It should be obvious from the title of this blog that I bake a lot. My baking habit comes in waves: sometimes I’ll bake nonstop for days, using enough butter to make Paula Deen wince, and other times I won’t touch the oven for weeks. How much I bake in a given week depends on four very important factors:
1. my schedule;
2. my level of laziness;
3. how tight my pants fit; and
4. inspiration.
This recipe falls squarely into the inspiration category. Homemade Oreos have been popping up around the food blog world for a while, but when I imagined dyeing the filling pale pink for Valentine’s Day, I made them that very night.
I was so happy with how these turned out. The pale pink center is perfect for Valentine’s Day and would also suit spring — try pale orange, yellow, blue, or green. If you prefer a classic look, leave the filling white; either way, they’re charming. I was surprised by the flavor of the chocolate wafers: they’re remarkably similar to store-bought Oreos. Brian summed it up best: they taste like Oreos, only better. If you see less of me next week, blame factor three — these cookies are addictive and may reduce my oven time for a few days. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day, and thanks for visiting My Baking Addiction!
Homemade Oreos
Yield: 25-30 sandwich cookies
Ingredients:
For the Chocolate Wafers
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa (or a dark cocoa powder)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (see notes)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
For the Filling
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (clear vanilla if you prefer)
Optional: gel food coloring
Directions:
1. Position two oven racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor or the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing or mixing on low, add the butter, then the egg. Continue until the dough comes together into a cohesive mass.
3. Scoop rounded teaspoons of dough and place them about two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. With slightly moistened hands, flatten each mound a bit. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating the sheet once for even baking. Transfer the baking sheets to a rack to cool.
4. For the filling, place the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl. At low speed, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Increase the mixer to high and beat 2 to 3 minutes, until the filling is light and fluffy. If desired, mix in a tiny amount of gel dye until you reach your preferred color.
5. To assemble, fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip and pipe teaspoon-sized blobs of filling onto the center of one cookie. Top with a matching cookie and press lightly to spread the filling to the edges. Repeat until all cookies are sandwiched. Serve with a large glass of milk.
Notes:
– I used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa in place of Dutch-processed cocoa.
– Wilton gel dye works well to color the filling.
– For uniform cookies, I measured rounded teaspoons of dough and rolled them into small balls before baking.
This recipe is slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
All images and text © for My Baking Addiction
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