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When I think of OREO®, I think of my favorite kind of ice cream: Cookies ‘n Cream. What’s so great about it? Well, first off, EVERYTHING. But more importantly, the most quintessential trait of Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream is its vanilla ice cream base. Why does everyone try so hard to pair OREO® with chocolate? OREO® Cookies are “Milk’s Favorite Cookie.” Not chocolate milk. Just milk--plain old white milk. That’s why it doesn’t make sense to me that the first thing people think of when they want to make something with OREO®are brownies. I’ve seen OREO® brownies so many times, but has anyone ever seen an OREO®blondie?

This recipe honors the true nature of OREO® Cookies. It pairs them with vanilla rather than chocolate, the way that the OREO® creators intended, and the way that Cookies ‘n Cream ice cream so delectfully demonstrates. Because I didn’t use eggs, the batter remained white enough that it even looks like Cookies ‘n Cream! I’ve chosen to top these blondies with cookie sunflowers to analogously represent their ability to brighten anyone’s day. I hope you like them!

Ingredients                                                                                                                                       

1 each 20

Dry:

Wet:

Add-ins:

Vegan Buttercream:

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan

2. In a large bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and mix just until no lumps remain. Batter should be thick (like cookie dough) but malleable.

3. Crush 11 of the OREO® Cookies and gently fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula.

4. Spread the batter into the greased pan carefully with a rubber spatula. Separate 9 OREO® Cookies into two pieces, set the halves that have the creme filling aside. Crush the non-creme halves finely until they resembles “dirt.” Sprinkle crushed OREO® Cookies over the surface of the batter.

5. Bake for 24-27 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature before decorating.

6. To prepare frosting: in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat softened butter for 2 minutes until fluffy. Add in powdered sugar ½ cup at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition. Add vanilla and salt. With the mixer on low, add non-dairy milk until the frosting reaches the desired consistency. Add yellow food coloring and beat until incorporated.

7. To decorate: place the 9 OREO® Cookies halves equi-distant from each other on top of the blondies so that the creme is face down and the cookie is facing up. Transfer yellow frosting to a piping bag fitted with a leaf tip, and pipe small petals around each of the OREO® Cookies make sunflowers.

Arynne Wegryn -Jones, University of Michigan Dining, Ann Arbor, Michigan