Yes, please! Homemade Oreos

Oreos have always been one of my “problem foods.” Once in college, 3 buddies and myself sat on the floor of our hallway dorm and proceeded to eat an entire bag of Oreos (with milk, of course)! Needless to say, as much as eating these deliciously sweet sandwiches is fun, making them is just as satisfying. Not only can you customize the flavors to your perfect balance, but you can make them BIG, like as big as a huge lollipop big, so big that you’ll put those storebought cookies to shame. Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!

Anywho, try it out for yourself and let me know what you think. Happy dunking! (Apologies for any typos, I wrote this up on the fly while riding the subway.)

HOMEMADE OREOS
Recipe adapted from Deb Perleman, Smitten Kitchen

For chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Natural Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Instant Espresso Powder
1/2 Cup + 2 TB Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 Egg

Filling:
1/2 Cup Butter, room temperature
2 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

To make the cookies:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Combine the flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and salt. (Sifting, optional)

3. Combine the butter and espresso powder and, using an electric mixer or food processor on low speed, add to the flour mixture until the butter is thoroughly incorporated and the mixture resembles wet sand.

4. Beat in the egg until a dry batter forms.

5. Drop rounded teaspoons (or bigger) onto a baking sheet or sheets about 2 inches apart. Then, using wet fingers, press the dough into round circles. (Go big or go home, baby!) Bake 9 minutes, or until the cookies are set, rotating halfway through.

6. Remove from then oven and let stand for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

To make the filling:
1. Using an electric mixer, gradually beat the sugar and vanilla into the room temperature butter. (You may not need all of the sugar.)

To assemble the cookies:

Transfer the filling mixture into a piping bag (or sandwich bag with one corner cut out), and pipe into the center of half of the cookies. With the remaining cookies, top the “filled cookies” to create amazing and delicious Oreo-like sandwiches. Yum!