what's in the middle? the white stuff

It was the early '90's and my friend was playing a  a parody song of NKOTB's 'You Got It (The Right Stuff)' by Weird Al Yankovich, but the song was about Oreo's. Now, I'm not a Weird Al fan normally, but I'm tickled by wacky humor and I love Oreo's even more, so this song just gets in my head every time I see those little cookies.

Who doesn't love Oreo's? Those crispy little black and white cookies just beg to be dunked in milk, broken up into ice cream or smashed into a delicious pie crust. But you can't beat a homemade version. Ever.

This recipe is courtesy of the Flour cookbook (I know, I feel like I'm on a bender with this book) and can be made two ways. Bake them for the full 20-25 minutes and you'll have a traditional, crunchy Oreo...or you can be a bit rebellious and under-bake them so that they have a softness to them. There's no wrong way to make them, the point is that you should make them. 

Oreo’s, bakery style

Recipe adapted from Flour by Joanne Chang

Makes 26 total sandwiched cookies

Recipe Notes-

- Since I’m not a bakery I didn’t really want jumbo-sized cookies so instead of rolling out my dough 10-inches long and 2 ½-inches in diameter, I rolled it out to 12-inches long and 1 ¾-inches in diameter. This way produced a normal-sized homemade cookie and also more cookies. I got 26-sandwiched cookies (or 52 total!) vs. the 16 to 18 sandwiched cookies that the recipe states.

- Of course, since I had more cookies I needed a bit more vanilla cream filling. I’ve amped up the filling ingredients so that there’ll be enough filling for all the cookies.

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

1 Cup unsalted butter

1 Cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet or bittersweet

¾ Cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 ½ Cups all-purpose flour

¾ Cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

For the vanilla cream filling:

10 Tbs. of unsalted butter

2 ¼ Cups confectioners’ sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ Tbs. milk or heavy cream

pinch of salt

Directions:

For the cookies:

1. In a large, heatproof bowl, melt the butter and chocolate chips. Then, whisk in the sugar, vanilla and egg until thoroughly incorporated.

2. Switch to a wooden spoon and slowly add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda until thoroughly mixed. If the dough is too thick to stir, use your hands to mix; it will have the consistency of Play-Doh. The dough needs ½ hour to an hour to sit at room temperature in order to firm up.

3. On a large sheet of parchment paper, place the dough and form it into a 12-inch log and 1 ¾-inches in diameter. Roll the parchment around the log and then roll it smooth so that the log is round, with no flat edges. Place the dough into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (the dough can be refrigerated for 1 week, or frozen for 1 month. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before baking).

4. Preheat the oven to 325° F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a cutting board, place the log and slice the dough into ¼-inch slices. Place the slices 1-inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 7 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake another 4-5 minutes more (they should still feel soft). If you want a crisper cookie (like a traditional Oreo), bake for a total of 20-25 minutes total (they should be firm to the touch). Let cool completely before filling.

To make the filling:

5. In a large bowl with a mixer, beat the butter and confectioners’ sugar on low speed. Add the vanilla, milk and salt and beat until fully incorporated; the frosting will be thick, like putty (the filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks).

6. Spread about 1 tablespoon of the filling onto one cookie and top with the second cookie, pressing down gently. Repeat until all the cookies are filled.