College Basketball Season: Taste the Madness with Coke Zero & OREO

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I don't get excited about many sporting events. However, after watching my school's basketball team win the national championship in my freshmen year of college The Big Tournament has always held a special place in my heart. I love making brackets for the office pool (and inevitably watching them fall apart), the upsets (except when they ruin said brackets), the fast pace of the tournament and the games, and of course, the game watching snacks! Today, I'm partnering with Coca-Cola Zero™ and OREO on a tasty idea to help you host the perfect college game day watching party!

Food is such a big part of game watching, but beyond the pizza, wings, and the nachos it is just as important to remember the beverages-- and a sweet treat or two too! I wanted to make sure that my game watching guests not only had plenty to drink and a little treat to end a day of savory snacking, but also to have a fun favor bag to take home with them too. And with that in mind, I headed to my neighborhood Jewel-Osco to stock up on all of the essential for my entertaining needs: And on this trip specifically, I was looking for Coke Zero and OREO cookies-- and they had a huge selection of exactly what I needed to host a Big Tournament viewing party.

For a game watching party, I always like to serve a dessert that's handheld and festive-- and these loaded OREO blondie bites are the perfect treat for this kind of occasion. It's my favorite blondie recipe individually sized, each filled with candy-coated chocolates and tons of OREO cookie pieces. To top it off, they're each frosted to look like little basketballs. The recipe could not be easier and these little bites are positively addictive.

Check out all the OREO goodness in that little package-- These are called "loaded" OREO blondie bites for a reason! Keep on reading for the recipe below...

And to make your party even more memorable, it's always a good idea to send your guests home with a goodie bag. This one is extra festive and all you'll need are a few key items to bring it together:

• 8 small cellophane bags
• 8-pack of 7.5 oz. Coke Zero cans
• 8 packages of OREO cookies, 0.78 oz. (2 to a package), available in 18 count boxes
• 2 cups candy-coated chocolates, in your favorite team's colors
• 8 loaded OREO blondie bites (recipe below)
• Ribbon, in your favorite team's colors

Each cellophane bag includes one of those homemade blondie bites, a refreshing (and perfectly sized) can of college basketball-themed Coke Zero, an extra package of OREO cookies, and about 1/4 cup of chocolate candies (in your favorite team's colors), all tied up with ribbon-- also in your team's signature colors.

Everyone could use a little Coke Zero pick-me-up the morning after a late night of basketball watching. And the blondies, OREO cookies, and candies are a sweet way to celebrate a big victory-- or to mourn a big loss! So, be sure to send your guests home with their own favor bag that will have them tasting the madness even after the tournament is over.


Loaded OREO Blondie Bites Recipe:

Ingredients--
 

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup OREO cookies
• 1/2 cup candy-coated chocolates
• 2 cups vanilla frosting, store-bought or homemade *Use my recipe here
• Red and yellow food dye
• 1 tube of chocolate-flavored decorative icing

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a mini muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Melt butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Stir in the sugars until fully incorporated and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

Beat the eggs and vanilla into the butter and sugar mixture. Whisk in the dry ingredients a little bit at a time until fully incorporated and a smooth batter is formed.

Place the OREO cookies on a zip-sealing plastic bag and seal well, removing excess air. Use a rolling pin or meat tenderizer to crush the cookies into smaller pieces. Fold the crushed cookies and the candy-coated chocolates into the batter.

Drop the batter by large spoonfuls into the mini muffin cups, filling each cup about 3/4 of the way up. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool slightly and then remove from the muffin pan and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, mix 16 drops of yellow food dye and 8 drops of red food dye into the vanilla frosting until fully combined and the frosting is the desired shade of orange.

Once the blondie bites are completely cooled, frost the top of each with an even layer of orange frosting. Follow with the tube of icing to create the lines of a basketball on the top of each blondie: Make one straight line completely across the center of the round blondie top. Make another line from top to bottom directly down the center, forming four equal quadrants. Finish by making two curved lines (curved in toward one another) on either side of one of the center lines. Repeat on each blondie and refrigerate to set and until ready to serve.

• Mondelēz International and Coca-Cola are Corporate Champion and Partners of the NCAA.
• NCAA and Taste the Madness are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
• © Mondelēz International group © Coca-Cola Zero is a registered trademark of the Coca-Cola Company.

Are you serving Coke Zero or OREO cookies to your guests while you watch The Big Tournament? Click here for a chance to win NCAA prizes!