Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies



I had never really considered making my own Worcestershire sauce, corn chips, Ritz crackers, or Oreo cookies until the people at America’s Test Kitchen sent me their D.I.Y Cookbook. Ever since it arrived, I've been enamored with the recipes inside. Imagine, I can make my own Nutella, wine vinegar, and American cheese. Who knew!

Recipes from America’s Test Kitchen are wonderful to use. They are researched and tested to find just the right steps and ingredients for a positive outcome.  I don’t always follow what is written (we food writers are always changing something), but the recipes are a great place to start cooking.

I've posted before about the book’s giardiniera recipe. This time I decided to try making homemade Oreo cookies.

The original recipe calls for using 1/4 cup of black cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of Dutch-processed cocoa. I tried, but I couldn't find black cocoa powder in the store and I didn't want to wait for a mail-order delivery, so I used all of the later. You can get black cocoa powder from the King Arthur Flour Company or use Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder.

The cookies tasted great and very much like Oreos. Actually I think they taste even better since they’re made with ingredients in my own pantry and not with ones would never use.

Now I just have to figure out which recipe to try next!

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Adapted from The America’s Test Kitchen D.I.Y. Cookbook
Makes approximately 40 cookies

For cookies:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour

For filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

To make the cookies: (Don’t preheat the oven yet. The dough has to chill first.) In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, cocoa powder, and espresso powder until smooth.

Pour the butter-cocoa mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat in the softened butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla until combined, and then add the flour in three batches, mixing well after each. Mix until the dough forms a ball.

Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a 6-inch log that is about 1 1/2-inches thick. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour until firm.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove a log from the refrigerator and, using a sharp knife, slice into 1/8-inch circles. Place the circles onto the cookie sheets 1/2-inch apart. Repeat for the second log.

Bake the cookies until firm on the edges and only leaving a slight indentation in the center when gently pressed with a finger, about 14 to 16 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, and then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

To make the filling: With a mixer, beat together the filling ingredients until combined. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy.


To make the cookies: On a work surface, place half the cookies upside down. Place 1/2 teaspoon of filling onto each cookie, and then top with a second right-side-up cookie. Squeeze gently to spread the filling evenly throughout the cookie. Store in an airtight container. 

9 comments:

  1. I'm a huge fan of America's Test Kitchen and their in depth approach to all things cooking.

    Your Homemade Oreos look worthy of a bite or two, or three!

    Thanks for sharing, Linda...

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  2. Thank you so much for your blog! I love your recipes, and I really appreciate anyone who goes to the trouble of posting recipes (with photos, even) for others to enjoy. Could I make a tiny request? I would love it if you included a description of texture with cookie recipes (such as thick and soft, thin and crispy, cake-like, etc.). I have trouble eating hard items and so am helped tremendously by such descriptions. Thanks!

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  3. These look great! How did the other recipes go using the book? I'm kinda intrigued... :)

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  4. Emma, I haven't tried the others yet, but when I do, I'll let you know!

    Anonymous, thanks for your kind words. These cookies have a texture very much like Oreos...crunchy cookie (but not too crunchy) with a creamy middle.

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  5. Hot Damn! Homemade Oreos! Like you said, "Who Knew ???"

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  6. Dear Linda, I like America's Test Kitchen too. It is a great place to start.
    These cookies look wonderful. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

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  7. They look like a fun project to do with grandkids!

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  8. I've been searching for a long time for an Oreo sandwich cookie clone. I was so pleased to come across this post as I did not feel like I wanted to purchase the entire book since I have had issues with many of their recipes in the past. Always wondered why they never gave weights in their measurements. Fine Cooking Magazine has no problem with this. And so I'm crossing my fingers that these will have the same texture and crunch as store bought Oreo cookies.

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  9. Jay, they are pretty darn close to the store version! Hope you enjoy them!

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