STILL loving my new cookbook: Flour by Joanna Chang. She is my new idol. And her recipes are soooo good. The Homemade Oreos recipe has been calling to me since I got the book. Who would choose bought Oreos after tasting these! And you can make them as big or small, round or shaped as you wanted them. The only problem is making enough of them to last until you can take photos. I didn’t have to change anything about her recipe apart from halving it so here it is, in it’s original form:
Homemade Oreos (makes 16-18 sandwich cookies)
1 cup (228g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (200g) semisweet chocolate (I used dark Ghana chocolate), melted and cooled slightly
1 egg
1 1/2 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (90g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda]
Vanilla Cream Filling
1/2 cup (114g) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cup (230g) icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp milk
pinch of salt
In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate. Add the egg and whisk until thoroughly incorporated.
In another medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt until well mixed. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the chocolate mixture. The dough will start to seem too floury and you will find it easiest to switch to mixing it with your hands until it comes together. It will have the consistency of play-dough. Let the dough sit at room temperature for one hour to firm up.
Transfer the dough to a 15-inch square sheet of parchment or waxed paper. Using your hands, shape the dough into a log about 10 inches long and about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the log at the edge of the sheet of parchment and roll the parchment around the log. With the log fully encased in parchment, roll it into a smoother log, keeping it at 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm. The log may settle and sink in the fridge so re-roll it every 15 minutes or so to keep the round shape. (At this point you can wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month. If the dough is frozen, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before proceeding.)
Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 165 degrees Celsius. Butter a baking sheet or line it with baking paper.
Cut the log into quarter inch thick slices and place about an inch apart on the sheet.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm to the touch when poked in the middle. You can’t judge by colour as they are black from the start. Cool to room temperature before filling.
To make the filling: While the cookies are cooling, use a stand mixer or handheld mixer to beat the butter on low speed for about 30 seconds until smooth and soft. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat until mixture is perfectly smooth. Add the milk and salt and again beat until smooth. You should have about 1 cup. The mixture can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before using.
Scoop about one rounded teaspoon onto the bottom of one cookie and then sandwich another cookie on top, pressing down until mixture spreads to the edges.