The Pepper Grinder Hack For Perfectly Crushed Oreos

If you're looking for a way to top off your chocolatey desserts, some crushed up Oreo cookies might just be the perfect garnish. Of course, you could always just toss some cookies in a plastic bag and crush them up with a rolling pin. But that method could leave you with some uneven chunks, and it takes some time and effort to grind them all down. Fortunately, one important kitchen tool makes the process easier: A pepper grinder.

Placing the cookies in the grinder to crush up into a fine powder will make it easy to decorate your baked goods with a fine dusting of Oreos. If you often find yourself dusting your treats with the chocolatey cookie pieces, you may want to purchase a separate pepper grinder specifically for this purpose. If you plan to use the same grinder you use for your pepper, you'll want to make sure you thoroughly wash it out between uses to prevent the flavors from crossing. 

To achieve a super fine dusting of Oreo cookie powder, you'll first need to separate the cookies from the cream filling. If any cream is left on any of the cookies, you run the risk of clogging up the grinder and making it more difficult to extract the powder. But once the cream has been scraped off and you're left with only the chocolate Oreo cookies, you can break them up into smaller pieces.

Place those pieces inside the pepper grinder, then use it as normal to grind up the cookie pieces. That chocolatey dusting can be used to decorate cakes, cupcakes, ice cream sundaes, or your bowl of chocolate-drizzled popcorn.

If you have leftover cookie pieces that you'll want to grind up later, just make sure to keep the Oreo grinder clearly labeled, or stored next to sweeter items — sprinkles, for instance — in the cabinet. Accidentally mixing up the two could make for an unpleasantly peppery cupcake topping, or a strangely sweet and chocolatey pasta dish.

If you're planning ahead prior to decorating your bakes, that leftover Oreo cream won't go to waste, either. If you're going to sprinkle those cookie crumbs over your ice cream sundae, you can mix the leftover Oreo filling into the frozen treat for an extra bit of added flavor. Mix the filling together in a separate bowl first to get it to a smoother consistency, then fold it into the ice cream.

If you're making a cookies-and-cream-flavored cake or cupcake, you can also use the filling to create the icing. Mix in some butter and powdered sugar with the cream filling until you achieve your desired consistency. Then, frost the cake or cupcakes with the sweet frosting, and decorate with the ground up cookies.

Keep all this info in mind for the next time you need to decorate your chocolatey desserts. You'll wind up with a sweet and slightly crunchy topping for your treats, ground up with ease.