A Homemade Kitchen: Oreo Cookies

A Homemade Kitchen series includes recipes that feature homemade versions of your favorite store-bought meals, snacks, treats, condiments and more. Homemade is better for your budget, body, and taste buds.

I enjoyed Oreos growing up. I'm not sure they were my favorite though, mostly because you'd get gunks of black cookie stuck in your teeth and on your face. There was no way you'd be able to sneak an Oreo without getting caught unless you brushed your teeth right after. And what 9-year-old wants to do that? I'm positive you guys love Oreos though because my post for Cookies & Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes, the ones with an entire Oreo on the bottom, has been my most visited post since I started this blog. That's a lot of visits and a lot of Oreos. 

But since using store-bought and pre-made goods in my recipes isn't my usual cup of tea, I figured it was about time I posted a recipe for homemade Oreos. And let me say, these homemade Oreos taste exactly like the store-bought kind. It's actually kind of weird in an awesome, unexpected way. Especially because these homemade ones don't leave you with a funky, artificial aftertaste.

Recipe Rundown
Taste: Surprisingly very much like a store-bought Oreo cookie sandwich. The first thing I said after taking a bite was "This really does taste like an Oreo!"
Texture: The texture of the cookie is not like store-bought Oreos, it's softer and chewier, yet still slightly crumbly. The filling is a little looser than store-bought Oreo filling.  
Ease: The electric mixer and/or food processor do most of the work. However, rolling out the cookie dough and filling the sandwiches does quite a lot of hands-on time. 
Appearance: They look pretty damn tasty.

Pros: These taste better than store-bought Oreos, plus they don't have any high-fructose corn syrup or trans fats.
Cons: None really.
Would I make this again? Yes.

Oreo Cookies
Makes 25-30 sandwich cookies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
For the cookies:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

To make the cookies:
Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375 degrees.

In a food processor or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, then add the egg. Continue processing, or mixing, until the dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on parchment-lined baking sheets approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once to ensure even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the filling:
Place butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed. Gradually add the sugar. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble:
Using a pastry bag or spatula, drop a teaspoon-size blob of filling into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press down to work the filling evenly towards the outside of the cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and filling.