Homemade Oreos

This weekend, Amelia and Sam went out on a play-date and, as they say, “while the cat’s away the mouse will play.” My love of cookies and my disdain for high-fructose corn syrup got together and out popped these homemade oreos. In my opinion these are better than the real thing and I’ll definitely be making them again. I had one pan of the cookies turn out really well; very crumbly cookies that puffed the right amount and are crisp-tender while the other pan completely flattened out into crouton-like chocolate cookies. Needless to say I’ll have to play with this recipe a little more to figure out just what when wrong with that second pan. Regardless, here’s the recipe, taken from a blog called “My Baking Addiction“:

Ingredients:

For the chocolate wafers:

• 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

For the filling:

• 1/4 c. room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1/4 c. vegetable shortening
• 2 c. sifted confectioner’s sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375 degrees 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 outside of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk and enjoy.