Thursday, September 3, 2009

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.

66 comments:

  1. Hey... a temptation I DON'T NEED!!! ;)

    btw, great photos!

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  2. I have a lot of recipes dog eared too but I think these are going to make their way to the top of the pile. They look fantastic!

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  3. I've seen those on SK too, and placed them on my baking to do list but haven't gotten to them yet. Yours look great!

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  4. wow- these look so incredibly delicious...i'll try to make some on my own as soon as i have the time

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  5. OH yum. I can totally totally see why you get those kind of responses when people taste these - because they look amazing! Oreos, but better, what could be wrong with these? Nothing, in my point of view :)

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  6. Homemade Oreos.........oh my........let the hip spreading begin! I would find these VERY hard to resist for sure. You KNOW they're good if a nutritionist requests them....that's too cool!

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  7. My husband thanks you a million times over!

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  8. How is this an adaptation of Smitten Kitchen's recipe? It's a copy and paste job.

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  9. Anon - It's an adaption because I used a different type of cocoa powder. I realized after your comment that I never reflected the change in the recipe. I'm not sure what the exact process is on whether or not to use the word "adapted" or simply "from". I've seen other bloggers (including Smitten Kitchen) use the word adapted when it's a direct copy & paste from other websites (such as Martha Stewart or epicurious). Hope I didn't offend anyone!

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  10. Those look great, and I REALLY wanna eat them!!

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  11. I made these recently as well, but I got the recipe from tasty kitchen. Looks like the same one though. I love them, and so does everybody that has tried them. After seeing yours, I want to use the dark cocoa so they look more like oreos!

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  12. Thank you so much for this recipe! I have made them numerous times now, and they are a hit every time! The only difference is that I only bake them for 5 minutes, because I like them softer, rather than harder...and that just might be my oven. Well, thanks again!

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  13. Made these tonight and they killed. Awesome recipe, thanks! I can't wait to send some down to my sister.

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  14. Do NOT attempt this recipe! Not only did it leave my favorite cookie pan ruined but the cream filling tastes like vegetable oil and sugar! I followed the directions perfectly and it still was a complete disaster!

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  15. Huh? It IS vegetable oil and sugar! What's your problem?!

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  16. Well you ANON you obviously did not you parchment paper as advised. I used a non-stick pan and they came out great! And if you ever eat a real oreo the filling tastes exactly the same.

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  17. Oops *use parchment paper

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  18. Oh yum, what could be better? Your a genius!

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  19. how many does it make?

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  20. Anon - That's a good question. I don't remember exactly, and of course it depends on how big you make the cookies. I think I got somewhere around 16 finished cookies.

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  21. I don't suppose you would know how to make them carob instead of chocolate? I've been looking for a homemade oreo cookie recipe for someone who can't have caffeine, but I'm afraid I'll mess them up!

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  22. Missy - Sorry, I've never actually baked with carob before! Wish I could be more helpful!

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  23. I made these for my boyfriend and we both LOVED them. Now I'm getting requests for them from friends and family -- great recipe!

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  24. My boyfriend saw these and posted the link on my facebook, so I dutifully made them for him...and WOW! These are insanely delicious. If I ever make them again, I will only keep a couple because they are addictive. THANK YOU! But, no thank you, at the same time. Haha! Wonderful recipe.

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  25. I made cookies a little bit bigger than regular oreos and came out with 22 of them. So delicious!

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  26. hi i am making these tomorrow - is vegetable shortening a must???

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  27. Anon - Good question. I almost never use shortening when baking, however to get the true taste, and more importantly, consistency of oreo filling, it's a must. Otherwise the icing will be too soft. I'm sure you could use all butter if you wanted, but it would be more like a buttercream than oreo filling. Check out smitten kitchen's page that I link to in the post. If you read the comments on her post there should be some more informative ideas on the matter. I've never made them any other way, so I can't be sure.

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  28. Made these yesterday. Everyone in my house loved them, but I do not think they taste a thing like Oreos. They still have a homemade taste that I wasn't expecting. I do believe that I could use this as a base for some amazing cookies though.

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  29. I found the cookies only really tasty out of the fridge or freezer. At summer room temp. All I could taste was vegetable shortening.

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  30. LOVE THESE! Just made them and the neighbor boys devoured them in seconds. I'll have to double the recipe next time!

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  31. LOVE THEM! Just made them for the first time... forgot the baking powder, but they seemed more oreo-like that way. :) Very easy and very yummy!

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  32. I've never baked with parchment paper...do you bake the cookies on the parchment (which is on the cookie sheet)? Please explain for the new kid on the block. Thanks!

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  33. Hi Anon - Yes, put the parchment paper on the cookie sheet, and bake the cookies on the parchment. The paper is oven-safe and allows for more even baking and easy clean up!

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  34. I just made these and they were fabulous! Since I lacked vegetable shortening, I just made a buttercream filling. Less authentically "Oreo," but more delicious!

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  35. I made these tonight as a tryout for an upcoming cookie exchange. Not sure it they are 'Chrismas'y enough to make the cut. Maybe some mint and red food coloring in the filling? I got about 25 finished cookies from a batch. Next time I will make them a little smaller. I thought they were very tasty. Thanks for the recipe!

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  36. I made these for the holidays. They were pretty good but I wasn't blown away. If I ever make these again, I think I would cut the vanilla in the filling in half as the alcohol flavor was a little overwhelming. My family ate them and seemed to enjoy, but nobody really raved about them or anything. I think for all the trouble, I'd rather just eat a store-bought oreo. Thanks for the recipe. I always enjoy trying your stuff.

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  37. I LOVE THIS!!! every saturday i bake something new, so mind me stealing? will be blogging about it too <3

    phatima
    blisteringyourlife.wordpress.com

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  38. I made these today! I also blogged about them http://svereb.blogspot.com/2011/02/oreos-of-homemade-variety.html Mine didn't turn out quite as pretty.

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  39. I HATE THIS RECIPE!!!!!!!!! the pictures look so nice but everything turned out terrrible!!!!! >:O

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  40. Anon - Sorry they didn't come out for you! I've made these more times than I can count and they always turn out great. What went wrong? Maybe I can help...

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  41. Just made these and they look AWESOME! I have a cold so I can't taste them but my brother says "OMG. They're great!" Thanks so much for putting this up!

    Should I refrigerate them? And how long do they keep?

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  42. Made these tonight and they came out perfectly! Look just like yours. I used 3/4 stick butter to 1/4 stick hi-ratio shortening. The filling is not greasy at all. I think next time I will reduce the powdered sugar so the filling isn't quite as sweet. Overall, they are delicious!!!!

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  43. Easy & tasty. I know I'll be baking these again. I'd like to try an assortment of filling flavors. I'm thinking of substituting the vanilla with mint extract/oil or rasberry jam(I tried this with my buttercream frosting and loved it so I figure it will work great here too!).
    bk

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  44. Anon - I've subbed the vanilla for peppermint extract and added a little green food coloring. Loved it! I still prefer the original filling but mint oreos are a nice change sometimes.

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  45. I just tied for first place in a bake-off at work with these cookies. Very good, but the trick is to make them a least a day ahead. The day I made them, they were awful. The next day they were great.

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  46. ohhh good god, these are soo bad for you! I have made gluten free versions for my flatmates who can't eat oreos now they can't get enough of them either. thought I should share that!

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  47. mine came out super flat - do you know what might have happened? i am thinking perhaps the butter was too soft

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  48. Sarah - It could be the weather! If it's really hot/humid this can affect baking. In the summer, I always put my cookie dough in the fridge for like 30 minutes before baking. Sorry they came out flat! I bet they still tasted great though!

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  49. I just made these in Australia! They don't have shortening here so I used butter and they turned out all right. I also had to add about a tablespoon more of butter to make the dough right..

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  50. Found these on Pinterest and had to try them! Truthfully, my kids and I couldn't decide whether we wanted to bother baking the cookies because the dough was so good ( don't report me for feeding my kids raw dough!). Anyway, I doubled the recipe because I have 4 kids and I was nervous it might not turn out correctly. They were fantastic! I read that other's turned out flat, but that's what I was hoping for. Mine were thick and flat, barely crisp on outside and chewy on inside...just perfect! I laughed at the comments about it not tasting like an Oreo...it's homemade! You get the yummy chocolate and creme without the chemicals and preservatives. Thanks for passing these along. I follow smitten kitchen but somehow missed these!

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  51. These were delicious! The cookie was perfect, chewy and soft, but not under cooked. However, with the filling, they were too sweet for my taste and I couldn't eat a whole one... so next time I'll make them smaller, more like bite-size oreos I guess. Anyway, the were great, thanks for a simple recipe!

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  52. Oreos have just appeared on our supermarket shelves here in New Zealand. Like most people, I had to try them to see why they are so popular in the USA. I really don't understand how they got that reputation, they are horrible. I don't know a single person who has bought them a second time and my grandchildren won't eat them at all. Compared to the chocolate cream cookies we already have, they are like sweet cardboard.
    So I'm hoping these home-made Oreos beat the bought ones :)

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  53. I just made these and they turned out flat and crispy.. I baked them for 9 minutes-- was that too long? They look a little smaller than yours-- maybe I just need to make them a tad bigger?

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  54. I used all butter for the filling i don't use shortening and i thought they tasted great also who ever said theirs was to thin after 3 pans i forgot to flatten down the last pan and they turned out better not so thin just right no need to flatten

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  55. These are so yummy! They taste like oreos to me, only better! Next time I will use less sugar in the wafer and less vanilla in the filling, but still delicious! Thanks!

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  56. These are genius! I just made them and loved them. I posted about it on my blog, but gave you credit and linked back. :) In case you are interested: http://cookingmisadventures.com/2012/02/12/better-than-oreos-linzer-valentine-cookies/
    Thanks!

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  57. Finally made them!! I had to go an buy the Dark Hershey Cocoa powder. I am glad I did. They do taste exactly like Oreos. I flattened mine a bit to much, so I had to adjust cookie times as the first pans were a bit to baked:(. The filling was perfect, tastes just like the stuff! I think next time I'll use a Dark Chocolate cake mix and just make cake mix cookies, since we like a more "Cakester" type at our house!! Thanks for posting!!!

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  58. I made these tonight. They turned out perfect. I added pink food coloring to the filling for Valentine's Day :)

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  59. ok, we loved them too, but I'd make more frosting, seem like there wasn't enough!
    I think I made them too big, I only made 19.

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  60. Just tried your recipe...and I have to say these oreo cookies are wonderful. I went with the suggestion of forming the dough in a log and putting in the refrige. for a little while. I sliced each cookie off the log and they came out great. It was so easy!

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  61. I've gotten as far as making the cookie dough and I must say the dough is delicious ;) I will post the final result tomorrow since I am making them for work!

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  62. I just made these tonight, and my family didn't think they tasted like Oreos at all. They were good, and I would recommend the recipe, but I definitely wouldn't label it Oreo. Mine came out thin and crisp. I think they'd have turned out better had I not flattened them.

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  63. Just made these - delicious ad better than the store bought! I also did the log - made it easier - just don't slice too thin. I also jsut spread the filling on instead of using a pastry bag - easy! My daughter asked for "double-stuffed"

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