Willpower is not merely a word; it is the underlying force that drives human action and reaction.
Willpower is both the power to suppress and the power to incite.
Willpower, or lack thereof, is smothering my ability to review for final exams. It’s the reason I woke up at 10:30 this fine Saturday morning. It’s the reason there’s a pile of dishes next to the sink, begging to be cleaned.
Despite the limits of willpower, it’s also why I love to run. To be able to accomplish so much despite physical discomfort feels empowering. When you think, How am I going to survive this last 800-meter repeat? and you end up running it faster than all those prior; well, that’s satisfaction in its purest form.
Certainly, willpower has an endless number of applications to everyday life. The first thing that comes to mind when one says willpower is often dessert. We’re talking cake, scones, pastries, cinnamon rolls, pie, cookies, the whole shebang. Due to their easy preparation and relatively high availability, cookies in particular present a test of willpower.
Sure, one cookie is fine. Assuming they’re moderately-sized, even two or three won’t hurt.
But beyond the threshold of three is a point of no return, my friends. Many of you have likely been there. An utterly tantalizing, freshly baked cookie is the “gateway confection” of all desserts. It’s as slippery a slope as if someone slathered oil on a slip-and-slide.
Or in this case, butter and crushed Oreos.
But, then again, doesn’t skidding perilously along plastic coated with softened butter, mushed white frosting, and chocolate wafer crumbs sound like fun? Perhaps this proverbial test of willpower is an opportunity to let loose a little. Ever feel really tired at the end of the work/school week? Like you just want to unwind with a cookie? Or ten?
Then come ride the Oreo cookie slip-and-slide.
Cookies and Cream Cookies
Yield: about 14 medium cookies
- 1-1/4 cups + 2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour (165 g)
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch (8 g)
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup light butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (144 g)
- 1-3 Tablespoons egg white, or until dough comes together
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 5-6 Oreo cookies, crushed
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two or three baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
- With an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed just until smooth. Add egg white and vanilla.
- Add flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in Oreos. Refrigerate dough 10 minutes.
- Using an ice cream scoop, distribute six evenly-spaced dough portions on one baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes (I found 11 minutes to be about perfect, and keep in mind, they should be slightly underbaked). Let cookies cool on pan until set.
- Repeat step 5 with remaining dough, refrigerating dough between each batch.
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These looks amazing. Great photography too!
As wonderful as they look in the photos, they’re even more wonderful in real life. Mmmm, tasty.
yum yum yum!!!
Okay, these are fabulous and look out of this world delicious! Bookmarked!
Stunning photos!
Great blog!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
They truly are fabulous! And they go fast, so you might want to double the recipe.
Brilliant… I love this idea! I can’t wait to try it myself. Your pictures are beautiful…it’s like the big cookies ate the little ones
Well, they taste great, but the dough was extremely dry and crumbly. I think not enough liquid in it, and the scooped dough did not want to melt into cookie shapes. After 12 full minutes they were still close to the same shape as when I put them in the oven. I flattened them myself with a spatula and let cook another minute. The kid loved them, but definitely didn’t get the thin and pretty cookies you show here.
Did you measure the flour with a scale? The liquid to flour balance in this cookie is crucial. If you find the dough to be too crumbly, add egg white until it comes together.
I never measure flour with a scale. But I did use the exact amount you called for. The cookies still tasted great, just nowhere near as pretty.
Perhaps that little extra bit of flour made the difference. In any case, if you ever decide to try again, add additional egg white. I’m so bummed the cookies didn’t turn out as well for you!
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