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.

Oreo Cookie Cookies

What's better than a cookie? A cookie with a cookie inside of it!

That's right, these cookies actually have cookies as an ingredient! These definitely are up in the ranks as one of my all time favorite cookies, ever.

I used a recipe called Best, Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from All Recipes. Any time the name of a dessert has over 10 syllables it has to be good, right? They have over 3000 reviews so I've been dying to try them. But of course I couldn't leave good enough alone, so I threw in a bunch of crushed up oreos (double stuff, of course). This might be the best idea I've ever had.


The cookie recipe itself comes together really easily. It's very similar to Alton Brown's "Chewy" (my previously declared favorite cookie) but with AP flour instead of bread flour and A LOT less butter. And let me warn you right now, the cookie dough is to die for! I'm not usually one for eating raw cookie dough out of the bowl; I prefer the finished product. But with this dough I could not keep away!


As usual, I sent these to work with the hubby. At 11:00 AM he informed me that there were only 2 left! Let that, and the mouth watering pictures, speak for itself!

Recipe - Makes 20 - 30 cookies*
Adapted from AllRecipes
Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 20 oreos, crushed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
   
4. Add in the crushed oreos. Beat on low speed for just a few seconds to break up the oreos in the dough.
   
5. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.*
6. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.**

* I got 30 cookies but I made mine a lot smaller. I scooped by rounded tablespoons. 1/4 cup seemed way too big.
** I baked them for 14 minutes and they were perfect. Chewy, but not underbaked.