Homemade Oreos

I have never been a huge Oreo fan.  I enjoy them every once in a while but I usually prefer a chocolate chip cookie.  For some reason though, these homemade Oreos really intrigued me.  I had the urge to bake tonight and for once actually had all the ingredients to make something without having to run to the store so decided to try them.  And I'm glad I did!  I don't think the cookies themselves tasted very much like an Oreo but I think the filling is almost a perfect match and together, the two parts are delicious. 

Homemade Oreos

Slightly adapted from Annie's Eats; originally from Retro Desserts by Wayne Bachman

 
For the cookies:

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1-1½ cups sugar (depending on how sweet you want your cookies - I ended up using about 1-1/8 cups because I ran out of sugar)
• 10 tbsp. (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg

For the filling:

• 4 tbsp. (¼ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup vegetable shortening (I used all butter because I didn't have any shortening)
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

In a food processor or the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Mix briefly to combine.  Add the butter to the bowl and pulse or mix briefly to incorporate.  Add in the egg and mix until the dough forms a cohesive mass.

Scoop between 2 tsp to a scant tbsp of batter (depending on how large you want them) onto the baking sheet.  Continue scooping, spacing the dough balls a couple of inches apart.  With moistened fingers, gently press down on the dough balls to flatten slightly.  Bake for 9-11 minutes (closer to 9 minutes for smaller cookies), rotating the pans halfway through baking. Transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack and let cool completely until the cookies are firm and set.  Be sure the cookies are completely cooled before filling.

To make the filling, combine the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth.  Add the confectioners’ sugar to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the vanilla extract.

To assemble the cookies, pair them up by size.  Use a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip to pipe a swirl of filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair.  Sandwich together with the remaining cookie and press down so that the filling reaches the edges.

I was able to get 24 large cookies, which made 12 sandwiches.