Dipped Oreos...

My family took a trip down to St. George a couple of weekends ago, and I wanted to make a treat to take along.  I was pressed for time, however...I was working my normal shifts, and my husband was working out of town, so I needed something quick and easy. 

I had purchased all the supplies to make chocolate dipped Oreos awhile back, and it was exactly the kind of treat I was in the mood for...

Supplies
Good quality chocolate (I prefer Ghiardelli, but this time I also had some good chocolate left over from our chocolate fondue at Christmas. I did some milk chocolate dipped ones, which are my favorite, and some semi-sweet dipped ones, which are my husband's favorite)
Oreos (I prefer either the Double-Stuf or the Seasonal ones with the colored filling...for some reason the seasonal ones seem to taste fresher)

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First, melt chocolate in a double boiler, or a glass bowl over boiling water.

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After the chocolate is completely melted, remove from heat and let sit for 3-4 minutes.  Stir well, then begin dipping. 
Place an Oreo in the chocolate. 

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Use a fork to coat the Oreo in chocolate

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Use the fork to lift the Oreo out of the chocolate, and gently tap the fork on the bowl to remove excess chocolate (I only tap until it stops dripping, I like a thick layer of chocolate :))

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Place on wax paper to set.  If you're in a hurry, place on wax paper on cookie sheets, and put in your fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes. 

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To add a little decoration, place candy melts or white chocolate chips in a decorating bag, twist closed, and place in hot water to melt.  (I put the water in the microwave until just before it boils). 

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When your decorating chocolate is all melted (squeeze the bag around to get it all melted), snip off the tip of your bag a little at a time until you find the right size for your vision

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Yum!

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I personally ate wayyy too many of these on our family vacation...and they were a huge hit with my family!

Filled Cupcakes

I LOVE buttercream frosting.  There is never too much frosting for me!  One of my favorite things to do is fill my cupcakes up with frosting....

One of my friends at worked asked when I would be bringing treats again.  I asked her when she was working, and then asked her what she wanted.  She just wanted something with "your yummy frosting", so I decided to make cupcakes and fill them. 
Of course, I was rushed for time, and forgot to take pictures of the process. 

Filling cupcakes is actually much easier than you might think.  First, bake your cupcakes and let them mostly cool.  Prepare your frosting, and put it in a frosting bag with a large tip on it (I like the Wilton 1m for filling).  Just push the tip into the top of your cupcake, and squeeze in frosting until the top of your cupcake starts to crack.  I like to fill all my cupcakes first, then go back and frost the tops. 

For this batch, I tinted the frosting a pretty lavender (purple is my friends' and my favorite color), and used the Wilton 1A tip to frost them...

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(I was disappointed that the frosting color faded the next day...I need to invest in better colors than the Wilton ones I guess). 

And the insides...

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These were really yummy, and got devoured at work.