Not Quite As Planned

I knew it was a bad sign when my immersion blender started smoking.  And an even worse sign that it blew up in my face.  I ignored the signs and proceeded with my Oreo balls.  I got the recipe from a girl at work.  She explained that you put a bag of Oreos in the food processor and chop them up.  Then mix them with a block of cream cheese and roll into little balls.  Put the balls in the fridge for at least an hour to chill.  Then melt white chocolate chips in the microwave, and using a toothpick, dip the balls in the chocolate.  Place the deserts on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper to cool in the fridge or freezer and voila, you have Oreo balls.  Sounds easy enough.  Here is what Oreo balls are supposed to look like...

image from Better Homes and Garden

Here is what mine looked like.

This one's pretty.

Maybe it's because I couldn't melt the chocolate.  The first bag of chips ended up like this.  

You may think the brown is milk chocolate, but it's not.  It's all white chocolate.  Why was it so hard for me to melt chocolate chips?  In a microwave?  I tried the second bag on the stove and then again in the microwave with a slightly better result, but nowhere near the smooth and creamy melted chocolate I had envisioned.  The balls would just crumble and stick when I tried to coat them in the non-smooth, non-creamy melted chocolate.  I just received confirmation that they taste ok though.  Colin's going back for #2.  

Oh well.  On to my next venture with the tried and true chocolate chess pie.  I'm responsible for desert tomorrow at my mother-in-law's and don't want to disappoint.  At least I've done this one before.  The recipe is said to be that of the famed Angus Barn.  I have made this numerous times, but can never recreate the deliciousness that is the Angus Barn Chocolate Chess Pie.  They must not tell all their secrets.

Angus Barn Chocolate Chess Pie

• 3/4 c. butter
• 1 1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. light corn syrup
• 3 eggs - lightly beaten
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1 deep dish pie shell - I'm sure they make theirs from scratch

Melt butter and chocolate in double boiler or microwave (I had much better luck with the microwave melting this go round).  

Whisk or spoon remaining ingredients and blend into cooled butter/chocolate mixture and turn into pie shell.  Bake at 350 for about an hour or until set.

Oh and sorry for my lack of VIC Special research.  From now until Christmas we'll be cleaning out the freezer...