Cookies & Cream Fudge

I know that between the milk chocolate chip oatmeal cookies and Russian tea cakes, I've been loading you up on the cookies lately.

But technically fudge is candy.  Somehow that makes it different in my mind?  And this fudge was so delicious that I could not resist sharing the recipe with you ASAP.

I was originally going to make it with all white chocolate, but then I ran out of white chocolate chips, so I threw in some regular semi-sweet.  Which was an amazing decision because it cuts down on the sweetness of all-white chocolate, and also compliments the Oreo cookie chunks well.

Fudge is one of my sister-in-law Melissa Vittles' favorite treats.  At Thanksgiving this year, she wanted nothing to do with any of the pies or cookies, and did not hide her disappointment that there was no fudge to be had.

So for Christmas, I knew I had to make some fudge to bring to my in-laws.  And I'm so glad that I did, because she gave me a Christmas gift that far surpassed any fudge I could create.

It all started on Thanksgiving when she casually mentioned in conversation that there are people out there who dance with cats, and that she knows this because she found a book in her new apartment called Dancing With Cats.

A book that I just so happen to own, thanks to my college girlfriends Nat and Flav Vittles (who decided many years ago that I could not live without these full page photos of crazy people dancing with their cats).

© 1999, Dancing with Cats

Mel V and I got so giddy about this commonality that we could hardly contain ourselves.  We probably told every person at Thanksgiving, and even did a search on You Tube for some potential cat-dancing videos.

Much to our disappointment, we did not find any.

We did, however, find the sequel to Dancing With Cats, called Why Paint Cats.  Mel V was so kind as to purchase this book for me for Christmas, to add to my library - here is an example of the truly beautiful artform of cat painting:

© 2002, Why Cats Paint

To be honest, I can't tell if these books are supposed to be funny... but they certainly are.

And what's ironic is that we both had the same thing on the brain this Christmas, because I decided to make a shirt for Mel V that said "Cat Dancer" on the front, with her face superimposed on the body of a cat dancer from the book on the back:

It's a little hard to see, so here's the full image:

I know... you're jealous.  I am too.

But the true highlight of my night came when Mel V brought her parents' outdoor cat Charlie inside for some cat dancing of her own.  Wearing the shirt AND a stick-on mustache.

It doesn't get any better than this, folks!

At first I was surprised Charlie was not trying to get away, but someone made the excellent point that he was probably just happy to be indoors.

Or... maybe he was born to cat dance.  Either one.

If you want to see them in action, here is a You Tube video I uploaded of the glorious moment:



So in the end, I guess my fudge paled in comparison to Mel V & Charlie's show.

But unless you are planning to bring it to the home of a semi-pro cat dancer, I assure you - the fudge will be tough to beat!

Cookies & Cream Fudge

• 12 oz. white chocolate chips (about 2 C.)
• 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (about 1 C.)
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 2 C crushed Oreos, or other chocolate sandwich cookies (about 15 cookies)

Line a 9x13 baking pan with foil, allowing excess to hang over edges, and grease foil.

In large, microwave-safe bowl, toss chips with baking soda and salt until evenly distributed.  Stir in sweetened condensed milk.  Microwaved in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until all chips are melted and mixture is smooth.

Add vanilla & cookie pieces and stir to distribute evenly.  Quickly transfer fudge to prepared pan, and spread in even layer with spatula.  Refrigerate about 2 hours, until set, and remove from pan using foil.  Cut into squares.  Can be kept at room temperature in airtight container up to 5 days, or a bit longer in the refrigerator.


Recipe Adapted from Cooks' Illustrated