By Lucas turned five on Tuesday. Five. Half a decade. He has been alive for five years and I have been his Abuela for five years and he has eaten more of my food already than some of my own children ate by the same age. Jenny threw the party Saturday — a small one, twelve kids, at their house, pizza, a piñata, the full chaos — and I made a chocolate flan, as requested, because Lucas is loyal to his flan.
The flan had candles. He blew them out. He made a wish. He did not tell me the wish. He ate three pieces. Isabella ate one piece and said the flan was "too brown," which I told her meant she had excellent taste because the caramel was slightly bitter and sophisticated and she was simply ahead of her palate development. Jenny laughed at me defending my flan to a two-year-old.
Mateo is four months. He smiled at me for three solid minutes on Saturday. He recognizes me now. He knows Abuela's face. This is the moment when a baby starts to be a person — when they look at you and their face says: you are my person, you are safe, I am glad you are here. Mateo's face said this. I held him and I told him in Spanish that I would feed him his whole life and that the food would taste like home wherever he went and he looked at me and he made a small sound that was mostly a gurgle but that I am going to interpret as assent.
Wednesday I made ropa vieja — shredded beef in tomato sofrito — for dinner. Eduardo had been asking. I had not made it in six months. It takes four hours. You braise the flank steak slowly in liquid with sofrito and tomato paste and olives and peppers, then you pull it apart by hand into long strands, then you return it to the sauce and cook it until the sauce is thick and glossy. Served over rice. It is a Cuban dish, honestly, that I have adapted to my sofrito, and which my mother-in-law Ortiz considered heresy ("that is not Puerto Rican"), and which I make anyway because the Ortiz grandmother died in 1995 and cannot stop me.
Eduardo ate two platefuls. He said, "The sauce is right this time." I said, "It was right last time too." He said, "Last time it was more vinegary." I said, "Eduardo, you are criticizing my ropa vieja after thirty-four years." He said, "I am saying this one is better. Take the compliment." I took the compliment.
Thursday Mami came. She ate the leftover ropa vieja. She said, "It is not Puerto Rican." I said, "Mami, Abuela Ortiz said that too." She said, "Abuela Ortiz was right." But she ate it. A full bowl. Wepa.
Lucas got his flan — candles and all — but I have been thinking about next year, because a five-year-old’s party is loud and fast and a flan requires a fork and some patience, and not everyone at a birthday table has patience. These Oreo Balls are what I would have set out alongside it: no fork needed, chocolate all the way through, and small enough that even Isabella could hold one in her little hand without declaring the caramel “too brown.” They are simple and they are joyful, and after a Saturday like that one, joy in a bite-sized form is exactly right.
Oreo Balls
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 1 hr (includes chilling) | Servings: 36 balls
Ingredients
- 1 package (14.3 oz) Oreo cookies (about 36 cookies)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate melting wafers
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or vegetable shortening (optional, for smoother coating)
- 2 oz white chocolate chips (optional, for drizzle)
Instructions
- Crush the cookies. Place all Oreo cookies in a food processor and pulse until you have fine, even crumbs. Alternatively, seal them in a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin until no large pieces remain.
- Mix the filling. In a large bowl, combine the Oreo crumbs and softened cream cheese. Mix with a hand mixer or sturdy spoon until fully combined into a uniform, moldable dough.
- Form the balls. Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, portion the dough and roll between your palms into smooth 1-inch balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Chill. Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill the balls for at least 30 minutes, until firm. This step is important — cold balls coat much more cleanly in chocolate.
- Melt the chocolate. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until completely smooth. Stir in coconut oil or shortening if using, for a glossier finish.
- Dip and coat. Working one at a time, drop a chilled ball into the melted chocolate. Use a fork to lift it out, letting excess chocolate drip back into the bowl, then place on the parchment-lined sheet.
- Optional drizzle. Melt white chocolate in a small bowl and drizzle over the coated balls using a spoon or piping bag for a decorative finish.
- Set and serve. Refrigerate the finished Oreo Balls for at least 15 minutes until the chocolate coating is fully set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 118 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 82mg