It's November and the only way to pull us up and out of bed on the dark and eerie mornings is some good old comfort food. This Gookie Dough brownie Oreo cheesecake is going to make your day 100x better after a dreading day on public transport. 

(Image credit: Tasty via YouTube) 

You will need: 

(Serves approx. 8) 

455g of chocolate chip Gookie Dough at room temperature 

510g box brownie mix (prepared according to the package instructions) 

680g of cream cheese 

100g of sugar 

One teaspoon of vanilla extract 

One large egg 

40 double stuffed Oreo cookies 

Whipped cream for serving 

Directions 

(Image credit: @Dakotajadew on Tasty review) 

Firstly, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius and line a 10 inch (25cm) springform pan with two layers of cling film which is long enough to hang over the sides. 

Take your Gookie Dough and press it evenly into a circle along the bottom of the pan and then fold the cling film over the top. Unclasp the pan and freeze the cookie dough disk. Then reclasp the pan and spray the bottom with cooking spray. Pour in your prepared brownie batter.

Spray the bottom and sides of a 5 inch (12cm) or deeper 8-inch wide cake tin and press the greased cake tin into the brownie mix until the matter reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for around 30 minutes then chill for about five. 

Now reduce the oven temperature to 150 degrees Celsius. In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and your egg until there are no lumps and a smooth batter has formed. 

While the brownie is still warm, rotate and press down on the inner cake pan using oven gloves to push the cooked brownie even more up the sides of the springform pan into an even ring. Chill for 30 minutes. 

Arrange a single layer of the Oreos roughly 14-15 on the bottom of the brownie shell as close together as possible. Por the cheesecake mixture on top of the cookies and spread evenly. Tap the pan to release any air bubbles and bake for about 40 minutes until the cheesecake is slightly bouncy in the centre. Then freeze until the top of the cheesecake is slightly firm. 

Now add another layer of Oreos on top of the cheesecake layer and place the frozen Gookie Dough disk on top. Bake for 15 minutes. When out of the oven, chill completely, slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream and an extra Oreo for decoration! 

Tah-Dah! Super rich dessert with a gorgeous crunch of Oreos. Complete dessert GOALS! (Recipe from Tasty). 

The pro of our product is that we've made life so much easier for you. Just take the Gookie Dough out of the tub, chuck it onto a tray and bake. Voila, the job is done! But what if you've run out of Gookie Dough and have to make your own and it's nowhere near as good? These are ways to make your cookies taste better and taste as good as ours. 

(Image credit: foodandwine.com) 

Vanilla extract 

In a lot of recipes where Gookie Dough is used, we always tell you that we have used vanilla extract already so there is no need to add extras. However, when you make your own cookies, vanilla extract is a must! This can also be done for other flavours such as mint. 

Adding extras

Adding extra ingredients to your homemade dough cannot harm and can make things a little more interesting. Toppings such as white chocolate, pretzels and nuts can break up the flavour profile and add more originality. 

Refrigerate 

After you've added your extras to the dough and enhanced the flavour then pop it in the fridge overnight. This way, the flavours can seep deeper and then the taste will be better. 

(Image credit: Dallas Observer) 

Coffee kicks

Popping a teaspoon of instant espresso powder into your chocolate chip dough can help mask any artificial taste and give you that energy buzz you need to make it through the rest of the day. It can be your secret office snack and your key to productivity. If you have no espresso powder then you can use freshly ground coffee instead.

Butter and brown sugar 

Sometimes a couple of teaspoons of brown sugar and three tablespoons of softened butter in the pre-made batter can make everything taste homemade. Olive oil can also be used if you want a flatter, crunchier cookie! 

Salt 

A lot of people don't use salt when it comes to sweet treats but Maldon salt can be very beneficial to your dough. Using flaky Maldon salt can bring out the flavours of the cookie dough and give a bittersweet delightful twist. Sprinkle some salt on your cookies before they go into the oven to achieve this. 

Gookie Dough can't get much better, it's an angel sent from the God's. But let's be real, that is a lot of hard work just to perfect a batch of your own cookies. So why not just save yourself the hassle and order more tubs so you never run out! 

We've all had that weird friend who eats something that just does not go! Not even in a dramatic sense, it goes to the extreme where you've got someone who loves chocolate and pickles. I bet a name has popped into your head now? Yep. Here are some awful food combinations that are utterly vile and delicious to others. One question, why?

(Image credit: Cooking Light) 

Specific crisps 

There isn't much you can do with crisps, other than eating too many and then feeling extremely guilty afterwards. However, this one person has a little ritual. "I don't like biting crunchy foods, so I break it into small pieces before I begin eating. If I eat a bag of crisps I'll smash the bag before even opening it just to make sure I can grab one small piece at a time. Who wants to sit around holding half a crisp until they're ready for another bite? Not me, suckers." (Credit to Jaci Jarman via Facebook) 

Comfort food went wrong 

Soup, toast, GOOKIE DOUGH, ice cream, we're all partial to a lil' bit of comfort food. When we're ill and tired, we can do stupid things and Daphne Strasert from Facebook definitely went a bit too creative when it came to mixing foods. "I dip PB&J sandwiches in chicken noodle soup. I thought it was like grilled cheese and tomato soup. I didn't know it was weird until I got to college, but it's my go-to meal when I'm sick."

Got yourself into a pickle

I told you that pickles would make an appearance somewhere on this post. One habit someone got themselves into was biting the tops off the pickle and sticking the end of a fork in them to scrape out the insides and eating the empty 'shell'. So what happens to the insides?! Do they get thrown away? Heartbreaking.

Save the sandwich

Peanut butter and mashed potatoes are definitely foods from heaven. Together, however, is not so nice. Well, you guessed it, someone enjoys devouring peanut butter and mashed potato sandwiches. Apparently, it makes the peanut butter ever so gooey. Whatever floats your boat...

Do you have any crazy food combinations that are just wrong on so many levels? Let us know in the comments below! I mean, it can't be worse than these peanut butter dishes, can it?!

Today marks World Vegan Day, and with the lifestyle taking social media by storm and many individuals wanting to change the way they eat and use products, it's a very important day. Which is why we're talking about all things vegan. 

(Image credit: Young Post - South China Morning Post) 

What is a vegan?

Being vegan means not eating anything which contains animals or animal by-products which would include meat, fish, eggs, dairy and even honey. The Vegan Society is behind all of the movement and promotes veganism worldwide. The national and global day has been taking place ever since 1994 and the society was set up in 1944. 

What is it about? 

The day is intended to celebrate how far veganism has come from its early days, and it is also meant to highlight how easy it can be to make the change in your life. The term 'vegan' has become more educational now and it gives the message of how it benefits the planet and individual health. 

How do we celebrate?

Of course, due to the worldwide event, it's very personal to everyone how we celebrate. However, there are many hashtags used on social media to get the movement going. For example #WorldVeganMonth and #WorldVeganDay. People can mark the occasion by hosting events or making small changes such as going vegan for a day, month or even shopping vegan. 

At the moment, only the Gooey Chocolate Chip Gookie Dough is vegan-friendly. While the dough in all flavours doesn't contain any animal by-products, the milk and white chocolate will contain dairy. However, keep your eyes peeled because this may change! 

Happy Halloween from all of us at Gookie Dough! We hope you're having a spooktacular day, whether this is creeping up on your friends, dressing up or simply trick or treating with the kids and getting to eat all of their sweets while they're in bed! So, grab your MONSTER tub of Gookie Dough and light your pumpkin as we discuss Halloween history. 

(Image credit: The Peak) 

Why celebrate Halloween? 

It's thought that Halloween started with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain where people would wear costumes and roam to ward off ghosts. However, it's down to Pope Gregory III in the eighth century as to why we celebrate it. 

Samhain means 'snow in' and marks the end of summer, Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundaries between the living and the dead become muddled up. Based on tradition, people would wear costumes such as animal skins and things on their head and would try and tell each other's fortunes. By 43 AD the Roman Empire had conquered Celtic territory, and over the years, they combined their festivals with the Celtics. 

The festival

The first festival was called Feralia where Romans would reflect on the dead. The second was Pomona which is the goddess of fruits and trees. The symbol for this is an apple which leads to why 'apple bobbing' is a thing today. Then Christianity added praying for the dead.

The change 

The Pope made November 1st as a time to honour the saints, hence why it is called All Saints Day. The day took on some Samhain traditions and the evening became known as All Hallows Eve (Halloween). November 2nd is All Souls Day where the dead are remembered. The tradition was based on the idea of a stage between heaven and hell. This begins the 'month of the dead'. Lovely. 

Now 

Over time, the tradition has taken twists and turns and is now best known for children dressing up, pumpkins and masks to scare others. The tradition made its way to America, and by the 19th century, with an influx of immigrants, Halloween took the country by storm. Americans would visit their neighbours and ask for food, hence trick or treating.  

The end. Next on your list? Get the duvet, put on the worst horror you can think of and grab a pillow for comfort. Don't forget to lock the doors! HAPPY HALLOWEEN, GOOKIE MONSTERS.