Peppermint Oreo Trifle

My last peppermint recipe of the season. This is sad. But I am still whipping them up at my house and will continue to do so through Valentines. You best believe it.

I made this for a gathering. I had some friends over to watch movies and be girls and so giggly gossip and catching up happened more than the movie...but I like that part even better. We were all nibbling and I brought out the trifle, one of my besties got up to take a bite and then quipped "this is terrible, so I am just gonna eat the whole thing to save everyone else" and she acted like she was gonna sit in the corner and hold it hostage. Pretty funny...but it really was that good.

In case you haven't gathered it from these posts: peppermint oreo whoopie pie or peppermint oreo mudslide....I am kinda a fan of the peppermint oreo combo thingy. and I am not one bit sorry.

Ingredients

1 box choc cake mix(and ingredients to make cake)

2 box oreo pudding mix

1 1/2 cup peppermint mocha creamer

1 1/2 cup whipping cream

1 package peppermint crunch(or 1 cup crushed candy canes/peppermints)

8 oz cream chhese(softened)

optional

1 packet peppermint hot choc packet

1 cup peppermint marshmallows

crushed oreos

see notes for quicker cool whip version.

This may seem more daunting than it is, due to the amount of ingredients, but it really only takes about 20 min to make the whole thing(not including baking cake) and the end result is so worth it, promise!

Bake cake according to directions, adding half a pack of oreo pudding to batter. Once it has cooled, cut in small, bite size chunks and place a layer in the bottom of a trifle bowl. In a separate bowl, Make the pudding(and remaining half of other packet) using the mocha creamer, put in fridge to set up for 5 minutes. Add in cream cheese and beat together till fluffy, add in a cup of peppermint crunch, mix till combined. Then add in the whipping cream and beat til peaks form. Add a layer of the oreo peppermint mix on top of the cake layer, add some more peppermint crunch and continue layering to top of bowl. Then top w/crushed oreos, peppermint and or peppermint marshmallows.

Cover and keep in fridge for at least an hour or until ready to serve. 

Notes*

the second time I made this, I added hot cocoa mix to the cream mixture. I also made the pudding w/peppermint kahlua and baileys. If you want to make a quicker version, make the pudding using 2 cups of the creamer and after it set up for 5 minutes, fold in peppermint crunch and a tub of cool whip.

I hope you get to make this and I hope you live near me and want me to come taste it. you know, just to make sure it tastes like it should;)  

linking up with

Your Girlish Whims

Whoopie Pie Wednesday:Peppermint Oreo

as divine as it sounds, people. Yum. I may have eaten more than my fair share a few of these babies. And guess who doesn't feel bad about it either? I have been swimming 25 laps for the last few mornings and am feeling great. It is good to be back in the groove after a long stoppage. and I need nourishment afterwards;) 

and yes...peppermint is still happening. For at least another week. I love it and will work it in whenever possible  These were so light and fluffy and just plain...good! And if you were wondering just how much I adore the combination of peppermint and oreo, check out my mini peppermint oreo cheesecakes or peppermint oreo mudslide

Ingredients

1 box choc cake mix

1/3 cup veggie oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup  peppermint coffee

1 packet oreo pudding

3/4 cup peppermint crunch(or crushed candy canes)

1/2 cup peppermint creamer

1 cup whipping cream

4-6 oz cream cheese softened

(see notes below if you want cool whip version instead)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine cake mix, oil, eggs, peppermint crunch  & coffee in a mixing bowl.

Drop by  tablespoon onto lined cookie sheet (leave about an inch between each cookie)

Bake 8-9 minutes

Cool on pan 5 minutes, move to cookie rack until completely cooled.

make pudding using 1/2 cup of coffee creamer, let set up in fridge for 5 min. In a mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese on low for a min or until fluffy, add pudding , beat on low till pudding is fully incorporated into cream cheese and add whipping cream, turn speed to high and beat until stiff peaks form. Let set in fridge for at least an hour before frosting.  You can add crushed oreos or peppermint crunch if you'd like.

Place a dollop of frosting on top of cooled cookie, top w/another cookie and press together for frosting to spread out.

***notes
If you don't have peppermint coffee, water is absolute fine. And when making the pudding, I once used peppermint kahlua. Was quite tasty! and the cool whip version of frosting is simple. Use 1 cup peppermint creamer and 1/2 cup milk to make pudding. After it sets up for 5 minutes, fold cool whip into pudding. And again  feel free to mix it up, add more oreos or peppermint. Anything you think would be delicious!

Mini Peppermint Oreo Cheesecakes

As I have said previously, half the things I make are from some innocuous thought I have while wandering the aisles of grocery stores. One of my friends has said she would start paying me to shop for her b/c she can never go without her three kids and her trips aren't quite as fulfilling as mine. Haha  I, however, thoroughly enjoy my trips there and it is how I stumble upon new ideas all the time. This particular happenstance was at the Devils Den Walmart. I made the terrible mistake of going on a Saturday morning. I know. HELL ON EARTH. 


Anyways I was in the pudding baked goods area & low & behold if they didn't have candy cane pudding. Even the box was all cute(as cute a a pudding box can be expected to be), if you haven't ascertained this from previous posts, I'm completely taken in by adorable packaging. I am the definition of a marketers dream. If it has cute polka dots or something- forget it, it's mine. Plus, they were on clearance for  $ .20 a box. Hello, that would be almost nefarious of me to not purchase as many as possible, which was 4. That was all they had. Thank goodness, we'd have been eating candy cane pudding eggs before you know it;)


Anyhoo, pudding is always begging to be made into no bake cheesecakes. I already had cheesecake flavored cream cheese and mini oreos, All I needed was milk to make it. Except here's my trick, I cannot remember the last time I used milk to make pudding. How...boring.  Flavored creamers, people. They will change your life, I promise;) For this one the choice was pretty obvious: peppermint mocha. Yums.

Ingredients
1 package candy cane pudding(you could use vanilla, just add more peppermint extract)
1 package Mint Oreo Fudge Cremes
16 oz cream cheese room temp( I used cheesecake flavored, but feel free to use regular)
1 1/2 cups cold whipping cream
1/4 cup peppermint mocha creamer
1 cup crushed oreos
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
dab of red food coloring
12 cupcake liners
 Hard shell




To prepare 

in a large mixing bold combine cream cheese, 3/4 dry pudding mix, peppermint extract and creamer. Mix until you have a smooth, creamy consistency. Add the crushed oreos and peppermint extract along w/the food coloring till it's your desired color. Once the oreos are fully incorporated,  place an oreo fudge creme in the bottom of each cupcake liner, this serves as the "crust"  Then pour the cheesecake mixture over the oreos and fill 3/4 full. Place the pan into the fridge for an hour. After an hour, take the cheesecakes out and use the hard shell(find in ice cream aisle, or you can make your own ganache) drizzle over each cupcake and place them back in fridge until half an hour before ready to serve.

To make the peppermint whipped cream
Pour whipping cream and remaining dry pudding mix into bowl and mix until stiff peaks begin to form, add a dab of food coloring and mix for a few seconds more. place the whip cream into fridge and cool for around an hour,  take it out when you remove cheesecakes and pipe on top, I like to use sandwich baggies to pipe, but you can anything, even a spoon;)

I then topped mine off w/a peppermint mudslide heart I had frozen, it was remaining from the peppermint oreo mudslide I had made a few days before. You can obviously omit this step, it just gave mine that extra pizzaz I wanted. 

These came out pretty good. I think you could probably try chocolate cream cheese to see how that might taste(you'd probably have to forgo the red color, but...ummmm, really, who the heck cares as long as it's yummy) All I know is they didn't last very long around my house. This is normally a good sign, right;) on a side note, how annoying that the pudding wasn't as pink as they made it look on the box, lies...I hate that.(hence the food coloring) haha my gripe of the day. 

*Origin*
I am not really sure, I mean plenty of people make peppermint cheesecakes. This particular recipe was mine, but it's not like I had the first idea. I just wouldn't know who to give the props to...haha