Oreos: One smart cookie!

Photo by Courtesy Nabisco

Easy Oreo Truffles

Oreo cookies, the diesel engine of Nabisco’s cookie division, celebrates 100 sweet years this week. And while you can still enjoy it as the simple dark-chocolate cookie sandwich with vanilla cream filling, Oreos have metamorphosed into ever-more imaginative forms:

-- double "stuff," with extra frosting inside.

-- frosting flavors from mint to berry to peanut butter and even chocolate. There's orange for Halloween, and for the anniversary, there's a vanilla filling with colored sprinkles.

-- as "golden" Oreos, with vanilla cookies

-- dipped in chocolate for an extra decadent dessert

The cookie consumption debate will rage on forever over Oreos — twist off the top to make it two cookies? lick off the frosting? dunk it in milk or coffee? But creative chefs have taken it even further, designing dishes that range from cheesecake to milkshake, all fueled by Oreos. To cruise through nearly 100 recipes and variations, take a look at its website:<a href="http://www.oreo.com/recipes">www.oreo.com/recipes</a>;

Here are three popular ones from the site, and Naples Daily News food columnist Doris Reynolds has created her own, found on page 2D of this section:

CHOCOLATE-CARAMEL CREME PIE

Time prep: 30 minutes; total: 3½ hours

Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

18 Oreo cookies, finely crushed (about 1½ cups)

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

4 oz. (½of 8-oz. pkg.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. caramel ice cream topping

1 cup thawed Cool Whip whipped topping

1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) Jell-O Chocolate Instant Pudding

1½ cups cold milk

DIRECTIONS

1 Combinecookie crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate sprayed with cooking spray.

2 Refrigerate until ready to use.

3 Mixcream cheese and caramel topping in medium bowl until well blended.

4 Gently stir in Cool Whip; spread onto bottom of crust.

5 Beatpudding mix and milk with whisk 2 minutes.

6 Pour over cream cheese layer and refrigerate 3 hours.

Kitchen tip: The best way to thaw frozen Cool Whip Whipped Topping is in its container in the refrigerator. Depending on the size tub you have, the thawing time varies. Recommended thawing times are: 8-oz.-tub: 4 hours; 12-oz.-tub: 5 hours; 16-oz.-tub: 6 hours. We do not recommend thawing Cool Whip in the microwave.

EASY 1-2-3 SHAMROCK MILKSHAKE

Time prep: 5 minutes; total: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

INGREDIENTS

1 cup milk

2 Tbsp. Jell-O Pistachio Flavor Instant Pudding

1 Oreo Mint Pure Milk Chocolate Covered Cookie, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS

1 Pour milk into tall glass.

2 Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 to 3 minutes or until pudding mix is completely dissolved.

3 Stir in chopped cookie.

4 Serve immediately.

Kitchen tip:To crush cookie, place cookie in a small resealable plastic bag. Seal bag and crush the cookie with your hands.