My main goal this weekend was to create an award-winning cookie for an office bake-off we’re holding this week. I pondered the Chocolate Peppermint Patty cookie and these Pretzel & Ice Cream Chocolate Chip cookies among others. However, I landed on this Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie — because you can’t go wrong with America’s favorite cookie stuffed inside a Tollhouse classic. Good choice on my part!

So now that your mouth is watering and you’re in the mood for some yummy stuffed cookies, I have to pause and review my weekend full of eats. The cookies are coming, I promise!

Friday night, we went to our first holiday party of the season and I made this double-duty quesadilla casserole. It was delicious, and I definitely recommend this for a simple weeknight meal.

Yesterday was nothing too exciting, although I did have a Italian Chicken Spinach Tortilla Pizza, which was a fun new creation I’ll be sharing on the blog later this week!

Today, I woke up all ready for a run with a friend only to discover it was pouring out. No good. So, I activated Plan B and decided to have a little fun with breakfast and try a new recipe before heading to the gym later in the morning. I used this super simple egg white oats recipe from Lindsay over at Live. Love. Nutrition. and will definitely be repeating it!

For lunch, Andy’s parents came down and I enjoyed a delicious Sailor Salad with Blackened Shrimp from Cheeseburger in Paradise. I just love that place! As I’m writing this, I’m enjoying a Pomegranate Chobani — is anyone else obsessed with Chobani?? I could eat them all day long…

Okay, okay, enough rambling! Lessons of the weekend: try the quesadilla casserole, experiment with Egg White Oats, and bring these little gems to your next holiday party or cookie bake-off. You won’t be disappointed.

Stuffed Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe adapted from Picky Palate
Makes about 18 cookies

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened (see the perfect softened butter trick here!)
• 3/4 c. light brown sugar
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 12 oz. chocolate chips
• 1 package of Oreos (I used regular)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine your softened butter, brown sugar, and regular sugar. Beat until fluffy. 
3. Add your two eggs and vanilla extract to butter/sugar combination and beat until well blended.
4. In a separate bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk with a fork until mixed.
5. Slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet with a mixer.
6. Once well blended, stir in your chocolate chips.
7. Scoop out a chocolate chip cookie and place on bottom of Oreo. Scoop out another chocolate chip cookie and place on top of Oreo. Pinch edges until Oreo is sealed. (Tip: I didn’t have an ice cream scoop like the original recipe suggested, so I used a 1/4 c. measuring cup instead, which was definitely a little too large. By the end, I was just taking two balls of dough and forming them around the Oreo until it was covered. The cookie will still be large!)
8. Place on parchment paper and bake about 15 minutes.
9. Remove and place on wire rack to cool.

How to level up this recipe:

• Use reduced-fat Oreos instead of regular.
• Opt for dark chocolate chips rather than semi-sweet.
• Use low-fat butter or substitute just one stick of butter for the two. Consider using applesauce or greek yogurt to help maintain the consistency.
• For the love of your waistline, limit yourself to just one cookie and enjoy every last crumb.

How to level down this recipe:

• Use double-stuffed Oreos or another fun flavor Oreo! (Peanut butter or cake batter would probably be great!)