Cake Batter Oreos

Last week on my blog, The Traveling Spoon, was all about Chelsea Market - former home of the National Biscuit Company (now Nabisco, to you and me) - so an Oreo-centric recipe seems to fit the bill perfectly. I actually came up with these gems a few weeks ago but wasn't sure whether to share them since they're so simple you don't really need a recipe. These were popular with my husband, though, and since the pictures came out so cute, I'm sharing them with you after all!

During my research on the Chelsea Market and the National Biscuit Company, I also learned a lot about the Oreo - Milk's (and my husband's!) Favorite Cookie. They were developed in 1912 (so that makes next year their 100th anniversary!) and there are some fascinating theories about how Oreos came into their unusual name. I'm aware that my ramblings are just delaying your cake-batter-dipped-sandwich-cookie gratification and I know most people aren't so crazed about etymology, so I'll refer you to Wikipedia for the full story. Now for the recipe - and it's so easy you'll wonder why you never tried it before!

I've been told that these are a lot like Fried Oreos - a slightly healthier version, perhaps? - but since I've never tried the originals, I can't confirm the comparison. I guess that means if you're curious, you'll just have to make them and decide for yourself!

Cake Batter-Dipped Oreos

1 box cake mix, any flavor (I used yellow cake)

Water

1-2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil (optional)

Oreo Sandwich Cookies or Mini Oreos

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet. Stir a small amount of water into the cake mix and keep adding water until the mix has the consistency of thick pancake or muffin batter (it should be reasonably thick or it won't stick to the Oreos). If you wish, you can add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil (I've tried it with and without, and both worked fine).

Dip Oreos into batter, taking care to coat evenly. Place on prepared cookie sheet and bake immediately. If desired, you can top cookies with sprinkles or colored sugar before baking or dip into melted chocolate once baked and cooled. Allow baked Oreos to cool on baking sheet for a couple of minutes before removing to a countertop to cool completely. Serve, of course, with a tall glass of milk.

A few notes: As I mentioned earlier, this is more like a set of directions than a real recipe. Of course, that doesn't make it any less tasty! I made our batch with Mini Oreos and they were great, but I bet the full size (or Double Stuff!!!) would be even better! I mixed mine up in small batches, just taking out cake mix as needed, but I'm sure you could easily make a big batch with the whole mix. I wanted to try a batch with the mix made as directed (i.e. eggs, oil, water, and all) but we ran out of Oreos! Still, I think this would probably work just as well if you're skeptical about just using water. These make a tasty treat, but they'd also make cute party eats or a fun baking activity for kids!

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