Chocolate Chip Oreo Bars

Oh boy. This was an experiment gone awry. And by awry, I mean I just wanted a little taste of something sweet, like a little mini cookie from Mrs. Fields. Instead, I ended up with this:

And I ate half of it in one sitting. What you see here is a 3-layer dessert consisting of an oreo cookie crust, chocolate chip cookie, and oreo buttercream frosting.  Do not make these if you lack self control, you will eat yourself out of house and home.

Recipe:
Oreo Crust

• 24 oreo cookies
• 1/2 stick butter

Chocolate Chip Cookie

• 1 c. shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla
• 2 c. + 2 T. flour
• 1 t. soda
• 1 t. salt
• 1 bag semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

Oreo Buttercream Frosting

• 2 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 12 T. butter, at room temp and cut into 1/2 in. pieces
• 8 oreos
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• splash milk

I started by making the oreo cookie crust. Crush cookies in the food processor and pour them into a mixing bowl (before I had a food processor I smashed them in a ziploc bag with a hammer. This worked just fine).  Melt 1/2 stick butter and mix into the oreos; press them into the bottom of a baking dish of your choice - I used a 9x13 in. glass pyrex. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Increase oven temp to 375.

Next, make the chocolate chip cookie dough. Start by creaming the shortening and sugars in a bowl with a standing mixer. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix flour, salt, and soda. Add to the butter mixture. Stir in lots o' chocolate chips. Press the cookie dough on top of the oreo crust; be careful, the crust may still be fragile.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Finally, make the frosting. In a small metal bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar.  Place the bowl over a pot with simmering water, and whisk until the sugar dissolves.  Pour the mixture into a bowl with a standing mixer, and beat with a paddle attachment until it's light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in butter. Add in powdered sugar and milk. Finally, add the oreos. I left my frosting kind of crunchy, but you can mix more or less depending on your preference. Spread over COOLED cookie bars.

To make sure they set, I chilled for about 1 hour. I then found that serving them chilled was extraordinarily delicious, so I recommend doing that.  Put on some pants with an elastic waist and enjoy!!