Homemade Oreos

Hey there.

I'm Annie, and I'm really glad you stopped by to check out our new blog. Tonight I have a recipe that I can't wait to make again. The effort-to-reward ratio is totally in your favor here.

First, as seems to be the thing to do--a bit about myself ( insofar as is necessary for blogging purposes):

I have somehow become the resident dessert-maker for our little community of cookers and eaters. This just happened. I claim no more skills in the production of such confectionry than any of our others. I do enjoy it, however, and seem to have the "What the hell, it'll taste good regardless of what it looks like" attitude necessary for such projects.

I have a thing for family recipes and farmers' markets. I'm scared to death of the day when kids don't know where anything comes from. Even if that means a sunburn and sore hamstrings from picking beans in the summer.

Cooking should never be more trouble than it's worth, and sharing it with your friends is the best part. This isn't to say I haven't selected a few lady-like profanities when caramel seizes or an improvised cake carrier tragically fails. But the good thing about my friends is that they eat it anyway.

All of that said, this blog is a fun project for the seven girls contributing. We are blessed with one another and our shared love of all things genuine and delicious. Please enjoy.

Homemade Oreos

Adapted from recipe originally published in Retro Desserts.

I love chocolate, and for this reason, I never purchase Oreos. Dangerous situation. If you think about it, though, they're a little strange. Like, what on earth are they even made of? No one knows. What you will find below is a recipe for something more honest, but with every ounce of the addictive appeal we know so well. Your friends will think you're magical.

The Cookie Part:

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ½ cup cocoa
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¼ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 ¼ sticks butter, room temp.
• 1 egg

The Middle Part

• ½ stick butter, room temp.
• ¼ cup shortening
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. In a mixer, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. On low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Mix until dough comes together. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Making sure to keep size uniform, form balls with a rounded teaspoon of dough and place 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.

For the filling, mix butter and shortening at low speed. Gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn mixer to high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

To assemble the cookies, pair them up by size. Using a pastry bag or whatever seems like a good idea, get about a teaspoon of filling in the middle of one cookie. Top with the second, and gently press to get filling to the edges.