all in the name of food…

Picture courtesy smittenkitchen.com (I did not have my pictues while posting)

Stop. I know what you’re thinking. This is another one of those recipes for homemade oreos that uses a box of devil’s cake and a chunk of cream cheese as filling. Well happy surprise, its not! I spent a great deal of time last night making these delicious homemade oreos and also launched into a deep discussion about cooking ‘”styles” with Nathan. I was trying to explain to him that something about who I am derives great satisfaction from making something completely from scratch. For example, these oreos do not use a cake mix as the dough for the cookie. Rather I made the dough using real ingredients like flour, cocoa powder, vanilla, butter, etc. Likewise, the idea of homemade pasta makes me joyful. My heart quickens when I make pizza dough from real whole wheat flour and yeast rather than popping open one of those pillsbury things. And don’t even get me started on making a giant pot of homeade marinara sauce with fresh celery, carrots, onions, and real tomatoes from my in-laws garden. In college I majored in food science and LOVED it because it gave me insight into where food actually comes from – whats in it, how its made, the chemistry of what happens when you cook, and so forth. Learning about all those weird ingredients on food labels made me appreciate even more the value of making something from scratch. Why would you buy hamburger helper when you could use real cheese and vegetables to cook? Sick. Whats the deal Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade?  Stop adding weird artifical colorings and perservatives to your food with premade ”flavor” packets and just mince your own garlic. Its cheaper anyway. Have you ever seen that show? Anyway, Nathan and I both came to the conclusion that we enjoy and embrace a “fresh” cooking style. I decided awhile back that is one of my life goals to move somewhere (eh-hem – Virginia..) and to have a giant home vegetable garden to cook from. But in the mean time I can just live up those awesome farmer’s markets we have in California! I know all this sounds of-so domestic of me but hey – thats what happens when you get married right?

Back to the Oreos… they are delicious! I made them last night for a party we are going to tonight. I had to stop Nathan from eating them all so there would be some for tonight. After I made the dough I used a teaspoon measure to make all the cookies the same size. This also makes them turn out small like real oreos! The cream filling is divine. I used a piping bag to squirt filling onto one cookie then smashed the other cookie on top. So fun! I think I will make it a tradition to bake these with my kids when the time comes. I also think I will end this post now to prevent me from going on about any more of my domestic desires. Enjoy!

Homemade Oreos
Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies

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 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

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 8 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.

Recipe adapted from Retro Desserts, Wayne Brachman

Trackback URI | Comments RSS