Golden Oreo Funfetti Muffins #MuffinMonday

April 8, 2013

You can’t sleep. No matter what you do, sleep will not come. You want to sleep; you’re trying your hardest to drift off to dreamland, but nothing helps. You count sheep, you sing a song in your head, you roll over a thousand times, you think relaxing thoughts, sleepy thoughts. You’ll do anything at all if only for a little shut eye.

But what you end up doing is staring at the clock, as the hours move forward and the only thought crossing your mind is the smaller and smaller amount of sleep you’ll be able to get before it’s time to begin the day anew. You get mad at yourself, or maybe it’s the world. And we all know anger is going to make going to sleep easier.

Finally, you turn on the TV. Maybe there’s one in your bedroom or perhaps you have to venture out of the comfort of your bed, not that it was offering much comfort on this particular night. What’s on TV? The short answer: nothing. Hundreds of channels and there is NOTHING to watch. How is this possible? Even HBO and Showtime are airing dumb movies or have even signed off. Maybe you turn to infomercials, but me? I zip right to the home shopping channels.

Don’t ask me why, but I’ve loved watching the shopping channels since I was a little girl. I would watch them during the day then and write down the item number, price, and description of things I liked. Sometimes Mom or Dad would order something from my extensive list. I used to have this giant cubic zirconia ring that I rocked in my preteen years. It was my favorite piece of jewelry back then and always a conversation topic. I go in phases of watching and ordering. They typically kick into high gear when I’ve not been feeling well or am a little down and out.

Somehow, the hosts make every product seem totally necessary. Caramel apples with chocolate drizzle? Of course I need those, even though I am allergic to chocolate! In all seriousness, though, we have bought some cool jewelry, our first digital camera (still working), and a Dyson vacuum, among other things.

It’s mindless television that provides comfort and allows my mind to escape the sleepless prison it is sometimes in, as I finally drift off to sleep. And I haven’t ordered anything in my sleep . . . yet!

After a sleepless night, Golden Oreo Funfetti Muffins may be the only thing that could kick the day off to a good start. I’m excited to be back in the Muffin Monday swing of things with the secret ingredient of Oreos! OREOS! When I was browsing Target a few weeks ago, restocking my Easter candy, I saw Birthday Cake Golden Oreos. I may or may not have jumped for joy. I opened the package and the smell was intoxicating – just like the Funfetti frosting I used to love as a kid. And that’s basically what the filling is, soft little Funfetti sprinkle bits and all.

So it made perfect sense to make muffins with these. Tons of Oreos, a heaping helping of colorful rainbow sprinkles and pure vanilla extract make these a delightful Funfetti treat without so much of the artificial flavor of the original, of course the Oreos still bring some of that artificial flavor to the party – but it’s kind of welcome. Wouldn’t really be Funfetti without it. Plus these are super easy to make, no mixer necessary. The flavor is like a better version of Funfetti cake, that soft vanilla goodness. The sprinkles add no more than happy colors, while the Oreo cookies soften a bit and the filling become a little crunchy. Needless to say the Oreos are the star here. If you wanted to, you could line the pans with cupcake liners and add a bit of vanilla buttercream after they’ve baked and cooled. These just became cupcakes and are sure to be a huge hit! Sleepless nights have met their match!

It’s the last day to enter my Bob’s Red Mill giveaway!