Preschooler Cooking: Oreo day on March 6th

In honor of March 6th being the first day Oreo’s were sold (in 1912), I'll share the recipe for our favorite treats: Oreo Balls!

Start out with a package of oreos…any kind will do!  Put half the bag into a gallon-sized plastic baggie and crush.  In efforts to have my preschoolers help in the kitchen, they are usually given this fun task.  The 4 year old likes the kitchen mallet but the 2 year old is only trusted with a rolling pin so far. *wink*


After they crush the cookies as finely as possible, we place in a bowl along with a softened package of cream cheese.  Some perfectionists I know take a further step by putting the cookies in the blender to really grind into bits…but we’re lucky if the oreos even make it into the mix (versus our mouth) so we just bypass this step to faster treat-eating.

Use an ice cream scooper or melon baller to scoop the mix into ball-form and place onto a piece of wax paper. Then scoot the wax paper onto a cutting board and place in the fridge or freezer to flash-cool for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Next, melt half a bag of almond bark or chocolate chips, per the directions on the bag.  Pull out the firm balls and set on the counter then begin to coat with the melted chocolate. Again, we aren’t perfectionist nor can I manage to keep my balls in ball form if I dip into the chocolate….grrr.  We pull out spoons and let the boys drizzle the melted chocolate over the balls. 

After the chocolate hardens, they are ready to serve!  Leftovers should be refrigerated.

We like to use almond bark because a) it’s cheaper and b) it hardens very hard and makes the balls easier to hold by the little hands of my preschoolers.

Additionally, these freeze well so you can place the leftovers into a freezer bag and keep them frozen until a need should arise…maybe unexpected guests are coming and you need a treat to serve, or you just have a chocolate craving. *wink*
Enjoy!

There are many more crazy national holidays this month, as listed in the previous post.  So check back often to see stories of more preschooler activities to come!

Does anyone else plan to celebrate March 6th’s date of Oreo Day or the holiday of National Dentist Day??