Homemade Oreos

I almost never repeat recipes. I have soooo many recipes bookmarked and dog eared that it just doesn't make sense to bake the same thing twice. This recipe is the exception. These cookies are the most demanded item that I bake.

As a matter of fact you probably won't even believe me if I tell you who requested these cookies. The nutritionist at my husband's gym. Yes, you read that right. My husband is taking these cookies to the nutritionist and his personal trainer at his gym. How's that for an irresistible cookie?

I first saw these cookies on Smitten Kitchen (one of my absolute favorite blogs, ever!) a year ago and I knew instantly that I had to make them. Since I've made them they've received comments such as "omg. she's gonna put oreo out of business" and "they taste just like oreos, only better."

The filling is a dead ringer for the oreo filling. The cookie is an improvement. It's soft and chewy (but still sturdy enough to stand up to all the filling) and a tad bit sweeter than the cookie part of an oreo. The original recipe calls for Dutch process cocoa but I used Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa. It's a mix of natural and dutch process. I think it was perfect for the job because it contributed to the dark, almost black color of the cookie which really resembles an Oreo.

These will definitely impress anyone you make them for. The recipe is really easy to make, just make sure you flatten the cookies slightly before you bake them so they come out flat and round.

Recipe: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Ingredients:
For the chocolate wafers:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar**
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

For the filling:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.

*I used Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate. It's a mix of natural and dutch process cocoas. I really like how it came out because it made the cookies dark just like real oreos. I also read A LOT of the comments on Smitten Kitchen's original post and it seems that the general consensus is that regular unsweetened cocoa powder will work just fine.
** I went right in the middle and used 1 1/4 cups and this was the perfect sweetness for me.