Homemade Oreos

I don't know if it was a pregnancy craving or the fact that 3/4 of my friends on Facebook were raving about the snow they were currently receiving, but Friday night found me with a desperate desire to bake something.  After consulting my taste tester in residence (aka, Husband), it was decided that homemade Oreos would be the order of the evening.


These are super easy to make, minus one part--you actually have to bake them and not just eat the whole bowl of batter raw.  Rough, I know.  Recipe is from here, but I'll post it as well.

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 (see link for details on this--I used 1 cup)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg (I only had medium and ended up using 2 eggs)

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

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.

A few notes--I don't have a hand mixer so made the filling in the Kitchen Aid as well.  Because the recipe doesn't make a lot, I ended up doubling it so it'd mix up better.  (My mixer is big so it doesn't always handle small batches well.)  I froze the extra filling (or, as my mother said, "double stuffed Oreos!") and will make more once I get more cocoa powder.  Also, I wouldn't make the cookies very big as they're really sweet, but oh-so-good.

Mine weren't as crunchy as store bought, but I actually prefer them that way.  Chris tasted the dough, claimed it tasted just like the real thing and loves the finished product.  Who am I to argue with a happy husband?