Cookies and Cream Fudge

I adore making sweets, as I am sure you can tell if you have spent any time on my page.  I like to bake when I am upset, angry, happy, anxious, celebrating - you name the emotion and I would love to bake to it.  Now the problem with this love is that I also enjoy EATING the sweets I make.  (Let's be honest is there a reason to make a sweet if you don't like it?!)  Well eating all that sugar filled wonderfulness is not going to help me on my journey!  Yet I can't just give up baking all together, that would be disastrous to my mental well being (ok laugh it up, I am actually sane - "my mother had me tested").

Taking all this into account I have learned to moderate.  When I have the incredible urge to bake I try to make it around a party, and let's face it in my family there is one of those every weekend.  If there is no party in sight - say the middle of the week - I bake and send the fruits of my labor with Brian to work. (Sorry to all your coworkers out there that might be trying to watch what you eat :-D)  This just happened to be one of those nights.  I got home after a VERY long ride in the car with a jabber jaw 3 year old - seriously I think he is the most loquacious 3 year old I have ever come across.  (Hmm now that I think about it I am kind of wordy as well - SORRY!)  Anyway, after this long ride I needed a wind down - Cookies and Cream Fudge.

Now this recipe would be extremely detrimental to my journey.  Mainly due to the fact that it is not a cookie or bar that I wouldn't eat after 3 days (cause let's be honest three-day-old cookies are well on their way to being super stale).  The leftovers of this fudge, as long as stored in an air tight container, don't reach the stale mark until... well I don't really know because there have never been pieces left behind.  But I had some extra chocolate - and that would be just as bad sitting around - and I wanted to make fudge.  So, again, I apologize to any of Brian's coworkers that might be on a journey of their own - I swear I am not trying to sabotage you!

Cookies and Cream Fudge

• 3-3 1/2 c White Chocolate (I use left over wafers from my loli-pop making but you can use morsels or white chocolate bars whatever you have!)
• 2 T Butter (I use margarine)
• 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1-2 t Vanilla
• Crushed Sandwich Cookies (Oreos or make your own, you will need about 10-20 of them depending on your taste)

1. Line a 9 x 12 baking dish with wax or parchment paper.  
2. Crush the sandwich cookies and drop about half of them into  the bottom of the paper covered dish.
3. In a heavy saucepan combine the chocolate, butter, condensed milk and vanilla.  
4. Over medium heat, stir the chocolate mix continuously until melted and smooth. 
5. Once the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and quickly stir in the remaining crushed cookies.  
6. Pour the chocolate into the pan over the layer of cookie crumbles.  
7. Refrigerate until firm.
8. Cut up and Enjoy!

I cut the fudge into 86 pieces - given that they are about 55 calories a piece.  I know that most of you are probably saying "that isn't bad at all" but I could never eat just one!