I think has a better flavor. What I like most about this Fudge recipe is that there are two distinct layers. Easy to make, and oh so pretty! And, you can always throw in some walnuts for more texture.

Ribbon Fantasy Fudge

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter (original retro recipe calls for Parkay margarine)
2/3 cup (5-1/3 fl oz can) evaporated milk
6 ounce pkg semi-sweet chocolate pieces (I substitute chopped good dark chocolate)
7 ounce jar Kraft marshmallow creme (I prefer marshmallow Fluff)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy style)

Directions
Combine 1-1/2 cups sugar, 6 Tbsp butter, and 1/3 cup milk in heavy 1-1/2 quart sauce pan; bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 4 minutes over medium heat; stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate pieces until melted. Add 1 cup (1/2 jar) marshmallow creme and 1/2 tsp vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour into 13 x 9 inch pan. Repeat with remaining ingredients, substituting peanut butter for chocolate pieces. Spread over chocolate layer. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares.

Chocolate Bytes: Multicultural Oreos

Had to share this article about Oreos that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle today.

Whether it's green tea Oreos in China, a chocolate and peanut variety in Indonesia, or banana and dulce de leche Oreos in Argentina, a lot rides on Kraft's efforts to develop alternatives to the iconic cookie-and-cream combination. The 100-year-old sandwich cookie, a $2 billion brand, is going global in a big way. Emerging markets will account for about half of Oreo sales this year; over the past five years, emerging markets including Asia and Latin America have been the major drivers of the brand's growth. Thanks to the overseas push, overall Oreo sales grew nearly 25 percent in 2011.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/06/BU6Q1ODA9H.DTL#ixzz1uBczdGR0

Let me know what flavor you would fancy.