No Bake Oreo Cake Pop

Next week I am planning to try out two new recipes on the eve of Durga Puja. One of them would be a sweet dish and the other one would be most likely a savory. So please eagerly wait for them. For the moment, let me share a fun food dessert. I made this for my son’s 9^th birthday party and all the kids loved it. Oreo cookies and cake pops both are kid’s favorite and so I thought they would be delighted if they get both at the same time. I started looking for recipes of cake pops made out of Oreo cookies. When I finished making it, was wondering why I didn’t prepare this treat before. The procedure was so easy and went very smoothly.

The Cake pop is a form of cake that looks more like a lollipop. It’s very nice idea to get a makeover of leftover cake by making these delicious pops. The first step of the recipe is to mix cake crumbs with icing and form small balls. Then put a layer of coating, probably of chocolate or any other decoration that you like. Adding chocolate on top makes it look more beautiful and attractive to the Kids.

The recipe that I am sharing today for Cake pops will take much lesser time from you compared to others. Mainly because it is a no-bake cake pop. Since you don’t need to bake a cake, it cuts the preparation time drastically. That’s why when I found this recipe, I just jumped out of excitement and gave it a try. Hope you and your kids will love this yummy tasty and delicious Cake pops.  

The recipe of No-bake Oreo Cake Pops  makes 20 Cake pops 

Ingredients :

Oreo Cookies : 24 pieces 

Cream Cheese : 3/4 of the package, around 5 oz. 

Lollipop sticks : 20 

Ghirardelli Semi-sweet chocolate chips : 2 and 1/2 cups.

Shortening / Butter : 1 tablespoon 

Ghirardelli Classic White baking chips : 2/3 cup  

Method :

1. Use a food processor or a blender to crumble the cookies. You can put the cookies in a large ziplock bag and use a hard object to crush the cookies as finely as possible. 

2. Take a bowl, add Oreo crumbles and cream cheese. Mix it well and make a dough. 

3. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

4. Roll the dough into 1.5 inch balls. Make about 20 balls. 

5. In a small microwave-safe bowl, add 1/4 cup of the semisweet chocolate chips and a half teaspoon of the shortening. Cook it in the microwave for one minute. Remove and stir until smooth. Dip one end of each lollipop stick into the melted chocolate and poke sticks into the Oreo balls. Keep them in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

6. Now take a microwave-safe cup , add remaining semi-sweet chocolate chips and the shortening. Microwave for about 2 minutes. Check the bowl and stir. If chocolate is not melted, again cook it in the microwave. Check every 30 seconds to avoid burning. Stir until smooth. 

7. Dip the balls into melted chocolate. Turning the stick to ensure even coverage. Allow the excess to drip off. Use a block of styrofoam as a holder to stick the cake pops in while they are drying. 

8. In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the Ghirardelli white chocolate chips for one minute. Stir until smooth. 

9. Once the cake pops are just set, drizzle with melted white chocolate. Let's stand for 30 minutes or it is set. Transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to one week. 

Bengali Kochur Loti style Asparagus with Shrimp

As we all are aware of, many of the modern popular Bengali dishes came from the eastern part of the Bengal or today’s Bangladesh. Several of them use Taro Stolons as a main ingredient, called Kochur Shak or Kochur Loti in Bengali. Once they are cooked simply in a home-style manner, they become really delish. You can consider to make them more frequently and surprise your family. Your hubby will stop referring to the Hilsha dish that his mom used to make with Kochur Shak.

As my family is all from West Bengal side, I rarely had Kochur Shak before coming to US . I can still recall that one of our neighbor aunts introduced us to Kochur loti with Hilsha head when she heard that none of my family members knew how to cook this veggie. 

Later when I came to  USA,  got to know Asparagus, the vegetable which is very close to Taro Stolons. Bengalis in USA generally cook Asparagus the same way the kachur loti is

used to cook in Bengal.  Whenever I go to farmers market, I always feel like buying this beautiful vegetable, especially during summer because it looks so fresh. Initially, I made the grilled version of this vegetable in American way, which didn’t become popular at our home. Then I started wondering how it can be made in Indian way and will go well with rice. So I experimented it with shrimp and mustard paste.  My husband and I both like it, except my son who is not a big veggie lover. 

Like Taro Stolons, you can cook Asparagus in several different ways . The vegetarian way  is simply with coconut and mustard paste.  You can make the non-veg version with fish head or Shrimp, though my favorite is shrimp.  Today I will share the recipe about how to cook Asparagus with shrimp, the style influenced by Bengali Kachur loti. The recipe itself is very fast and easy, requires very few pantry staples.

Recipe of Asparagus with Shrimp

Ingredients:

Asparagus : 1 bundle ( 1 lb ) 

Shrimp : 1 cup small 

Onion : a small one, thinly sliced 

Mustard oil : 6 tablespoon 

Kala jeera / Nigella seeds : half teaspoon 

Green chilis : 4 - 5 or to taste 

Turmeric powder : a pinch 

Red chili powder : 1/2 teaspoon ( optional ) 

Mustard paste : 2 teaspoons 

Grated coconut : two tablespoons ( optional ) 

Salt : to taste 

Method:

1. Cut the asparagus into 2 inches long pieces and discard the hard end part. 

2. Clean and wash the shrimps thoroughly and salt and turmeric and mix it well  and set it aside for 10 minutes. 

3. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, fry the shrimp until they are pink. Take it off from the pan and keep it aside. 

4. In the remaining oil add kalo jeere and green chilis. Once it sizzles add sliced onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. 

5. Now add the chopped asparagus to the pan. Stir it and add salt and turmeric. Cover and cook it for 8 to 10 minutes over low heat until they are soft. 

6. Add mustard paste , add more green chilies if you need. Keep stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. 

7. Now add fried prawns and mix it well. Check the seasoning. Add grated coconut ( optional ) and add few drops of mustard oil. Stir and cook for another couple of minutes. Switch off the flame and serve hot with steamed rice.