6.09.2010

OreOH!


I know. Finally!

I adapted the recipe from smitten kitchen.
(I know they mention a celiac version, but when it comes to doing it myself, I'm a real maverick if you know what I mean. Plus I wanted to halve it so I wouldn't eat 25-30 Oreos by myself.)

For the cookies:
1/3 C cocoa powder (preferably unsweetened Dutch-processed, but don't sweat it if you only have Hershey's)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 C sugar
5 TBSP butter, room temp.
1/2 an egg (crack it in a bowl, stir it a little, only use half. Easy.)

For the filling*:
1/2 C nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 butter, room temp.
3 1/2 C powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 C milk

In a food processor (or bowl + electric mixer), thoroughly mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Pulse in butter and egg (or mix in on low speed). Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Spray a cookie sheet with some Pam and spray a little on your hands. I like to make tiny cookies so I can eat 13 of them and not feel bad, so I form the balls of dough so they're a little bigger than the width of a quarter. But feel free to make them Big Stuf sized if you're feeling super 1987.


Don't smush them down too much because they flatten out plenty on their own. Bake for 7ish minutes at 350°F.

While your precious chocolate wafers are baking, beat shortening and butter together with a handheld mixer till fluffy. Add sugar and beat 3 more minutes. Add vanilla and milk, then beat till fluffy, gorgeous, and perfect. When the cookies are fully cool, pile on and sandwich them up real proper-like. Get a huge glass of milk and get gluttonous!


*The glorious thing about making your own oreos is what I like to call FFC--full frosting control. You can be endlessly creative with your filling in a way that would make Nabisco burn with envy. Try these twists on the classic by simply modifying your frosting recipe:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich
Substitute 1/4 C shortening with creamy peanut butter.

Chocolate Creamsicle
Add zest of an orange or clementine, and use OJ or tangerine juice instead of the milk. Bonus option: substitute the vanilla extract with Fiori di Sicilia.

Double Chocolate O
1/4 C butter, room temp.
1/4 C shortening
1/2 C cocoa powder
2 1/2 C powdered sugar
3 TBSP milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Et la pièce de résistance...
German Chocolate Oreos
1/4 C milk
2 TBSP cornstarch
a weeny pinch of salt
3/4 C coconut milk
1 C brown sugar
1 1/2 C shredded coconut
1/2 C pecans, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBSP bourbon or whiskey

Whisk milk, cornstarch, and salt. Then stir coconut milk and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and cook till mixture starts to boil. Cook five more minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Re-whisk milk/c-starch/salt mixture and add to coconut milk mixture, stirring constantly.

Cook 6 or 7 more minutes--stirring constantly (it's a workout)--then remove from heat. Beat in your vanilla, booze, pecans, and coconut. Stir till everything's coated and combined. Pop in the fridge till it's cooled to room temp. Sandwich as usual. Everyone will be wildly impressed, I assure you.

Let me know how they turn out,
Melanie

1 comment:

  1. Your recipes are always so much fun Mel! You do a great job. Have you ever heard of Tastespotting? You take gorgeous food pictures and I bet that they would publish yours - then many more people will hear about Belle-Cakes! You should check it out.
    http://www.tastespotting.com/

    Laura

    ReplyDelete