Homemade Oreo PARTYYY

Hey dudes,

Last night, Thomas and I went to dinner at a famous Atlanta BBQ spot called Fox Bros. Our purpose for going was two-fold: One, to get my dad's birthday present (Fox Bros. BBQ sauce & a t-shirt to wear at his meat smoking competitions), and two, to EAT BBQ. Duh! Funnily enough, we didn't realize that we'd been here with Mari and Holly when we visited on Spring Break until we drove up.

Of course I made Thomas pose in front of the sign.

 The Watermelon Margarita was on special. So good!

We had a combo meal with pulled pork, brisket, onion rings, and macaroni. It was all really good! We (and everyone else in town it seems) would definitely suggest going here if you ever visit Atlanta.

Today, I've actually been really productive. I've done laundry, mailed my Dad's birthday package (which I can talk about since my parents are out of town and can't read the blog), and gone to Walmart. Fun times! I was accosted by a sketch guy in the Walmart parking lot who asked me for $17 (because, you know, I look like I have $17 to give you), but besides that the highlight of my day was finding the ever elusive iced animal crackers at Walmart (finally)! It's the simple things.

Yesterday I told you about some homemade oreos that I made this weekend. Thomas liked them so much that he asked me to make some today for him to take to his coworkers tomorrow. I've now made two batches, and I have to admit they're super easy. The dough itself is made in the food processor with ingredients that every baker keeps around. I always hate it when recipes call for something super specific, because I find and bake most things on a whim and I obviously don't want to go to the store for some fancy barley flour before I start. So here's the cookies!

Here's what you'll need. Note: My cookies are a little darker than the average, because I always use Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa instead of regular. Because I can.

First, mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in the food processor. While pulsing, add the softened butter and then the egg. 

Continue processing until the dough comes together in a mass, like this.

Place rounded teaspoons of dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough. I used a small ice cream scoop just like this one to make my cookies.

 Bake for 9 minutes at 375F, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool completely. Tip: after 9 minutes, the cookies may still look a little wet and puffy. They will continue to cook a little and will deflate after 3 minutes on the pan outside the oven.

To make the filling, cream the butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and slowly add the sugar and vanilla. Turn up the mixer and beat on high until fluffy.

 Tip: when measuring out sticky things like shortening or peanut butter, line your measuring cup with saran wrap. It peels right out so you don't have to wash the goop off the cup!

Then, put the cream into a plastic bag and squeeze it all into one corner. Make sure you leave the top open to let the air out (so the bag doesn't explode) and snip off the corner of the bag.

Then pipe the cream onto half of the cookies.

Pre squishing. Yum!

Gently press another cookie on top and squeeze the cream to the edge. There you have an oreo!

Dunk generously in a big glass of milk (if you're into that sort of thing).

 They're just so pretty, I couldn't resist taking lots of pictures.

These cookies have a very homemade and rustic feel. Trust me, they're delicious.

Homemade Oreos

For the cookies:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa *I use Hershey's Special Dark

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup 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

Directions:

In a food processor, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. Slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool completely before adding the cream.

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.

To assemble the cookies, spoon the cream into a plastic bag and snip off the corner to make a pastry bag. Pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie on top and lightly press, working the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk. Makes 25-30 sandwich cookies. Enjoy!

I know some people think that using crisco (aka vegetable shortening) is gross or weird. The concept of shortening is kind of disgusting, but it makes for a delicious cookie in this case so I'm down with it. From what I understand, the shortening is necessary in the oreo cream because it gives the filling a thickness at room temperature that using all butter can't. So, there's that tidbit. Let me know if you make these and how they turn out!

Finally, here's a video of Charlotte chewing on Jack's nails. Kind of weird, but cute at the same time.

-T, K, J, & C