Homemade Oreos

Let’s talk about Oreo cookies.  Are you a dunker or a non-dunker? Typically Oreo lovers are divided into two camps:  those who dunk them in a glass of cold milk and bite into the slightly soggy cookie with abandon, and those who carefully separate the dark chocolate sandwich rounds from the creamy white icing, eating each part with great care (glass of cold milk on the side, optional).  If you’re like me, you let your mood dictate the method of choice.

Oreos are not hard to find in Denmark.  But Danes are apparently more civilized and sparing in their Oreo consumption for the packaging here is much smaller than what one finds in the U.S.  (surprise surprise).

While Oreos have an unmistakable crunch and flavor, they are not the most natural food on the planet.  Don’t even attempt to make sense of the ingredient list.  Moreover, it won’t make you feel very good after you’ve ingested six of them.  The point is, shouldn’t there be a more natural way to have our Oreos and enjoy them too?  

Today’s your lucky day.  Homemade Oreos are exceedingly simple to make and taste even better than the store bought variety.  I kid you not.  But let me be up front about this recipe:  you will not arrive at the same pretty uniform-sized cookies that come in the package.  Honestly, who cares.  What you will make will be original, full of character, and wholly delicious.

Homemade Oreos

Adapted from Tiny Urban Kitchen

Ingredients

1.5c /350g all purpose flour

3/4c /175g sugar

3/4c /175g unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2t /2.5ml baking soda (a small spoonful)

1.5t /7.5ml salt (two small spoonfuls)

3/4c /200g unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2c /115g heavy cream

8oz. /225g white chocolate, chopped in small pieces

Directions

1.  In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar and beat with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.  Set aside.

2.  In a small bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.  

3.  Carefully add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, a little at a time.  Incorporate well after each addition.

4.  Gather the mixture into a loose ball and divide in two.  Form each into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes.

5.  Make the filling by bringing the cream just to the boil, then removing from the heat and adding the chopped chocolate.  Let sit for a few minutes; combine well until mixture is smooth without any lumps, and refrigerate, stirring every half hour or so.  The mixture can sit for six hours at room temperature to thicken or you can speed up the process in the refrigerator.

6.  Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator, one disk at a time.  On a well-floured surface, roll the dough until it is thin but thick enough so that your cookie cutter is able to pull the dough up with it.  

7.  Using a round cookie cutter (any size you prefer, although you’ll get more cookies with a smaller cookie cutter), cut as many rounds from the dough as possible.  You will need to re-roll the dough a few times.

8.  Bake at 350F /180C for 10-14 minutes, turning the baking sheet half way through the cooking time.

9.  Repeat with the remainder of the dough.  Let cooked cookies cool on a baking rack.

10.  Once filling is thick enough, beat it a minute or two with your hand mixer.  Apply as little or as much filling to completely cooled cookies, and enjoy.  Cookies can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.