Oreo bark

I made that espresso bark the other day (to rave reviews!) and it got me thinking....bark is good.  And fun.  And easy!  Plus it's really tasty and looks so nice without having to put in so much work (unlike having to beautifully pipe icing or glaze or use the perfect cookie cutter).  And as I was crunching on some of those leftover scraps of chocolate wafers, I started thinking of all the delicious ways I could make barks.  I mean I've made my famous peppermint bark before, and that Halloween bark, and then that espresso bark, but the espresso bark was the first time I'd seen cookies sandwiched between two layers of chocolate.  Which was kinda the opposite of an Oreo, which wasn't a big coincidence, since I had been thinking of a way to make Oreo bark.

So with those two ideas I started coming up with a plan.  It is based on the espresso bark, but I've changed the proportions a little to make it my way.  And I have to say, this came out amazingly!!  Just a few Oreos go a long way in this bark, since the chocolate wafer layer gives it another Oreo-like dimension without actually adding more Oreos (although, frankly, a layer of Oreos instead of chocolate wafers would just up the Oreo factor even more....food for thought for the next batch!).

Oreo Bark
Based on this Espresso Bark, originally found here

Ingredients:

16 oz white chocolate, chopped, and divided in half
11-16 chocolate wafers
5-6 Oreos, ground in food processor, until fine crumb
6-10 Oreos, chopped roughly (I cut some into sixths and some into ninths, to get big chunks in varying sizes)

Directions:

Line a 9x9 inch baking dish with parchment paper (using an 8 x 8 pan would work well, too, since I didn't let mine go all the way to the edges).

Finely chop the 5-6 Oreos in the food processor until they are a fine crumb.
Roughly hand chop the remaining Oreos.
Set aside.

Place 8 oz of white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.
Slowly melt the chocolate (using 30 second intervals if using the microwave), stirring occasionally, until glossy and smooth.
Remove from heat and add 4 Tablespoons of the ground Oreos to the white chocolate, adding 1-2 Tbsp at a time and mixing well until all distributed.  (Add more Oreo crumbs, if desired, but I thought this was the right amount.)

Pour the Oreo-White chocolate mixture into the prepared pan.
Spread with an offset spatula, so that it is in an even layer.
Top with a single later of chocolate wafers, cutting some into smaller pieces to fit, if needed.
Chill in the fridge until set, about 25 minutes.
Remove pan from the fridge and let it warm to room temperature while moving on to the next step.

Place remaining white chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.
Slowly melt the chocolate (using 30 second intervals if using the microwave), stirring occasionally, until glossy and smooth.
Pour melted white chocolate over the wafer layer.
Carefully spread it with an offset spatula into an even layer.
Sprinkle with chopped Oreos (and any remaining fine Oreo crumbs, if you want -- I left them off).
Chill in the fridge until completely set, about 1 hour.

Carefully lift the parchement paper out of the pan.
Place bark on a cutting board.
Trim away any ragged edges.
Use a sharp knife to cut into squares (or triangles, or "break" it into ragged pieces, like I remember bark having...but make them small because these are sweeeeet and rich!).
Store leftovers (if any) in an airtight container at room temperature.