Oreo Cookies

I’m back!  Yes, I know I have neglected my blog for the past 3 months.  I have many excuses (the wedding, honeymoon, traveling, decorating my house, the heat of the south), but the important thing is I am back to baking!  Last weekend I noticed that my freezer had been without cookies for months and that needed to change (although as I write this Adam is eating the last frozen Oreo cookie so it looks like the freezer is bare yet again).  I was going to my friend Meg’s house for girl’s night and decided that it was the perfect opportunity to try some of the new recipes I had gotten from my bridal shower months before.  My cousin Jen gave me her Oreo cookie recipe and I had wanted to try them for months now.

I love Oreo cookies.  My mom used to buy them in bulk and keep them in the basement in the “snack drawer”.  For all my friends who were not introduced to the “snack drawer,” this is where my mother would keep TONS of cookies, crackers, pretty much any snack that you could imagine.   Oreos were always my favorite, especially double stuffed, although I was also a fan of the peanut butter and mint Oreos.  It was not unlikely that Rach and I would finish off an entire package in one sitting.

Ever since all the crazy trans-fat statistics however I have tried to decrease my Oreo intake.  So when my cousin Jen told me about her homemade Oreo recipe I knew I had to try them!

This recipe is in two parts: the cookie and the cream.  Both are super easy to make and do not take much time, but it is more time than a simple drop cookie because you have to wait for them to cool and then assemble.

When I brought them to Megs everyone loved them.  The only tip they had was to bake them a little less so they would be chewier.  Although when I think about an Oreo the cookie is supposed to be crunchy, so I guess it is whichever you prefer.  They also suggested I put more cream in the center, which would make them more like a double stuffed Oreo.  By accident I put them in the same bag in the freezer as my mint chocolate chip cookies and found that the Oreos tasted even better with mint!  So if I were you I would add a touch of mint extract and freeze them for a super yummy summer treat (as you can tell I like frozen cookies, they don’t have the chance to dry out and taste perfect on a hot summer day).

Oreo Cookies:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

For the cookie:
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar (less is like store bought)
½ cup and 2 Tbsp room temp unsalted butter (1 ¼ stick)
1 large egg

1 tsp mint extract (if you want mint Oreos)

Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar with a mixer. Add butter, then egg and continue mixing until dough comes together (this can take a while). Using a teaspoon form dough into rounded balls and place on lined cookie sheets. Flatten with your hand. Bake 9 minutes (less if you like chewy cookies), rotate the pan after 5 minutes.

For the filling:

½ stick room temp unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
¼ cup shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)
2 cups sifted powder sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter and shortening together with a mixer. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy.

After the cookies have cooled, assemble cookies by spreading the filling with a knife or ½ inch round tip pastry bag to place cream in center (I don’t have pastry bags so I just used a knife).

Jen also recommended you use ice cream between cookies for ice cream sandwiches which sounds delicious!  Thanks for the great recipe!