Happy Birthday Oreo!

The Oreo cookie is turning 100 years old! It has been American's favorite cookie since it was introduced in 1912. No wonder we can't imagine life (especially childhood glasses of milk) without Oreos. The Oreo slogan is "Milk's Favorite Cookie", and Oreos make a good tasting treat by themselves or in dessert recipes.
The word "oreo" is a common crossword puzzle answer (to the clue 'sandwich treat'), but was coined just for the sandwich cookie. According to Nabisco historians, the Oreo cookie was named by taking the "re" out of creme and squishing it, like a cookie sandwich, between the two letters "o" from the word chocolate.
There is actually a personality quiz about how you eat your Oreos - by a woman who is a psychologist and psychoanalyst! A few are: If you eat the whole thing at once - you consume life with abandon. If you eat the cookie one bite at a time - you lack imagination, but you're normal (that's me, not sure if its a good thing or not!) If you dunk - you're always upbeat (well, I do this sometimes - in a glass of milk). Twisted apart, the inside, then the cookie - you're highly curious nature and take pleasure in seeing how things work, but may not always be able to put things back together, so you destroy the evidence (thats my daughter, wonder what 'evidence' she's destroyed?)
Actually,  my favorite ways to enjoy Oreos are in a couple of our favorite recipes...

OREO BALLS  

1 package regular size Oreo cookies, crushed

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 package white almond bark

1 package chocolate almond bark

1. Using a blender or hand held mixer, mix Oreos and cream cheese together.
2. Roll into walnut size balls.
3. Chill for an hour.
4. Melt approximately ¾ package of white almond bark.
5. Stick a toothpick in an Oreo ball and dip it in the melted white almond bark.
6. Allow to harden on wax paper.
7. Takes about 15 min.
8. While waiting, melt about ¼ package of chocolate almond bark.
9. When Oreo balls are no longer sticky to the touch, decorate with drizzles of chocolate and white almond bark.
10. Can use a sandwich bag with a tiny hole cut in one corner to drizzle the almond bark.   

OREO CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

38 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, divided

5 T. margarine, melted

5 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese softened

½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup sour cream, divided

2 eggs

1 t. vanilla

2 T.  sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Finely crush 24 of the cookies, mix with margarine. Press firmly onto the bottom of spring form pan. Stand remaining cookies around inside edge of pan. Firmly pressing bottom edge of each cookie into crust. (Or crush all cookies and press onto the bottom and sides of pan.) Set aside.

Melt 4 of the chocolate squares in saucepan, set aside. Beat cream cheese and ½ cup sugar well. Add ½ cup sour cream, eggs and vanilla, blend well. Add melted chocolate; mix well and pour over crust. Bake 35-40 minutes or until top is slightly puffed and center is almost set. Mix remaining 1 cup sour cream and 2 T. sugar, spread over cheesecake. Bake an additional 5 minutes. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim.

Melt the remaining chocolate square; drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.