If you couldn’t tell from my previous recipes, I’m a huge fan of Oreos. In fact, I’d say they’re probably my favorite cookie of ALL TIME. Bold statement, I know — but there are so many flavors and so much you can do with them! While I usually integrate them into recipes (whether sm’Oreo brownies or cookies & cream chocolate-chip cookies) I decided to actually make the my favorite sandwich cookie from scratch, thanks to an amazing recipe I found on Pinterest.
Before you say, “Nah, I’d rather just buy a bag of pre-made Oreos instead,” trust me on this one! It’s totally worth the extra effort. Plus, it’s kind of awesome to prove yourself wrong and make something you didn’t know was possible.
Full disclosure: They’re not exactly like Oreos. They’re a bit softer and you can’t easily twist them apart. But I promise, they’re just as delicious! I even added sprinkles to mine. Mostly for aesthetics purposes, but also because they make everything in life better. Obviously.
INGREDIENTS
For the cookies…
- 1 & 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- a dash of salt (or 1/8 tsp. to be exact!)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (aka a whole stick. Soften before using.)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg (Let it get to room temperature)
- 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
For the frosting…
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (Also softened!)
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening (aka Crisco)
- 1 & 3/4 cups confectioner’s/powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
1. Let your butter sit out, so that it reaches room temperature. Cut it into chunks so it softens faster. It’ll take at least 20-30 minutes.
May I suggest watching an episode of Netflix to pass the time?
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder.
3. Grab your handy-dandy mixer…
And in a separate bowl, beat the butter for approximately 1 minute with a mixer.
4. Add in your brown sugar and granulated sugar. Continue mixing until it’s all combined.
5. Throw in your egg and vanilla extract.
Just keep beating the ingredients together…
6. Slowly add the flour/baking soda/salt/cocoa powder combo that you made before into the bowl with the wet ingredients.
7. Lower the speed of the mixer and continue until a dough is formed.
At this point, my dough looked kind of grainy (as seen above). So I just used my hands to mix it all together. Problem solved!
8. Wrap your dough in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
(Ahem… aka another perfect Netflix break opportunity!)
9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
10. After your dough is chilled, roll it into little balls.
You’ll want around 40 balls, since two = one cookie. That will give you approximately 20 cookies.
11. Place the dough balls on a (greased) cookie sheet and put the tray in the oven.
I actually had a little cookie sandwich pan that I bought on sale at Target. But if you don’t, you can just place the dough balls on a tray and slightly flatten them.
12. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes. They’re little cookies so they bake quickly. Keep an eye on them!
Even though they may look soft/slightly shiny, take them out of the oven after that time. Let them sit 5 minutes before removing from tray.
13. Continue steps 11 & 12 until you’ve used all of your dough.
14. As you wait for your cookies to cool, it’s the perfect time to make your icing! Begin beating your butter and Crisco together. Use your mixer on high speed and continue until combined.
15. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla.
16. Beat the ingredients together at a low speed. The directions originally said the frosting would be thick, but it was WAY thicker than I expected. I even used my hands to mix it at one point, because it just wasn’t combining well.
17. Mix in some sprinkles.
18. Now assemble the cookies! Wait until they’re cool, of course. Then use a small spatula to add the filling between the cookies.
19. Garnish with sprinkles if you’d like.
20. Grab a glass of milk and enjoy!
How did your cookies turn out? Show us your creations on Instagram and Twitter — tag @2DamnYoung!
These are delicious!