Just before I left for the airport Monday morning, I stopped short and ran back inside, not because I forgot my power cord or business cards or anything normal like that, but to make myself a turkey sandwich. My flight left late, of course, and by the time I had time to unwrap my semi-smooshed last bit of home-cooked anything, I was so hungry, I was ready to ask the 18-month-old next to me to share one of his drooled-upon teething biscuits. Proust may have had his madeleine and my husband may have his pickled green tomatoes, but I had that turkey sandwich and in the one bite I allowed myself before the drink cart finally brought me something to wash it down with, I had found a happiness I didn’t know could exist at the front end of a much-dreaded three day business trip to a nine-acre enclosed glass pod.
It was the best thing I ate for days. What followed were stale, overly-sweet muffins falsely advertised as bran, potato chips I’d found myself eating because they were “free!” with my choking-dry turkey sandwich purchase, a banana days before my idea of what it’s prime should be, a tomato slice that was actually chewy, a fat-free yogurt so loaded with fake flavorings and artificial sugar that it took me half a bottle of water to get the taste of a single spoonful out of my mouth, and trauma induced by a room service menu boasting a “fried cheese collage,” although frankly not half as gross as the “mixed vegetable pasta” that arrived at my room an hour later. Pushing translucent, brown-edged lettuce around on a plastic tray in the Nashville airport Wednesday night, I up and dumped the whole thing in the garbage, deciding that life is too short to eat food that horrifies you in every way. Of course I had the luxury of doing that because I’d be home later, though the last laugh was still on me as my flight was delayed and I got in at about 1:30 a.m. so tired that my husband waiting up for me with that “I’m awake! I didn’t nod off!” harried look on his face almost brought me to tears. Also, because he is cute.
Thursday was understandably canceled due to lack of interest, and aside from yet another perfect-in-every-way turkey sandwich, I did nothing close to cooking until 8 p.m. when I realized that between a baby shower this weekend and a party tonight, something home-baked would be just what the doctor ordered. But exhaustion and a still-fried brain quickly told me that this was no time to try something new, not when all people ever ask for anyway is those Oreos I made last year.
Oh, they’re good. Awesome, even. But they absolutely fall within the category of “you’ve been warned.” If you make these once, prepare to make them a dozen more times, because I’ve yet to meet many people who don’t have a soft spot for iconic sweets. (The icebox cake also falls firmly within this category, as did the graham crackers I once made from the same book.) Any fatigue you may feel from being forced to repeat a recipe when you only want to try new things can be consoled, however, by the fact that these cookies are unbelievably easy to make, and have an infinitely forgiving batter. It’s really impossible to mess these up, and the part that you’re probably certain will be an unholy p.i.t.a.–filling and assembling the cookies–with a piping bag takes less than five minutes.
And when finished? I may not have ever been an Oreo fanatic in my life, not like my husband, at least, but one swoosh of it through an ice-cold glass of milk and my blurred head and imagined glass bubble lifted off. And that was milk, people–imagine their effect coupled with a good glass of wine.
Hey, Look! Someone made a celiac version of the Oreos! Thank you, Jill for the helpful adaptation.
Homemade Oreos
Adapted from Retro Desserts, Wayne Brachman
Let’s talk about the sugar for a minute, shall we? This is a sweet cookie. A good, sweet cookie. Yet, if you think of an actual Oreos, the wafers are fairly un-sweet and actually on the slightly salty side, which contrasts with the super-sweetness of the filling bringing harmony, happiness, yada yada. If you want your cookie closer to that original, you can take out a full half-cup of the sugar. If you want to make the cookie by itself (as I did a while back for ice cream sandwiches), go ahead and use the full amount.
Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies
For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups (155 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (45 grams, but cocoa weights can vary greatly) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups (200 to 300 grams) sugar [see recipe note]
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks or 140 grams) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg
For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 55 grams) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup (50 grams) vegetable shortening
2 cups (240 grams) sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
- In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.
- Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
- To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
- To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream. Dunk generously in a large glass of milk.
How well do these cookies store? I am looking for some things that can be baked for gifts and still be good to hand out 2 or maybe 3 days later if stored in an air-tight tin.
These look just wonderful, though!
you are killing me.
Hi Celeste — They store surprisingly well. I’ve even shipped them to people. I’d consider them safe for a week.
how well do they freeze and thaw?
I have frozen these cookies and thawed them and noticed no difference at all! Still delicious
Oh my, this is fabulous. I’m thinking a peanut butter filling is on order, ummm. My aunt took my to opryland once when I was little to see the petting zoo, that’s all I remember. Too bad you missed out on the good parts of Nashville, next time bbq and collard greens are on order!
I was tempted to lick the screen. But I resisted, because I don’t think my coworkers would understand. Did it crack you up that the resort’s name is Gaylord? I mean, seriously, that and the fried cheese collage (wtf?) the trip alone is worth for the stories you brought back!
Lick the screen?!?!?! I love your spirit!
I can totally and wholeheartedly endorse these cookies. They are as good as the pictures Deb posted. The pictures that make you want to lick your monitor and not care if your co-worker just walked by and saw you licking said monitor. Hey! I’m not saying I licked the monitor. But, these cookies, yeah they are THAT good.
The other great thing is that the icing can be used for other things: Vanilla Wafers Sandwiches, Graham Cracker Sandwiches and just eating it right out of the bowl with a spoon and an episode of Sex and the City. Can you tell I haven’t made this since before my Weight Watchers days?
Let’s pretend you’re spending a year in Israel, and all (ok, most) of your beloved kitchen tools are in storage for the year in CA. Would you go out and buy a pastry bag for the filling, or would you acknowledge that you’re really sick of spending money on things you own at home, and spread the filling with a knife? Would that work?
Ziplock bag with a corner snipped off should work?
probably a ziplock bag would work better but a knife would be an option.
Can you use a dark/black cocoa for this recipe?
If you use it, I’d just do a partial swap. It’s so strong, even 1 to 2T swapped should blacken the cookies and provide the Oreo flavor.
Brilliant! This falls right into my “why buy it when i can make it for twice the cost and 20 times the work” ethic.
Everything tastes better when you put a little time, love and effort into it. Oh, and when you leave out chemicals, preservatives and weird industrial fats!
Vegetable shortening substitute ideas? Can I get by using all butter?
It’s only 4 tablespoons, though. Spread over 25-30 cookies. I settled down after I figured this out.
I buy organic vegetable shortening at my local organic foods store. Probably can buy online, too.
Thank you for the super easy and delicious filling (cream) recipe! I had already baked a separate, similar cookie recipe when I found your recipe for the cream and decided to roll with it. The cream is delicious and homemade Oreos are freaking amazing!
I actually made double the cream (whoops) and now have extra… I see some strawberries and cream in my near future as well!
Courtney — You certainly could. The first time I made them, I skipped the piping bag. (Though, a corner snipped off a thick freezer bag will work, as well as rolling a piece of parchement paper into a cone, which is how we did it at a bakery where I used to work but takes some practice). The second time, I used one and found it faster and neater. But last night, for some reason, my filling came out REALLY thick (which is good and more like the original, though not how it usually happens) and too hard to pipe, so I had to spread it.
Marta — I agree. I was completely horrified by it, but the thing is, you can try with all butter but the filling needs a thickness at room temperature that I don’t think butter can give you. I have the trans-fat free Crisco, but the Spectrum brand shortening (as Molly had once suggested) is an even better alternative. If you try all-butter and have success with it, let us know, though. I don’t like using shortening any more than the next cook wholesome enough to make their own Oreos!
Tropical Traditions also sells a sustainably sourced palm oil shortening (that’s a healthy traditional fat versus Crisco’s transfat). They only sell a huge quantity, but I use it for frying too, and end up using it all in a year. It’s odorless and there’s no weird taste. It’s really good stuff.
What about subbing in cream cheese for the shortening…?
Would probably be delicious!
Poor dear, business travel totally sucks. I love the image of you dumping your salad in the garbage, been there. These cookies (and maybe that whole book) are going on the list ASAP. Thanks for posting so soon after your glass bubble trauma.
ya i gotta agree here, these cookies are kick-ass good. I thought id be easy 1 night and bought some oreos.. they sat there with 3 cookies missing..
a week later, in the trash they went.
as she said.. you’ve been warned people, you’ve been warned.
I’ve made these cookies, oh, a bazillion and 2 times.
These look superb! Cannot wait to try them. I have been looking for a good recipe!
Deb – are these cookies meant to be crisp when they come out of the oven? Whst level of ‘doneness’ is best?
Sarah — Fear not if they look underbaked. They’re the kind of cookies that puff and look wet after 9 minutes (really, no more time is needed, even a minute less if your oven runs hot), then as you sit them on their tray for three minutes after baking, they all deflate and firm up, making them easy to shift to a cooling rack. They end up firmer than many chocolate chip cookies, but softer than your typical Oreo.
Dear sweet Lord, save me! Incredible looking, I can barely wait to run to the store to get what I need to bake them.
Looks like weight watchers isn’t gonna happen this month either! LOL
Everything tastes better when you put a little time, love and effort into it. Oh, and when you leave out chemicals, preservatives and weird industrial fats!
Helena | https://www.dreamcalendars.com/
Yes, it’s official. The Jenn’s are taking over your comment section!
Sorry to hear about the trip to Nashville. Never been a fan of that place to begin with. I suspect it’s because I loathe country music. Road food is always a challenge for me when I travel. For me, it’s not only the thought of over cooked, no flavor dishes… but the thought of all those toxic, processed over cooked, no flavor dishes. It turns my stomach I tell ya. Bryan and I went to DC for an inline skate event last weekend and eating was a serious challenge for both of us. That fat free yogurt I forced down, only because I was famished and exhausted from 16 miles of road skating, was packed full of artificial nastiness. I feel ya girl, I really do.
I’m glad I didn’t see the recipe for these cookies until after my bran muffins were in the oven. Otherwise, I would have had a huge change of plans. My waistline thanks you! Although, they are next on the list of yummy stuff to bake this summer while I’m out of school! Thanks!
Regarding the Crisco/shortening… since I live in Australia (supposedly living an American dream) I’m not sure exactly how to tell people what I want… I’ve asked my husband and he has absolutely no idea what I’m talking about. How would you describe Crisco? Would it be lard?
Hi Deb, sorry bout the bad road food. When my husband and I travel we sometimes pop into what ever the local grocery store is in the area. We’ll buy the fixins for a sandwich or whatever and snack away in the hotel room. Besides the fact we like grocery stores we usually end up with something healthier and a lot tastier then say something from a casino buffet.
Hmmm… Oreos! The perfect thing to come back to after the three horrifying weeks of a broken computer and various problems with the manufacturer. I think making Oreos would be as much of a triumph as the morning I decided to make pasta or the day after I found your blog and baked (my first) loaf of bread. I can’t wait to make it, especially since there’s a long weekend coming up.
I thought travel was all glitz & glamour.
Now you us there’s “Fried Cheese Collages” out there. Hopefully there was wine to make it all go away.
What? No wine?
*shudder*
What kind of savages are those people? Get thee back to civilization!
Oh boy — oreos! I have absolutely no self-control when it comes to oreos. They take me right back to childhood. But I have to say that your homemade ones look even better than the real thing…..I must try them!
Are the cookies soft or crunchy?
I whipped up a batch of these yesterday for my hubby to take to the boys at the fire hall. I am now cookie goddess to a house full of equally delicious fire fighters. Sorry to hear about your crappy trip to Nashville. Not one decent culinary experience comes to mind that is located at or in the vicinity of the Opryland hotel however if you ever have to go back, hop a river taxi if they still run and actually go to downtown Nashville. Just a few short blocks from from the riverfront you will find The Palm. Absolutely delish.
Oh wow, those look so fabulously yummy. Thanks for the recipe! (Morgan, I wonder if I could just make some for the local firehouse for no reason at all. OK, well, for entirely self-serving reasons. ;-) )
I just called your mother at the baby shower and told her she better bring home one of those OREOs!
Oh my god. I’m RUINED!!! These were so fabulous. Does Nabisco know you stole the recipe for their Oreo filling?!! Tasted exactly like an Oreo. I will never go back. I bow down to you!!!
I am Spain and have never seen vegetable shortening here. the butter is different than the US so I don’t think a one to one substitute woul dwork. Any other ideas?
So lovely!
Deb, I made these yesterday during a rainy day bake a thon (though that rain they promised NYC did not come for quite a while…). I. Love. Them. After I ate more than I should admit, I froze some, broke them up, and tossed them in the ice cream maker with the coffee ice cream I was making… it was delicious (in fact, I had it for breakfast with a cup of coffee. I don’t believe in overkill when it comes to coffee). Thanks, as always, for the delicious recipe!
Yummy!! These are so good. I’m Jocelyn’s sister-in-law. She brought some to CT to sample. I thought I went to heaven.
I always liked the inside better than the outside of the oreos, yours look infinitely better than store bought.
Hmm, I live in Denmark and am also at a loss about the whole shortening thing. I think I’ll try this recipe while substituting Palmin for the shortening. Palmin is a hard brick of coconut oil often used in baking here. Doesn’t taste like coconut though, so I hope it’ll do the trick. I’ll get back if it’s a success.
Hi Jennie — I also cannot be sure, but Palmin sounds about right. Shortening is a flavorless fat that stays solid at room temperature. I think it at one point, it was a intended lard replacement for cooking (liquefies when it heats, too). Let me know if it works–I’m sure it will help a lot of folks.
oh i’m so sorry u had to g through all that …i have those experiences my self everytime i travel…always keep handy a big bag of dry fruits in my bag and believe it or not when i travel i carry a couple of extra cup noodle packets …u never know what kinda crap u’re gonna get outside…this way atleast u wont go hungry ! BTW your cookie looks” to die for” ! could be easily published in a very fancy cookbook..!
I stumbled across while your website while procrastinating. I was totally ready to go to bed… and now all I can think about is where can I get a hold of the ingredients at this time to try this recipe out! It looks absolutely delicious, though I have to admit that the shortening does scare me a tad.
Don’t forget the sweet tea and fried green tomatoes–lol.
I love Oreo cookies and am gonna try this.
Shame you weren’t in Memphis TN, they had their Memphis in May down by the river. It is a huge BBQ cooking contest.
Crisco is definately not lard. Lard is animal fat. Crisco is a vegatable “fat”. Yes vegatable shortening was to take the place of lard. However, my dad (passed away last September) had a cookbook from the 1920’s that had a donut recipe that called for cooking them in lard. One year he subbed veg shortening for the lard and they didn’t taste the same. They were less fat though.
Not all veg shortenings are created equal either. I use Crisco and only Crisco for my icing when I am making cakes or anything else that requires a decorator icing. I subbed a regular veg shortening for Crisco once (1st and last time) and the icing had a greasy after taste. I now know why I was told in that cake decorating class to use Criso and not the other veg shortening.
Some people tell me they have not had that problem but I won’t sub again and the Crisco seems to come out whiter and the dyes for the colored icing seem to be a nicer color also.
Just had to toss in my 2 cents.
This is just impossible to live with – I
And just to make everyone seeth with jealously, I had about 4 of these at the party Friday night and they were SO EFFIN GOOD.
joce
Is the recipe for the graham crackers posted somewhere?
Try organic shortening made my Spectrum. It works and it’s less scary!
these cookies sound like heaven! i’ll try these soon! What about vegan shortening – would that work as well?
gaylord’s! i hate that place! i stayed there for a conference and it was quite the experience! nothing worse than seriously overpriced bad breakfast food. definitely need to try those oreos.
I am so jealous of all who had these!
For those folks who are worried about shortening and trans fats – Smart Balance makes a great trans fat free shortening that bakes and whips very well. Health Food stores sell it under the “Earth Balance” label.
I may have to test this recipe with it : )
Oh god. I’m stuck at work for the rest of the day with the taste of these cookies filling my mouth. And I can’t go home and cook them.
Sometimes I hate you
(but I love you!)
hey deb!
I made these last night (oh my god so so good) but made the cookies too big, so they looked more like whoopie pies. would rolling the dough out make it easier, or would it make the cookies crack when baking?
thanks for the fantastic recipe! it was a hit at work and for the 24 finale gathering:)
Hi Deepa — What a great idea. I would definitely give rolling-out a shot. I’ve seen some pictures from people who have made these (including yours) over the weekend and am surprised that everyone else’s are so much puffier than mine. Now, there’s still a bit of baking powder/soda in it, so they’ll still puff, but perhaps less so. Otherwise, you can always flatten them even more with your fingers (water will keep them from sticking) to encourage a more Oreo-like shape.
One of these days, I’m going to try these again with a chocolate shortbread recipe and compare the results.
So sorry you didn’t enjoy the Gaylord. We spent a weekend down there a couple of years ago and there was the best little Irish Pub in the basement. I guess I can see where a food goddess such as yourself would be lost downt there, though.
I’m not a food goddess, promise. I didn’t enjoy the Gaylord because I was there for work, working all of the time, and only had access to the food they served at the event I attended. I know Nashville has a lot to offer–I just didn’t see a lick of it.
Now when you are making these cookies, a rounded teaspoon of dough just doesn’t seem like very much to make the size of cookies pictured… I am going to make these for a bridal shower on Saturday and want them to be little – should I stick to the teaspoon guideline?
Good point! I’d use closer to a tablespoon. Make one, see how they look (it’s more filling than a regular Oreo, of course, but the cookies are much thicker. I’m always aiming for a 1:1:1 ratio, like the originals), go from there. Even with generous filling, I always have an eensy bit leftover, so don’t worry about being too generous.
Oh my word these look AMAZING. I need to make some Oreos. Except we’re “dieting”.
omg… I made these today. They were heavenly. I don’t even like Oreo cookies that much, but these… These were just “wow”. I made them with a little bit less sugar, and I love them so much. Thank you!!
I made these last night for my boss’s birthday, and although they are delicious, they look nothing like yours! Mine are not nearly as flat, and cracked at the edges and top. Perhaps I didn’t flatten them enough…
Aesthetics aside, they are perfectly crunchy and the filling is amazing.
Oh my…I am so making these this weekend. What a delicious looking cookie and they don’t look like they’d stain your teeth black like real Oreos do! Delicious!
Just wondering…can I use regular cocoa? If I can’t find one that specifies “Duch Process”? Will they turn out ok or am I condemning myself to bad cookies and tears?
Kristen — I just learned that Oreos use an ingredient called black cocoa, which I know nothing about but am now fascinated. I will report back when I learn more. I am certain this is to blame for the “blacktooth.”
Ruby — Either will work. From JoyofBaking.com: “Dutch-Processed or Alkalized Unsweetened Cocoa Powder is treated with an alkali to neutralize its acids. Because it is neutral and does not react with baking soda, it must be used in recipes calling for baking powder, unless there are other acidic ingredients in sufficient quantities used… Its delicate flavor makes it ideal in baked goods like European cakes and pastries where its subtle flavor complements other ingredients. Droste, Lindt, Valrhona, Poulain and Pernigotti are some popular brands.”
Because this recipe has both baking powder and baking soda, it seems protected against error. However, I am wondering–because this has bugged me for a while–if this is the reason that my cookies come out flat while many others are far puffier and more like a “whoopie pie.” I use Dutch process, but if I didn’t, I might end up with two types of leavening in the cookies, making them uber-puffy. No effect on the final taste (nobody has complained) but it might explain the differences in height.
Oh, sorry, crisis averted…Williams Sonoma has one last container and it is on hold for me! :)
Thanks Deb!
Absolute food porn!! I can NOT wait to bake these for my 11-year-old this weekend! I’m sure he will LOVE them.. I’ll just have one to “test”… lol!
I made these cookies and they were delicious! I had to change the filling since, in the middle of the preparation process, I found out that my cabinets were free of vegetable shortening and confectioners’ sugarthat day… So I made a cream cheese filling instead. Still, delicious! Thanks!
When I saw this I remembered the “Almost Oreos” recipe that I marked in Nancy Silverton’s Sandwich Book. Her recipe calls for black super-alkalized cocoa powder in addition to the regular cocoa powder to get the deep almost-black dark color. She says you can get it at the King Arthur Flour website. Also, her filling recipe uses no shortening.
I think I know what my Dad is getting for Father’s Day!
wow! i’m loving it!
After reading this recipe, I went directly to Whole Foods to find the Dutch cocoa- found it there!
I made them last night for my coworkers (I love to bake… they love to eat) and they are a HUGE hit!! Everyone is so excited.
They’re a little bigger than the original cookies- they spread out a little more than I expected- but I don’t think anyone is complaining!!! :) I rolled the bits of dough between my palms before placing them on the baking sheet- and I use the bottom of a measuring cup to flatten them. This worked out great- they’re all perfectly round and the same thickness.
I share the need to try NEW recipes constantly, but I am positive that I will be making these again!
Thanks!!
you can get black cocoa through king arthur flour’s catalog called ‘the baker’s catalog’ – it is in my pantry & I use it to make DARK chocolate almond mousse….the hubby is a HUGE oreo fan so I think I will be baking these very soon! thanks for this great website, my first visit & I’m enjoying!
So, after two batches of these things, I’m in love. However, mine are decidedly not puffy. They are flat and lovely. I made the recipe exactly as called for but used Hershey’s cocoa powder for the cocoa. The first ones I made using my tablespoon cookie scoop ended up the size of whoopie pies, so I’m now using the tbs cookie scoop, cutting them in half and then rolling them into balls – they still turn out larger than an oreo. Using the bottom of a glass and a square of parchment works great for delicate flattening. I so CANNOT wait to make filling for them when I get off work…
I had read an Australian article about what can be substituted for shortening… turns out you can use Palmi, Copha, or Coconut Butter.
For shortening, I would think you could substitute a good margarine. Do they have margarine/oleo in other lands? I made these this week and they are superb! I rolled them in 2 logs for slice and bake and put them in the refrigerator and sliced them about 1/2 inch thick the next day and baked. Worked beautifully. Took about a minute more to bake because they were cold. I can see why these are requested over and over.
i made these today-i made the cookies way too large, but oh boy. best thing i’ve baked all year!! thank you!
Mine came out flat like yours, but enormous – they spread to fill the whole baking sheet! My dough was sticky and not stiff – perhaps the hot weather made the butter too soft.
I made these yesterday, using Cadbury’s cocoa powder, absolutely delish. I blogged it, and linked to you, hope that’s ok?
E
OMG these are BEYOND amazing! I made mine smaller than yours and they weren’t as flat, a little higher. YUM YUM YUM!
this recipe rocks! the flavor is scary accurate. i will never buy oreos again. thank you!
Lovely lovely lovely! My husband has a serious weakness for Oreos & I have a serious issue with the corn syrup soaked originals. These are on my “to make” list!
I made these for Memorial Day weekend. I must say they are to die for. I prefer them without the cream in the middle! SO yummy. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
How fun! I just finished reading this post, and lo and behold, I get an email from The Baker’s Catalogue with a similar recipe and links to all the products needed. It is my destiny to make these cookies.
Oh,my….I’ve been staring at the pics of these cookies for 2 weeks waiting, waiting, waiting for the right time to make them (well, is there really a WRONG time?). Just finished making them for a family bbq tomorrow, and of course had to taste the final product. Forgive me for repeating myself, but…Oh, my. Quite possibly the best cookie I’ve ever made. The only problem is trying not to eat them ALL before tomorrow! Wonderful recipe, Deb. Thanks!
I cannot tell you how much I wish I had those cookies right now.
I just tagged your site on StumbleUpon because it is so nice, hope you don’t mind.
they were/are 100% amazing.
Looking forward to making these for a weekend party. question: could i make them tonight (wednesday) for a party on saturday or will they go downhill fast? just wondering if anyone out there has experience with these cookies over time… ;-)
Hi Jim — You can definitely make the cookies, and even the frosting–perhaps just assemble them before your party? It will keep them the best-tasting. Keep the frosting in the fridge. You can warm it up to room temp before you use it. Keep the cookies at room temp in an air-tight container. Good luck!
Deb, what do you think of Wayne Harley Brachman’s book in general? Have you done any of the other recipes? I’ve heard mixed things about it, and some complaints that there are several recipes that have mistakes or just don’t work.
Hi Faycat–Definitely mixed. I made the graham crackers, too, and found them tasty but not authentic. I’ve since found a better recipe, which I promise to get to one of these days. I tend not to like these gimmicky cookbooks, anyhow, but when it fell into my lap, I weakened.
I love you. Seriously. I was so depressed a couple of months ago, when my beloved oreos recipe was messed with (to remove trans fats). It’s been rough, because the “new and improved” oreos suck, and that’s what I used to use as PMS medicine. Now I have your recipe to try… home made.. even better.Thank you.
…and when you are a good cook, or in the restaurant business (at a fantastic restaurant) for years, you are forever spoiled. I am so picky now… everyone around me is perfectly happy to eat crap, and I am miserable (and hungry). So I completely understand about your hideous food choices while traveling.
I love your blog and have been following it for some time now. Everything you cook looks delicious. I was recently inspired to bake these cookies and would like to link back to your post for the recipe from my own blog if you wouldn’t mind. Happy cooking.
I made these last weekend. LOVED them. Thanks so much for the recipe – I’m sure I’ll be making them a lot now. :)
Love your blog!
made these for the gazillionth time this week, still amazing, still in love, must make more
Hi! Thanks for posting the recipe. I made a batch yesterday and they were great (some “regular” sized, and some mini ones). I used the Spectrum veggie shortening for the filling, giving me a texture very close to the original Oreos. I also used a freezer bag cut at the end to pipe in the filling, and that worked just fine. I only had Hershey’s cocoa in my pantry, but next time I’ll upgrade to a better Dutch process cocoa. I think a better cocoa will give this an even better chocolate flavor. Lastly, I think I’ll try a flavored filling next time. Perhaps orange with some orange zest and a tiny splash of orange extract. Thanks again!
Okay, I finally made these and WOW!
I did the half cup less sugar and it was perfect, that nice salty edge that oreos have.
And I made the filling, was dubious and then when I tasted it – I laughed. Laughed! Because it was such a joyous surprise – it WAS the classic filling! Only, even, a bit better.
Thanks for making and sharing the magic, Ohiogirl.
P.S. Made the filling with the Smart Balance trans fat free shortening (and butter) and it was fab. Not greasy at all.
Oh and the cookie dough is Amazing. It’s so easy to work with – like fluffy play dough.
I did a little research about the Dutch process coco vs. regular Hershey’s. If you use Hershey’s (which I did because people in Oklahoma City obviously don’t need Dutch process coco since I couldn’t find any), add an additional 2 tsp of baking soda for this recipe. That amount is for a single batch. That will keep them from rising and winding up like whoopie pies.
I made these wonderful cookies after I read a review of them over at Pietown’s blog.
I enjoyed these marvelous creations! They were definitely sweet! You can read my full review here:
TableBread bakes cookies
Ciao,
Lewis
TableBread
I am so making these Oreos tomorrow for a friend who loved Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Malt Sandwich Cookies. Have you tried them? They’re irresistible. Recipe here: http://greedygoose.blogspot.com/2005/12/holiday-cookie-exchange-3-chocolate.html
deb, no matter who you have kill to acheive this, next time your in Nashville, you have to go to Hog Heaven, just adjacent to centennial park. It is a positively frightening walk up, and walk up you must. get some pulled pork, and some chicken with their white bar-b-que sauce and ask if they have any of their pickled carrots.
I am going to have to make so many of these cookies till the end of time I fear.
I just now made these– they’re still cooling as I type, but oh, delicious. Great recipe, and easy, as cookies go; I used my food processor, which I’ve never used for cookies before, and the bake quickly, frost without a lot of pain– nice. I won’t be buying Oreos anymore.
And thanks for linking to the gluten-free version; my niece has celiac and I’m always looking for things I can bake with/for her.
I just made these again (finally! it’s been months!) but went the holiday themed direction and added peppermint extract to the filling. They’re delish! http://www.flickr.com/photos/bbenjamins/2126337244/
Your blog is an inspiration.
So I found your site around the beginning of the year and I have to say that your food is so impressive!! I’ve made a number of your recipes, but my husband said I had to post after making this one for him tonight. It was awesome and it came out great with my Hershey’s cocoa and an extra 2 tsp of baking soda. I look forward to all of your posts so much, I can’t wait to keep trying them!
Well, I don’t know what I did wrong but the filling was WAY too sweet. Even my 15 yr old couldn’t finish one. I used two cups sifted of confectioner’s sugar and everything else called for in the filling recipe, but it is cloyingly sweet. And I guess I made the cookies too thin as they are quite crispy/crunchy, though they look to be the same thickness as the ones pictured above. I only used the one cup of sugar as suggested and Hershey’s cocoa with 2 extra tsp of baking soda. Sorry, but I don’t think I would make these again or I will try to find a less sweet filling.
Oh my god! These were so fantastic. I did a test run last night (for tonight’s BBQ) and will make them again Sunday for a book club and next Thursday for a visit with my parents.
My only problem (which was totally by fault) is that I didn’t smoosh them down enough – they are a little whoopie pieish, but i’ll make the cookie dough balls smaller and flatten them a little more next time.
Delicious!
Can not wait to try this gorgeous cookie and the gluten free recipe for a friend. I just returned from my 6th visit to Opryland Hotel. We had a lovely time and ate the most fantastic foods in the hotel. Sorry you did not get to go try those-Chicken Piccaatta and Chop Salad to die for~~~
Long time reader, first time commenter here :o)
I just made these as my lazy Sunday project and I have to say that they are absolutely wonderful. I used my mini ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough, flattened out each mound with my fingertips and then rounded out all the edges. Size and thickness wise, they came out exactly like yours and are perfect. I cut down on the confectioner’s sugar by about 1/2 a cup b/c it was sweet enough for my liking.
Thanks again for the great recipe!
Ditto above. Also made these yesterday… weird. I didn’t realize they would spread so much so mine came out kinda square. I will remember this next time because there definitely will be a next time. Everyone agreed this is what Oreos aspire to be.
Thanks much!
I just baked these with natural cocoa (as opposed to dutch process) and added the 2 extra teaspoons of baking soda like was suggested in some of the comments.
They came out very, VERY chemical tasting with the extra soda so when I make them again – it will be with dutch process or just as the recipe is written. They may puff up more, but they will probably have a much better flavor!
I made the wafers with Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, which purports to be a “blend of natural and Dutched cocoas,” and they came out great. The Special Dark may be more widely available than pure Dutched cocoa. I found it at my local grocery store.
I know it was a while ago but regarding Jenni’s post about vegetable shortening in Australia – of course we have it :) You need it to make White Christmas and Chocolate Peppermint Slice – and Australia would not be Australia without Chocolate Peppermint Slice ;) Its just called Shortening – it is near the butter in the fridge section with a white paper wrapper with brightly coloured circles decorating it.
wow…i’m making these! right away!
look delicious!
Deb,
Just discovered your gem last week. Love it. I made these over the weekend using a pastry knife (no food processor) and a mini scoop to keep the cookies uniform. Unreal. A huge hit. Thanks!
Mel
I made these a couple of days ago and added mint flavoring to the filling, as we like the mint regular Oreos quite a lot. I thought they were pretty good, my husband and his best friend thought they were fantastic.
adorable! but in the end, the supersweet filling with a sweet cookie (i did take out the 1/2 sugar) was too much. but they are as cute as buttons…
i loved these even if they sent me and about 20 of my closest friends into sugar shock. milk was a must! they’re so darned cute, and high on kitsch value. results here:
http://www.figandplum.com/archives/000850.html
thanks, deb!
Ok, I made these with the mint filling and the oatmeal white chocolate chip cookies for a cookout we had this weekend and the guest tore through them. I anticipate new readership this week.
Living in the UK, you can get two kinds of oreos – the terrible EU made ones or expensive imported US ones. When I saw a recipe to make oreos I just had to try it! I am so glad I did, these came out great! Thank you for posting it – I’ll be making it again and again.
Here’s a link to how mine turned out :) http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/2520108093_4a5c250192_o.jpg
It must be the archaic piece of junk I use to access the internet, because for some reason there are capital A’s with makrs on top in the ingredient’s measurements. How can I read the amounts? Love your site Deb! You’re my culinary hero for sure!
I just made these tonight and they taste spot on – delicious. Plus, I could make them as doubled stuffed as I wanted. However, my white creme center doesn’t look as nearly as tidy and professional. How did you do that? (I’m a novice when it comes to fancy kitchen tricks)
I’m not on an archaic computer, but I AM using Firefox… I have the same problem as natalie, with  instead of the numbers in amounts. Oddly, the fractions come across just fine… it’s the number in front of the fraction that’s missing. Help! I came over from an LJ food_porn post, and I’d love to try making these cookies. I want to try experimenting with lard in the filling. Back in the ’70s when I was growing up, that’s what they were made of, and nevermind the recent changes, they’ve never been the same since the anti-lard movement in the ’80s. =)
Nope, it’s not a computer error. Those terrible bits of gibberish (that we are currently unable to edit out, grr) are the result of a botched WordPress upgrade that, much to our frustration, we have not been able to undo yet. The good news, however, is that if you remove all instances of those wacky “A”s, the recipe is still entirely correct, like so:
For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg
For the filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Enjoy!
I bought the indegredients last night (after going to 3 stores to find Dutch processed cocoa) and I can’t wait for the day to be over so I can go home and make them!
Dear god these are delicious. And deceptively easy! Big YAY on both counts.
My results here:
http://www.fauren.org/fauren/2008/06/happiness-is-a-cookie-sandwich.html
(I hope it’s OK that I reprinted the recipe — let me know if not and I’ll repost…)
I am very excited about this. I will be making these tomorrow, hopefully heart shaped-ish and perhaps with pinkish filling for my boyfriend because it is our anniversary, and I’m really really lame. I live in Mexico City right now and I can’t find dutch process so I’m going to use the normal recipe with just perhaps a little more baking soda.. I hope they turn out as good as everyone says **crossing fingers** I’m always so upset when recipes don’t turn out. I’m so excited I can’t sit still. I linger on your site for hours making excuses to why I need to bake something else.
Thanks!
Well they did turn out perfect! but not heart shaped, its a sticky irritating dough and I didn’t have the heart [haha] to shape them any more than into rough circles. I did dye the filling pink with food coloring which is very cute. In case anyone else can’t find dutch process cocoa, I used regular Hershey’s cocoa with just an extra half tsp of baking soda, and they look just like the pictures!
Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t like shortening so I use this for the filling and just spread it with a knife.
Cream Cheese Filling
8 oz pkg cream cheese
1/4 C butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 C Powdered Sugar.
these. are. AWESOME.
i made these yesterday, and they were so good that i started a second batch while the first tray was baking. rouse’s (our local grocery) didn’t have dutch-processed cocoa, so i grabbed that and some earth balance from whole foods.
i made one of the batches peanut butter- whipped about half a cup of natural creamy peanut butter into the filling, and then added a little more powdered sugar to fix the consistency. was a little gooier than the regular filling, but nothing ten minutes in the fridge couldn’t fix, and the payoff was SO worth it, especially with a freezer-cold glass of brandied milk.
my boyfriend has already requested a double batch to take with him when he leaves town on saturday… smashing success i would say!
These are incredible!! I made a batch on Thursday (all gone by Friday morning) and I’m getting ready to make another batch right now. For me the 9 min cook time gave me burnt cookies. 6 minutes gives a slightly soft/slightly crunchy cookie. I’m going to try 5 minutes today and see what happens. Thanks so much!
What is the symbol Capital-A stand for in the ingredients list? Thanks!
For the chocolate wafers:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Bailey, the Capital-As in the ingredient list are an error. See comment #117 above where Deb explains. Basically, just ignore the As and the recipe is correct.
Oh! and i forgot to mention, i use Tropical Traditions “Organic Palm Shortening” instead of the Crisco – a MUCH healthier substitute, with no one the wiser!
Jessica
Deb – someone metioned a while back that if you use regular cocoa powder, the cookies get puffy. Should you leave out the baking powder and/or baking soda if you aren’t using dutch press?
I haven’t tested this recipe with regular cocoa powder. I think I hypothesized that because the recipe has both baking powder and baking soda in it–Dutched doesn’t react with baking soda–they might get over-puffed with regular cocoa, but judging from the comments, that doesn’t seem to be what causes it.
Thanks! I’ll stick to the recipe. I’m doing a girls weekend and Friday night we’re doing a real sleepover. But since we’re all adults, I want to take the classic foods (cookies, popcorn, and pizza) and reinvent them. This recipe is perfect!
I made these with Hershey’s cocoa and had no problems with puffy cookies. I used King Arthur’s White Wheat flour, adding some texture to the cookie and they taste great. Matter of fact my family inhaled them and they are gone! Going to have to make more and hide them away from those scavengers! Thanks for a great recipe.
I made these a couple of days ago and they turned out great. (And disappeared fast!) :) Thanks!
My family doesn’t eat shortening, so I made a filling out of 3 oz. of cream cheese, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and 2 1/2 cups of confectioner’s sugar. I just added the sugar slowly and beat it until I got a creamy texture I liked (and until the brown from the vanilla disappeared). I ran out of filling (and the filling had a slight extract-y taste before I put the finished cookies in the fridge), so I’ll add another 3 oz. of cream cheese and less vanilla next time.
Lol, mouse. You just did what I was going to suggest ;}.
I’ll get a recipe sometime, but I think this will work. Do the above, make the creamcheese filling like mouse suggests, and then cover them in chocolate ganache. Lunar tarts!
(Moonpies to the uninitiated ;}.)
OMG. These are fantastic. I just discovered your blog about 2 months ago when a friend forwarded me the recipe for the blueberry crumb square thingys – YUM. And now, I (a self-proclaimed non-baker) have made the peach hand pies and discovered these and made them today. WONDERFUL.
I ended up using regular cocoa instead of the Dutch processed stuff, not even thinking there would be a difference. They turned out fabulous. My husband came to sneak a bite (before I had even tasted them, while I was still piping) and casually said, “they taste like Oreos” – and then promptly came back for seconds (always a good sign)!
I’m planning on making these for a baby shower next weekend. Any suggestions (besides food coloring) to make a light pink and light blue filling?
These are fantastic, although my first batch were too thick which sort of ruined them. Therese, pureed raspberries and blueberries could work for the filling. although raspberry seeds may be annoying.
Wow, these are good! They taste exactly like the store bought kind! I almost wrote the “real” kind, but now, these are the “real” kind! My whole family thanks you so much! And if you underbake them a little, they’re nce and soft and chewy like cakesters! Yum…..
So I made these last night for a casual dinner party dessert. They were a hit, but I personally was less crazy about them than I thought I would be. I think my oven runs hot and the cookies came out crispier than expected. I did take Deb’s advice on lessening the sugar and I liked the fact that the cookie wasn’t super sweet. I looked for trans-fat free Crisco (as I also was horrified by the idea of cooking with shortening for the first time in my life) but couldn’t find it. If I try these again I think I will bake the cookies for only 7 minutes.
I just came across a recipe today for cheesecake bars that require an Oreo cookie crust. I try my best to avoid foods with hydrogenated junk in them, so I thought why not make oreos at home? Kinda crispy and not too sweet – and I hoped a quick internet search would bring up a recipe. Yours sounds wonderful and i am surely going to try them. They will make an excellent crust for the cheesecake bars I am sure, and no hydrogenation!! Thank you so much for posting!
can’t wait to make these! Can these be frozen? I’m guessing no as they
will probably soften but then again, maybe not!
Great recipe! Many thanks for posting it and the gorgeous pictures.
Mine turned out huge because my rounded teaspoons are obviously a little too “rounded”. I made a note on the printed recipe to go smaller next time.
I also flattened mine more than I probably should have. I went back and looked at the recipe text while they were baking and noticed “flatten slightly” not “flatter as completely as an OCD baker can manage”.
A co-worker asked me where I got the filling. He was disappointed when I told him I made it because he wanted to go to the store, get a jar and eat it straight from the jar. I thought that was a good compliment for both of us. :o)
i made the cookies today and have no idea what i could have done wrong, but
the filling never could have gone in a pipping bag, i really had to struggle to
spread it with a knife……Anyone else have that problem or any idea what to
do to make it more fluffy. i beat it for a good long time and didn’t make a
difference.
I’ve made these at least 10 times since someone mentioned the recipe at the Cooks Illustrated blog several months ago. Virtually every time I take them somewhere, they are a HUGE hit. I’ve not frozen the entire cookies, but I’ve frozen both the cookies and the filling separately, and they tasted the same as always. In fact, because the recipe makes more filling than cookies, sometimes I freeze the remaining filling once it’s in the pastry bag, so it’s ready to thaw and pipe right onto the cookies next time. One tip that was on the CI blog was to use black cocoa from the King Arthur website, which I do. It makes them look/taste even more like the real thing. Try them — you’ll be glad you did!
I am sooo in trouble!! These look better than the cookies I made and have photographed on my blog. Anything with dutch cocoa … YUM!!
I made these for the first time today, and am soooo happy with them. I did change them a bit by adding crushed candy canes and peppermint extract to the filling, which worked perfectly.
They were so easy to make, and everyone that has tried them, loves them. My own picture is here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=40973558&l=beb10&id=10133080
Thanks for the great recipe. I experimented and used 1 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract instead of vanilla (it’s the holidays!!). Turned out great. Obviously w/ the taste change they are not authentic Oreos, but they are darn good. I’m excited to have a yummy sandwich cookie recipe now – this will be great with ice cream!
Gah! You’re killing me here. Every time I visit your blog, I gain 5 pounds just from looking at the pictures. I’ll have to try these. I suspect they’ll be going in the Christmas goodie bags, along with the pumpkin butter, gingerbread, and homemade English muffins. Thanks for the great recipies!
My daughter made these for us and they were a hit. She subbed coconut oil for the shortening in the filling and it worked a treat. We use coconut oil that has the coconutty flavor refined out.
I just made these for the first time and I’m about to start on batch number two. They are amazing! So much better than real oreos. I’m gonna have to give them away quickly before I finish off the whole batch! I used Hershey Special Dark Cocoa because it was the closest thing I could get to dutch process cocoa. Turned out perfectly!!
thanks again for this great recipe. I’ve made it many times and just today decided to copy Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Joe Joe’s. I used peppermint extract instead of vanilla and crushed up some candy canes for the mixture. DELISH!!!
I made these yesterday with lard instead of shortening and they turned out great!
These have got to be 10x better than the store bought kind. Any kind of cookiet hat I can dunk into a cold glass of milk has my vote!
Hi – I just wanted to let you know that I found a link to this recipe at Cooking After Five, was inspired to try them, and just blogged about them. I linked back to you, please come check it out if you’re up for it.
Thanks for the recipe! — Joh
Just sampled the first of my batch…delicious!! And if you really want to make them look authentic, you can order black cocoa here: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/detail.jsp?id=1297
I just LOVE your site and was inspired this weekend to try a bunch of new recipes, including this one. I was also a little hesitant about the shortening, and I read a comment on the celiac version that said to substitute marshmallow fluff – that tasted great to me!
I made these this weekend very easy and yummy one of my hubby’s favs. Thanks love the site
this is my second time making these. they’re like my official christmas cookies this year. wow. =)
I’m doing red and green fillings on this batch, and the green have a 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract. mmmmm!!
I made these yesterday for Christmas and the kids loved them! I had to hide the rest of them because my family would have eaten the whole batch if I’d let them.
Thanks for a great recipe. These will definitely become a “staple” in our household. I can bake them while the kids are at school and have them ready for afternoon snack when they get off the bus.
Hope you had a great holiday!
~ Annie
I’m allergic to soy so real oreos are a definite no-no. I’ll have to make some of these (and hide them from the kids). Great idea for ice cream sandwiches too – another thing I miss. As for a vegetable shortening replacement, try palm oil shortening. The one I have is by spectrum, it says organic, non-hydrogenated all-vegetable shortening and it’s all Palm oil. It’s still all fat but it’s 0 trans-fats for the little bit that it helps.
Oh, so good! Thanks for the recipe — it was totally perfect for the office cookie exchange. And yes — use organic, trans-fat-free shortening. It’s awesome (in that weird shortening way). More blog and photos from ’em here
These were AWESOME! A huge hit with friends and family. These are now on my must bake more often list. Thanks for the recommendation on the sugar reduction … that definitely helped. I will try these with chocolate filling and the trans-fat organic shortening. Love your recipes Deb! Thanks again.
I have to tell you this is my favorite recipe site. I enjoy how simple & detailed your pictures are and your food looks amazing!
Thanks for taking the time to share all of these great recipes!
Cheers,
Charl
Those look amazing
Can I use just regular unsweet. hersheys cocoa powder instead of the Dutch process cocoa…?
Sameera-
I made these for Christmas this year using just plain old Hershey’s cocoa and they were fantastic.
Oh and I didn’t have enough powdered sugar for the filling so I used about half superfine. When I made them again using all powdered sugar I didn’t like it as well. I think the slight grittyness of the superfine sugar reminds me of the actual Oreo filling. And it was not as jaw achingly sweet.
Oh. Oh. And then Oh, again – these were fabulous! Everything an Oreo-lover like me dreams of: easy, impressive, satisfyingly succesful, and even better than the real thing (which I have to admit, I was doubtful was possible). If anyone could take a near-perfect things (you know, if you ignore all the preservatives and hydrogenated oils and that) and improve it, it would be Deb here at Smitten Kitchen. And as usual, I was impressed, as were all the guests. “You MADE Oreos? You can do that?” and then further impressed after having one. And, yes, they are better after days 2 and 3 when they need to be dipped in the milk… it was nearly nirvana.
Thank you for linking these on your newer posts or I might have missed them!
Oh – Samerra – I used regular (non Dutch) because I prefer it. It is just a taste thing, so you can use whichever you prefer.
Oh! And I meant to mention, I use the Spetrum shortening, which is the Palm oil – a few other posters have mentioned it. It works perfect and has the added health benefit of being truly trans fat free (no matter how many of these you eat at a time) and the moral benefit of supporting organic farming. Who can say that about Crisco?! Good stuff -look for it in your health food section.
Wow! we made these tonight and are so hooked. Thanks for posting this.
Made them as is and they were delicious. Some of the cookies never really “dried out” enough to squish the filling between the cookies (I spread the filling on those ones), but I have to say that made them kind of like the new “Oreo Cakesters” and…YUMMO. I fed them to a bunch of seniors (some of whom probably shouldn’t be eating sugar and lard…sigh) and they gobbled them up. Thanks for another great recipe.
I made them today finally, as all 4 kids have been asking for them since I showed them the recipe. Turned out perfect! I made the first batch kind of big–ended up being 2 1/2 inches across. The next batches I did I used only slightly bigger than a thumbnail of dough and squished it down on the cooky sheet. They ended up being the size of an oreo.
I used the piping bag for the creamy filling and that worked out great. I’m tellin’ ya, I will use that frosting recipe again for cookies. Yum!
Even the cookies by themselves are really good. TOTALLY WORTH MAKING! :)
Mmmm, these were delicious. Made them tonight, with regular cocoa and an extra half-teaspoon of baking soda, plus the spectrum shortening for the filling. They turned out great and were a huge hit with everyone. One person liked this filling better than the store-bought oreo version.
Plus I dazzled everyone with the trivia about how they are so delicious because the cookie is on the salty side.
Thanks again!
I’m almost sorry that I found this recipe. I have made these WAY too many times, because they are just wonderful. Thank you!
These are super yummy. I’ve made them four times, and have never gotten them to look quite like yours, but they still taste divine and my hubby is very, very happy whenever I make a batch. They’ve been a hit with friends, too.
I loved Oreos growing up, and they were one of the foods I missed when I moved to Australia. A few years back they started selling them here, but we much prefer these now!
Make the frosting with all butter. And add peppermint extract to taste. so good. so very very good.
Hello! I’ve bookmarked this page for MONTHS knowing I had to make these. My husband is a HUGE fan of oreos. These are certainly a labor of love, but so incredibly worth it. When I made the cookie I erred on less sugar for the cookie part (1 cup).
I served 1 rather large cookie on a plate with a glass of milk, and I asked him how it was. He bit into it and said “Mmmm.” He chewed, took another bite and a gulp of milk. “These aren’t exactly oreos. They’re BETTER than oreos.”
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us. :)
WOW! these look amazing! I’m going to make some tonight for my hubby and little ones. As for the Nashville bashers…I live in Music City, I love it here…I’m not a fan of country music, but there is sooo much more to see than the Grand’Ol Opry. Maybe the city just has to grow on you, I’ve moved out of state 3 times and have always made my way back home. Look me up if you are ever here again, and I’ll show you the REAL Nashville!
My God, Deb. I’ve never seen my roommate’s eyes pop open that wide. I cannot believe how AMAZING FANTASTIC DELICIOUS OUTRAGEOUS PHENOMENAL .. (ran out of words) .. these cookies are. I’m convinced you broke into Oreo HQ and stole their recipe for the filling. Amazing. I’m going to be the hit of the party tonight. You are my HERO! =)
These sound so good! I can’t wait to make them! We bake every week and these sound like they will be wonderful! But I was wondering if any one has a recipe for dutch almond butter cookies? I have been craving these and really really want them! Does any one have a recipe? If so please let me know! Thanks!
I made these for a bake sale and not only did I get more $ for them than anything else sold that day, but these were the only cookies to sell out – and in less than like 4 hours. **I WIN!** Thanks Smitten Kitchen – this recipe rocks :)
Great site! I made these with the regular ol’ Hershey’s because it’s what I had on hand and they turned out just fine!
In order to get them nice and perfect and even, yes I’m a perfectionist, I used my cookie scoop to get one perfect ball and cut that in half, reshaped a little bit to make circles and they turned out looking just like yours. I also did the same thing with the frosting, cookie scoop, cut in half, divide between two cookies.
vegetable shortening KILLS my stomach, is there a substitute instead of useing veg. shortening?
good recipe, and story haha.
You can use all butter for the filling, or look out for the Spectrum coconut shortening (I link to it in comment #11).
this is such a good recipe. I made it for the first time and i didnt think i would like it, because i hate oreos. But they were so yummy:-]
thank you for the cookies. ALL the cookies. they are so wonderful and make us both (and all our friends and relations) smile ALOT. thank you
by the way, if anyone is going to make homemade oreos, try adding a few spoons of shredded coconut to the filling mmmmmmmmMMMMmmmmmm.
thanks again for all the cookie recipies. thank you!
OUTSTANDING! In my first attempt (of many, I hope), the cookies came out very thick and cake-like. I used Hershey’s Special Dark coco, which is only part Dutch process, and only 1c of sugar. The cookies spread very little, but are still delicious. I actually like that they’re soft; I don’t like that Ores are so crispy. The engineer in me likes the idea of 1:1:1 ratio, so I need to get the cookies thinner. Next time I’ll smash them down farther, and I need to find a scoop that gives me consistent portions of dough. I’m thinking maybe a melon baller?
You can also use an actual “cookie scoop”, which makes it easier to get the cookie dough out. The one linked above is a standard size cookie scoop — good for all of your chocolate chip and oatmeal drop cookies. However, if you are looking to be particularly exacting, I can tell you on good authority that this tinier scoop makes the Oreos come out almost the exact size of the original, when spread out (as you can see, mine always do).
I love to have recipes like this on hand when my grandsons come to visit. Summer will be here before I know it.
THESE. ARE. SO. GOOD!!! Thank you for posting this yummy recipe and for the tips!! You’re awesome! I was about to buy some Oreos for a cupcake recipe and decided to make them myself. I knew to go directly to your site for the recipe. Thanks again, Deb! I will posting my less-than-stellar photos of them on my blog soon.
To scoop out the dough, I just used my teaspoon. They came out perfectly. Just don’t forget to smoosh them down like I did on one of the batches!
I love to have recipes like this on hand when my grandsons come to visit. Summer will be here before I know it.
Deb, these cookies are AWESOME! I love the “surprise me” feature on your blog, that is how i found these…what a simple recipe to make…and I always have those ingredients on hand, and they are wonderful!!!! YUMMMM!!!!
Thank you for all your yummy posts!
Considering I haven’t seen one other person mention this problem, it may just be me, but each time I’ve made these, the dough has ended up WAY too dry to form. I’ve tried different temps of butter and have always used the lower sugar amount–no luck. This last time I threw in an extra egg and voila! normal looking dough and the cookies turned out great. They might’ve been a bit puffier than normal but at least they kept their shape. (And these cookies really are SUCH a hit with everyone).
I can’t think of any reason why mine would be any more dry (I’m in Seattle so you’d think the humidity might even help) but I thought I’d pass this on in case someone else has the same odd issues as I. Thanks for the fabulous recipe, Deb!
mine look just like the pic and were delicious but were really crunchy. how do you tell when they are done, because, obviously ours were overbaked. =)
Your oven might run a little hot. Try dialing back the baking time next time. In the long run, it’s useful to get an oven thermometer (they’re cheap) so you know if your oven is really at the temperature it says it is.
oh golly. i just printed this lovely recipe out!
will give it a shot the soonest i can :]
cheerios
These oreos were amazing! After making them, I used a few to mix into homemade vanilla ice cream and it made the most delicious and fresh cookies and cream ice cream I’ve ever had. Thanks for the great recipe!
My friend Alexis and I made these today and they turned out great. I was expecting them to be crispy like the traditional Oreos in a bag, but ours were soft and chewy (after baking for the recommended 9 minutes). Alexis’ husband commented that they were more like those new Oreo Cakesters. Next time I might trying flattening the cookies a little more, or adding a few minutes to the baking time to see if I can get a crispier cookie.
I made these tonight & ohmygod they are delicious! My boyfriend [a diehard Oreo lover] was extremely skeptical, especially after I told him that the cookies wouldn’t be crunchy like the storebought Oreos [he was worried that they would have a texture akin to “stale” Oreos] but after one bite, he was moaning & eyeing the rest of the plate… He even proclaimed them BETTER than storebought ones! I will definitely be making more of these! Plus, they were super easy [not sure if that’s really a good thing… for my waistline that is…]! Thanks Deb! :)
PS: I forgot to flatten the second batch that I put in the oven [because I only have one baking sheet…] so they were very puffy but I just smooshed ’em down a bit with a spatula right after I took them out of the oven & that worked out just fine.
I’ve been thinking about these for about a week and made them tonight.
Because the amount of shortening freaked me out a little, I used the cream cheese filling recipe someone suggested.
The dough alone smelled divine. I used the 1c sugar option and the cookies were wonderful. I used Fry’s cocoa and the cookies turned out just like in the pictures without adjusting the baking soda.They spread out a bit more than i expected and I only ended up with 16 sandwiched cookies (ok, 15, because I ate two cookies by themselves). I also have more filling left over, so I guess I have to make more cookies!
For being a very good homemade version of a commercial cookie, they were really simple to make, and of course better than the commercial cookie with the fresh crispy-chewy texture and you know what all the ingredients are.
Yummy! Round 2 coming up!
I think you’re right about the non dutch-processed cocoa making the cookies puff up. I used hershey’s and someone said that they looked like oreo cakesters, so that’s probably it. They were delicious nonetheless, and just a heads up- you can skip the shortening completely, just put a little less of everything else in the filling.
I made these cookies last night. What kind of texture should the cookies have? They were good but the cookie came out really crisp and brittle. Like sugar crisp as opposed to a crisp cookie. They spread out really, really thin and did not look as thick and your cookies. I think I followed the recipe correctly any clue?
Hi there, I made these today and I’m really enjoying them! Thanks for posting the recipe! I also want to let everyone know that I made these with regular natural cocoa, not Dutch-process, with no other changes, and they turned out just fine. Here’s a photo of mine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamieanne/3641947970/ :)
Hi, I made these for guests (who have not yet arrived), but here are a few comments: I rolled little balls of about 1.5 inches, and it worked perfectly (for those of us who don’t have cookie scoopers). The cookies are perfectly round, and there was no need to smoosh the dough. They’re going to be a hit!
I made these today and thought they were awesome!
Oh my, I’m on my way home to make these!!!
I’ve made these twice now, and they are great! A few notes for anyone who is interested: I use all butter for the frosting. I’ve never tried it with butter/shortening so I can’t really comment how good or bad it is, but the all-butter is really good. I also don’t use 2 whole cups of powdered sugar in the frosting. Closer to 1.5c and it’s still plenty sweet. I made these for July 4th and put mint extract in the frosting (as well as vanilla) and they turned out great. Other flavors would probably be good too (I’m thinking almond!) Also, I made a pie crust out of these by crushing approx. 1 recipe worth of cookies in a food processor with 6tbs melted butter and pressing it into a pie plate. Baked at 375F for about 10 minutes. It puffed up a little on me, so next time I’ll try blind baking the crust with parchment paper and beans. Anyway, after the crust was cooled, I filled it with homemade chocolate pudding and topped with peppermint whipped cream. It was divine! A great way to make homemade oreo pie crusts.
Dear smitten kitchen-
after reading your lengthy anecdote, my sister and i were compelled to try out this enticing recipe. To our great dismay, we only had 1/4 a cup of cocoa.. and being that it was close to 11pm, we had to make due. so we found some hot cocoa instant mix and used that, and just eyeballed (or tasted ;) ) the batter until it seemed just right. they turned out wonderfully. they are not as flat as your cookies but the glass of ice cold lactaid milk was necessary. (yes, i am lactose intolerant) the porous, choclately, sponge-like texture, of the cookie soaked up the cold, creamy milk wonderfully. as i popped one into my mouth, my heart craved more. you are right, i will make this over and over again.. perhaps with the cocoa instead of swiss miss instant mix… yet i love adding my own twist to things- i am a sort of rebel.
I’ve been enjoying your blog for the last couple of weeks – but this…truly has made you my hero.
Where were you able to find dutch process cocoa? I have looked at all of the stores in my area and no one has it. Can you substitute regular cocoa with a recipe variation for the same effect?
OMG. These are my new favorite cookies! They turned out absolutely perfect. Someone else said even the dough smelled delicious…and it really did. When I took the first batch of cookies out, there was a little crumb left-over so I snuck a taste and was blown away. I left out the 1/2 cup of sugar and I’m so happy that I did – they were a little less sweet and the perfect amount of crisp. Just like a “real” Oreo. Amazing! I also used the Spectrum shortening but I might try butter next time for the filling. Keep up the great work! :)
I was wondering if the filling will harden just the same as an oreo? I’m trying to achieve the look of a cake by stacking 3 cookies…2 1/2″, 1 1/2″ 3/4″. I need to make sure that each cookie won’t slide off the other!! Any idea?
Also….How far in advance can I make and prepare these. If the weddinig is on a Saturday can they be done 2 days before and put into their boxes. I won’t be able to refrigerate them…will that be alright?
In comment 3, I respond that these cookies are good for at least a week. If you’re looking for a cake that looks like an oreo, you might want to consider an Icebox Cake.
I made these with my kids tonight and I used a 1 tablespoon ice cream scoop to scoop the cookies to make them the exact same size and they turned out perfect. I think I will cut back on the powdered suger in the filling to about 1 cup and then taste and add more as needed due to the sweetness was a bit much, even for my kids. This is a easy recipe for kids, my 9 and 10 year old could do it all on there on with just my supervision. We all loved them!
Great instructions! Really easy to follow. Short cleaning up time and easy to make. Thank you for sharing this!! :)
Wow. Just wow. I made these last week and while I felt they were too sweet, everyone who tried them *loved* them. Someone at work ate the baggy of filling with a spoon! (I didn’t assemble them so people could control the sweetness). I can’t wait to make them again, and they will definitely be a part of my christmas goodies baking!
Omigosh. My lovely boyfriend was over today, and we decided to make these instead of braving the rain storming around outside.
Only the best things ever.
Wanting to make slightly larger cookies, some extra dough was spooned out. We both weren’t expecting them to widen out as much as they did, and ended up with around face-sized Oreos. But really, who wouldn’t love face-sized Oreos?
This is one of my fAVORITE recipes ever. I’ve made it almost a dozen times for friends, bbqs, etc. Everyone LOVES them! I usually put a tsp of raspberry in instead of vanilla to add a little flavor..and also one time used peppermint icing.
I know in one comment you said they store for almost a week…do you know of any ways to make them last a little longer? (any recipe variations, packing tips that aren’t posted everywhere, etch) I need to ship them in a care package overseas…
Please let me know!
I had to try these, despite protest from my husband that I’m better off buying Nabisco’s Oreos (my first love). However, I’ve been trying to cut sugar from our diet where ever possible and still use natural ingredients. I made the cookies with xylitol* (a natural sweetener with a low glycemic index) and whole wheat flour. For the icing I still used confectioner’s sugar (would try “powdering” the xylitol if I had a better food processor) but used coconut oil for shortening substitue. Overwhelming response (from family, coworkers, non-healthfood and healthfood junkies alike) was that these cookies are delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
*if you are going to try it I recommend melting the butter to get more of a dough vs the dough granules that I had to form into dough balls with moist hands on my first try.
OH MY GOODNESS…I just made these tonight and they are amazing!!! I subsituted margarine for the butter AND shortening and it worked just fine (we are poor college students who are too lazy to go to the store when we need shortening and don’t have any…) I halved the recipe for the cookies and now I need to make more because we have eaten them all already! THANK YOU!
This is fantastic! I discovered this recipe a couple of weeks ago and have been meaning to try it out. As an advocate of anything made from scratch (I like knowing what’s in my food…), I am super stoked to turn out a batch of these babies!
*runs to the kitchen to fire up the oven*
Hi – Just made these…the cookie was delicious. However, The filling was a bit too sweet…shall i reduce the powdered sugar by 1/2 a cup next time?
Hello- love your site- made these last week and they were great- do you have any ideas/suggestions as to how to make the filling without vegetable shortening? I would like to do without the hydrogenated fats- they’d probably end up like Newman-O’s? Hope everything is going well with your baby :-)
If you skim through the comments, you’ll see that many people have made them with just butter and/or with coconut oil shortening, successfully. I have yet to try it with either.
Hello,
Intrigued at the prospect of making one of my favorite cookies at home, I had to try and bake these. Since it is fall, I am inclined to add pumpkin pie spice or nutmeg and cinnamon to many of my favorite food and drinks. I add pumpkin pie spice to the cream filling for some extra flavoring and it is delicious!
Thank you for all the great recipes and blogs, I really enjoy following it!
Mikaelyn
THIS RECIPE WORKED OUT GREAT!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE
Okay, so I used 1/2 cup margarine instead of shortening and it worked out fine! The filling is delicious and everyone in my house loves them!
These are great! Much better than the non-homemade version and feel much better about giving them to the kids. I didn’t have shortening and used all butter instead. Will these need to be refrigerated or will they be fine left out for a few days?
These cookies are amazing. I have made them a few times, and I am trying out a variation for Halloween tonight. I’m going to dye the icing orange and also maybe line it with reese’s pieces to make the colors more Halloween-y. Maybe for Christmas I’ll do red and green with peppermint extract in the icing….
just tried these straight from a western pennsylvania cookie table (if you have never experienced one, you MUST) and came home to search for the recipe – lo and behold it’s from the Smitten Kitchen! What more could I want? Plus, it addresses the fact that the husband (a previously devote Oreo fan) and I have never been able to stomache purchasing a box once Nabisco closed their Pittsburgh factory … Thank you! The boy will be very very happy to be reunited with his favorite treat after a harsh 10 year hiatus…!
What an honor! I’d only read about these cookie tables recently, and I’m fascinated. I would so love to take part in one.
Ok, I made these last week and oh my god, they are amazing. So good. Thank you for posting this and all of your other wonderful recipes!!
D-E-L-I-S-H spells just what these cookies are! My four brothers and their friends devoured these bad boys! I love the thin cookie, and I did skip out on the 1/2 cup of sugar and they tasted just fine and dandy!
Has anyone tried to make a Jumbo version of this cookie? No, i’m not over-indulging in my fantasies! I want to make them as party favors and I thought that they might be nice as one large cookie wrapped in parchment paper with twine instead of a couple small ones. I’m making them tomorrow! I’ll let you know what happens. There are 38 guests, so I was thinking of just doubling the recipe.
I looked everywhere, even speciality stores for “dutch process coco” and no one carries it. I thought about ordering it online through King Arthur’s website but the shipping was too much. We don’t have whole foods here in Pensacola FL. So I brought Hershey’s Special Dar…hopefully this will turn out the just as good. Can’t wait to make this!
I used Hershey’s Special Dark….They were to die for…..They are going to be on every cookie table I’m involved in from now on!
These were great! i doubled the recipe and got about 38 sandwiches (about 2.5-3″). They weren’t as big as I was hoping, but who cares! They’re so accurate tasting compared to the original, but soft. This is what they are supposed to taste like! Mmmm! Thanks
I made these last week for my family’s early christmas party. Everyone loved them. I didn’t like the inconsistent look of the cookies when I smooshed them down with my fingers, so I covered the bottom of a wine glass with plastic wrap, pressed down on the cookie ball and twisted off (this helped prevent sticking). For my second batch I added 1 tsp peppermint extract to the cookies and then another to the filling (I love the combination of chocolate and mint). These cookies were really fun to make and I will probably be making them for Christmas (the real christmas!) in a couple of weeks. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
finally got to make these today and they are heavenly even WITHOUT any filling! The perfect sweet-salt-chocolate blend for me. My first batch I did by rolling balls & smooshing them – they are a little bit puffier than I wanted for the sandwich cookie, but the perfect base and texture for a chocolate crinkle – just dust the tops with confectioners sugar!
For the second round, I rolled the dough with a rolling pin (using cocoa in lieu of flour to keep them from sticking) and cut them with a round cookie cutter – the shape and texture came out perfect. Will fill these with the standard cream filling.
For the THIRD round (prepping for a big party next weekend), I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter. These I will fill with peppermint filling and a hint of pink coloring (to distinguish the from the straight-up round oreo).
One cookie dough = three different cookies, all of which I will make again!
These cookies were wonderful! As per the earlier discussions re: dutch process vs regular cocoa, I found this site. Worked for me!
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/CocoaTypes.htm
I made these today but replaced the vanilla with a few splashes of Creme de Menthe which tinted the frosting green along with giving it a mint flavor. Oh they are so good even better after a few hours rest time as the mint flavor has started to permeate the cookies. Thanks. I do believe i will be forced to make these every Christmas from now on. I am going to try adding crushed candycanes next time, either by pressing them in to the cookies before baking or mixing with the filling (or both?).
Amazing, I am a big fan of oreos and baking so I made these and they are so great! I made an alternate filling with some peppermint extract and green food coloring (to distinguish them) and it was also great. I was scared the cookie would be soft but it was just right. I recommend these to everyone!
Also I used special dark cocoa because I couldn’t find dutch process…turned out great =]
Yummy. I just made these and they are delish.
However…..next time I make these I may try to roll and chill the dough and cut rounds to bake. Have you tried this?
Awesome. Took out that extra 1/2 cup of sugar and doubled the salt and they’re fantastic.
Hi from Spain. I’ve just found your web and I must sas I am AMAZED.
I’d like to ask you a question about one of the ingredientes for the cream. Do you think I can substitute shortening into some other ingrediente like margarine? Any other similar? In Spain, we can’t find such ingredient.
Congratulations for your wonderful blog.
Kisses
Yolanda
Hi Yolanda — Thank you. You can substitute margarine or just use only butter. The shortening is more stable/firm at room temperature, which is why the recipe calls for it, but it is not a necessity.
Just made these tonight for a party tomorrow night! They are delicious. Also made your Mexican wedding cakes last week, also delicious. Think your recipes are to be heavily featured at our New Year’s party – I am looking forward to it! Thanks…
Thanks for this recipe, Deb! I used the cookie part to make a black forest sandwich cookie for a brunch last week, and they were a huge hit. So, so yummy. I definitely want to try them again sometime with your cream filling.
I know you said that these keep quite well, so I was curious: When filled with the cream, do they also get somewhat soft after a few days? That is what happened with my cookies, but it may have been the filling soaking into the cookies a bit. I wasn’t sure if that would happen with the cream as well.
Hi Cari — I think I’d seen your cookie! Looked great. It does get softer with the cream. It’s nicest to fill them at the last minute, but it’s not absolutely necessary.
I used Fry’s cocoa – which is not labelled as dutch process – and my cookies were perfectly flat. My husband just kept repeating “Oh, baby, these are so good. These are SO good, honey. THESE are SO good.” When he starts chanting I know things are awesome.
I saw this recipe over a year ago, but finally got around to making them. Deb, these are the absolute best! I served them at Christmastime this year and they were such a hit! Thank you so much for continuing to make such great recipes for us to try. I think next time I will try ice cream between them.
Hello, Deb! I’m really excited to make these; I love Oreos, especially with peanut butter. In the pictures, it seems that the cookies came out larger than actual Oreos. Is this correct? If I were to try to make them closer to Oreo size, would I have to adjust the baking time? If so, how much do you think? I’m a stickler for exact times because I’m so afraid of my stuff burning.
In comment #184 I link to a tiny cookie scoop that makes the cookies come out the same size as Oreos. I began using it after photographing this though, but trust me, it’s right.
These are AMAZING cookies. My Mom made them for me when I was a child and I’ve now taken over the honor. There is a “cheat” shortcut version using devil’s food cake mix and canned frosting. Great for those last minute reminders that you are responsible for snacks at tomorrow’s class party!
Super yummy, but Holy Sweetness!!! I love sweets, and even used less sugar in the cookie and frosting. I am sure my oreo loving kids will LOVE these!! Thanks for another great recipe.
Hi! I love your website and I’ve been following it for the last 6 months. All your recipes look super delicious and they’re super easy to follow. I’ve made your red velvet cake and everyone loved it! I made these Oreos today and they are fabulous! I read everyone’s feedback when making these so I used regular cocoa powder but added 1 teaspoon of baking soda to neutralize the extra acid in the cocoa powder. I also smushed them flat so that they wouldn’t puff up. Because mine were just a little bit bigger than regular oreo cookies, I only baked for 5 minutes and they were still a little chewy in the center, which is the way that I like it. I posted your recipe and linked to your website. I hope you don’t mind but if you do, let me know and I”ll remove the recipe and just link back. Thanks again for the awesome recipes!
I made a double batch for patients at the local VA hospital. They were a huge hit. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
Thanks for all of the great recipes. I absolutely love to recreate your recipes that you share. I made these cookies 2x in the past day and a half. I can’t wait to try adding different flavors like peppermint, bailey’s and kahlua.
Hello Deb,
I really love your blog – although it has caused kind of an food-blog-addiction ;-). Plus your recipe for the best burger buns caused an inability to be satisfied with burgers somewhere else but at home.
Oreos: I live in Germany and used “Palmin” instead of the suggested shortening – it worked out well. Rolling out the dough was finde aswell.
I only used one cup of sugar for the filling and 150gr (which is a little more than half a cup) for the cookie dough and still find the cookies sweet enough.
Greetings from Hamburg,
Ernie
Dear Deb. Dear, dear Deb. Thank you. I am sorry for doubting this recipe- even as I tasted these cookies fresh from the oven, I was convinced they would not be worth the bother. Too… realistically oreo-like, I suppose*? But, OH, when they had been sandwiched with cream cheese frosting and allowed to soften slightly overnight! There are no words in this earthly language to express the rapture with which they were devoured by my band-mates, and myself.
Thank you forever – or until I find myself so obsessed with this recipe that my life disintegrates completely, becoming oreo-centric, and I will curse you for all time. Which should be sometime in the middle of next week. Whatever. Thanks and love for now!
*No, I don’t like the bought cookies, and have no idea WHY I wanted to recreate them at home
Is there any adaptation to prepare this to be used in a cookie press so they hold a decorative shape during baking? I plan to make just the cookie. I secretly make cookies and leave them in the lobby for my Florida condo building occupants. Nobody knows who ‘The Cookie Man’ is.
Hi Alan — Pretty sure these wouldn’t work in a press. They’re a puff and spread kind of cookie, not one that holds it’s shape like a roll-out recipe that might call for cookie cutters.
i keep getting requests to make these again. everyone i have sent them to absolutely loves them! i have colored the icing in the middle for holidays too :)
I love your blog, and I know this recipe is an old one, but I just came across it, looking for a homemade Oreo recipe. After looking through some of your recipes, tho, what I did was used the filling from this cookie and put it on the chocolate wafer cookie recipe you posted. They were an absolute hit, and all I shared with say they are a thousand times better than Nabisco. I agree! :)
Oh Deb….I hate you for posting this, and I hate Allison over at the Journal Sentinel for linking up to this post and reminding me of this glorious recipe.
It’s a beautiful recipe, and the GF version that someone else linked to is just as good as the non-GF. I just used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder – the cookies were black, flat, and delightfully Oreo-ish. These are just not the type of cookie you make for the cookie jar unless you want to gain, oh….an extra 10 pounds in one night. I make my cookies the size of marbles (the slightly larger marble size), and they came out perfect. The original size in the recipe, the teaspoon size, yielded whoopie pie size cookies. ;) But I’m not complaining….
Thank you!
I’m confident these will make the perfect V-day dessert. I’m going to dye the cream red.
please put up the recipe for this perfect turkey sandwich!
Coincidence that I only had 1/2 cup of cocoa in the whole house? Coincidence that my oven decided to work properly today? I think not!
I was surprised, after reading all the cocoa discussions, at the results I produced. Here in Uganda, Africa, we only have one local brand of cocoa available and that’s all there is. Deciding to risk it, I was shocked that my oreos turned out EXACTLY like yours, Deb!! I used just under 1/2 cup of cocoa since that’s all I had. They are PERFECT!! So easy to make and the cream is delicious..Right now I’m licking it off my fingers in great globs. Mmmm. Didn’t have any vanilla extract but caramel essence worked even better. Thanks so much for this recipe!!!
I made them in heart shapes for Valentines Day. I had to add an extra bit of flour so I could roll them out and I used lard instead of shortening and added some melted chocolate chips to the filling to make them more chocolate. They were great but quite crisp. I made them again today and added an extra 2 Tbsp butter to the dough and didn’t bake them as long so they were chewier. My husband really likes them.
I made these using just 1 cup sugar for the chocolate wafers and added 1/2 tsp. instant espresso powder (Ina Garten says coffee makes chocolate taste more chocolatey) to the dough. Then for the filling I used 1/2 c. powdered sugar and 1/2 c. superfine sugar (because I ran out of the powdered kind). The results were divine!
Deb, I’ve been reading your blog for a while (and have made many, many delicious dishes). However, I’ve never written a comment until now. I hate, hate, HATE, Nabisco Oreos and would bash them any chance I get. For some reason, this recipe jumped out at me and I thought “hey, maybe this time I’ll like them.” Wow. Like I said–never liked Oreos. But homemade Oreos??? Now THAT’S a different story. These are absolutely amazing and I’m so glad I put aside my prejudice for one [Friday] night. Thanks for testing so many recipes out and providing great insight and input into all of them. Lame as it sounds, it’s so very much appreciated.
Deb – add me to your list of ‘de-lurkers’ who’ve been reading and loving this forever, and now that i’m in the kitchen more lately I have a whole new appreciation for all you’ve accomplished here – so above all, ‘thanks!’
I’m also wondering if you’re as impressed as I am that nearly 3 years out and you’re still getting questions and comments on this and many other recipes – certainly one of the best ‘living legacies’ that I can think of!
But back to the task at hand – I’ve read through the majority of the comments looking for someone who’s made these with a lower fat content to the filling and didn’t notice any. I’ve been baking cookies for some local charities and while I’m not restricted to ‘lighter’ options, I do attempt to keep even the ‘regular’ cookies on the healthier side (not hard to do if you’re comparing them to something like an Otis Spunkmeyer cookie, yikes!), and am wondering about the ratio of fat to sugar in the filling. I make an icing for a chocolate wafer cookie that is 1/4 C fat to 2 1/2 C sugar and is very rich and delicious (that recipe also includes 3-4 tblspns of milk) and I’m wondering if reducing the fat in the filling here will significantly alter the texture and flavor of the cookie … ’cause a lighter cookie is a nice idea, but not if it’s gonna mess with the flavor! ;)
Thanks again for an awesome blog!
WoW My kids say they’re the best cookies ever!!!!!!
Is there something I could use instead of vegetable shortening? Butter perhaps? I’m allergic to soy.
Oh my god! I made the filling with butter and no shortening and it is perfection. It is official you are a genius/miracle worker these are absolutely fabulous.
holy WOW! i made the chocolate wafers today and halved the recipe. instead of the egg i just put in egg whites and a little bit of instant coffee
TRULY AMAZING
crispy and chewy on the edges and yummy moist in the centre
10/10 all the way =) x
I just found your blog today and instantly decided to bake these cookies…what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon! The first pan I made way too big, the second I burned (whoops!) and the rest turned out nice and crispy. I tested the burnt ones on my boys and they LOVED them. So, honestly, I don’t think this recipe can be screwed up!
Thanks! They were delish!
i’m sitting here eating the dough at midnight…nomnomnom its delish
these are wonderful deb! they blow the real ones out the water.
Hehe these are EVIL cookies!!! lol that was in a good way Deb =) They are wonderful for bribing people. I’m serious!! I’ve made dozens of new friends (and got into lots of teachers’ good books!!) just walking around my new school with a tin of these; one guy I hardly knew bit into a cookie, spontaneously grabbed me in a massive bear-hug and declared me his new best friend!! What can I say??!! Smitten Kitchen and Deb all the way!!!
I make these really tiny (scaled more like real oreos) so I make way more but they are sooo cute and small and they go FAST wherever I am & whoever I’m with so it doesn’t matter…
The fact is: so many people are getting down on their knees and begging me to make these again and I can’t really refuse!! I’m just SO glad they’re SO easy & SO delicious as I make them again…and again…and again!! You were right, Deb!! *happy smile*
So here’s a big hint: If you want to make friends with anyone, bribe anyone or beg a favour of someone MAKE THESE!!! I promise you they’ll say YES to whatever you ask and I’m NOT kidding!!! :DD
absolutely love this recipe and this site! the cookies are super easy and fun to make, my friends and i love baking and we almost always come here for new ideas :]
Hi there,
I’ve been meaning to come by and say thank you for this awesome recipe. I made these last month, they were a breeze and tasted SO good. Like many others who commented, they definitely tasted like oreos but better. And I used just butter and sugar for the filling too (thanks to the comments) and it worked out perfectly. SO thanks again from a grateful reader :)
I just made the gluten-free version of these and they were absolutely perfect – for the filling, instead of lard, I used mascarpone (since we had some left in the fridge) to make it a posh cream cheese frosting =D. SO GOOD. None of us are huge oreo fans but these really are fantastic. Thank you!
Just finished piping the filling into these cookies and ZOMG delicious! Stumbled upon your recipe when trying to find a confection to bring to a friend’s birthday suaree who has a particular fondness for the oreo. Was so impressed with myself. Thanks for sharing this fabulous recipe! Will pass this site on when the guests beg me for the recipe!
Hey Deb-I just wanted to say that I’m a 17 year old girl running a small baking…endeavor, let’s say, out of a market that I work at, and man oh man, the people LOVE these! I jack ’em up with a little vanilla bean, and I’m trying a mint version soon. But anyways, thanks so much! Your blog is really inspiring. :)
These look WONDERFUL! Can’t wait to try them.
A great shortening replacement is expeller pressed coconut oil. No taste but quite solid at room temperature, not to mention very good for you. :)
I have tried three recipes from you and they have been absolute hits so far. I can’t wait to try more!
I don’t have shortening on hand. I was thinking organic unrefined coconut oil might work? Do you think that is not ‘firm’ enough? I think the flavor would be nice, but not sure of the texture.
Jamie — Just use butter in place of the shortening. You want something that is solid at room temperature so oil won’t work.
Coconut oil is not like “regular” oil. It is solid at room temperature. I used it and it worked just fine both for part of the butter in the cookies and the margarine in the filling. Very good!
Well these are just genius. I made them last night and LOVE them. I definitely think that people will be asking me to make them again and again!
Wow these were fabulous and really easy. I baked a batch of these two days ago and they were gone the next morning. They were really really good! I live in a rural country area and couldn’t find dutch process cocoa without taking a “trip to town” so I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa, which is a mixture of dutch-process and regular cocoa. The cookies were deep and dark and rich, VERY good (I decreased the sugar as recommended in the recipe)! I thought about doubling the filling because I wanted lots of it, but it wasn’t necessary and I’m glad I didn’t. The recipe provides plenty of it.
I will make these again very soon. Thanks for such a good recipe.
I am planning to make ice cream sandwiches for a memorial day gathering, and I’m wondering if I should use these wafers or the ones you posted in March 2009 in connection with icebox cupcakes. I can see that there are some differences in terms of sweetness and intensity of the chocolate, but I’m wondering what you think would be better? Is there a notable texture difference between these variations? Seems like it could go either way.
Keren — Good question! These here are sliiightly softer; they’ve got a little more chew, so for eating purposes, I’d go with them. The wafers are more firm which means they’ll stand up better to the ice cream; for packaging purposes, I’d go with them. Either would would well.
And if you want to go an entirely different route, something thicker but easily one of my favorite cookies, you might try the Brownie Roll-Outs. Amazing flavor, and will look very pretty (especially if you squash them down and clean up the edges).
If I used all butter in the filling, will the shelf life change, or would they still last long enough for me to ship?
Hi Deb – I was looking through my bookmarked Recipes folder this evening and found these and had one of your, “Why haven’t I made these yet?!” moments.
They are SO fun. We’ll give these away at work or daycare so we don’t eat them all, but I’m looking forward to some occasion to make them again like a shower. I stuck with the rounded-teaspoon size and they’re just adorable. No problems. They don’t quite have the burnt taste that I love so much in real Oreos, but I suppose that’s due to the lack of “black” cocoa which you mentioned earlier.
Anyway, I’m a huge Oreo lover and appreciate them for their darlingness (not a word). My husband doesn’t love Oreos and he proclaimed these better than Oreos and “delicious.”
I must say that airports are not the mecca of food. I understand this. However, being a Tennessean and having spent plenty of time in Nashville, I must defend the city. You can find all sorts of lovely and tasty fresh seasonal food. Some of the best meals I’ve ever had. If you make it back there head just east of downtown and you will be pleasently supprised. Love the oreos!
I just made these… effing delicious. Go crazy with the salt in these cookies… you’ll thanks me.
These must be good with comments coming in three years after posting the recipe!
I’m curious about whether the cookie part could be baked in a pan like a bar cookie and cut into squares. I know part of the appeal is the circular shape (otherwise you can’t really call them oreos), but in a time crunch would it still work out, or would it be too difficult to ensure a consistent done-ness?
Just musing…
Made these last night and brought them to my eighth graders today – they lasted less than 3 minutes. Literally.
Delicious, not too sweet (I only used a cup of sugar) and amazing texture.
Note: I had to make the dough balls tiny (like, about the size of a marble, only slightly bigger) to get the size right.
I made these this afternoon for a picnic this weekend and they came out amazing even though I zoned out and put in two whole sticks of butter (they were both out softening, I forgot I was meant to cut one…). I think they might be a bit crisper than if I’d followed the recipe properly, and they definitely spread out in the oven, but they still taste amazing.
I’ve made these a few times and they are delicious. I think they taste better the next day, somehow.
The batch I made a few days ago was with some small modifications (suggested by a friend) that makes the cookies a bit softer. I used half brown sugar, half regular sugar (1c sugar total), and used half shortening, half butter in the cookie dough. The cookies came out a bit softer and chewier, which is kind of delightful.
I made these cookies yesterday, without the filling as I was making ice cream sandwiches. OMG! Even my husbad who does not have a sweet tooth could not keep his hands off of them. Most of them had gone before they had a chance for the icecream to hit them. They were slightly crisp but chewy in the middle. Absolutely divine. Will definitely be making these again, and soon!
Looked these up because I had a hankering for oreos, and I’m excited to try them. But I’m definitely going to try butter in the filling as opposed to shortening – not because Crisco weirds me out, but because the trans-fat free type is made with palm oil.
I didn’t learn this until recently, but the production of palm oil has a huge and terrible environmental impact. It can be grown sustainably, but typically (especially in Indonesia and Malaysia) it is not. Major tracts of rain forest have been razed for palm plantations, destroying fragile ecosystems and killing endangered species like the orangutan. As the demand for palm oil rises, so does the destruction. Is a delicious cookie worth all that? Perhaps not. Thus, I’m sticking with butter.
(Sorry for the soap-boxing, but the more you know…)
seriously?!
i don’t even like oreos, but these are the best cookies i’ve ever eaten!!
We’re a health-food oriented family, but the kids love the Newman’s Own. SOOOO, I want to make my own… that are even healthier, and of course less expensive. Yours look like the perfect recipe starting point–thank you! The changes I’m immediately going to make are to make these with 100% whole-wheat flour, and to cut down on the sugar. I’ll also use just margarine (we’re a dairy-free household), and maybe coconut oil (thick like shortening) for the filling. I’ll let you know how the lower-sugar, dairy-free and whole-grain variety turns out! I’m a baker, too, and this is how I alter all of my recipes. :)
Hi Deb! I have made a countless number of your recipes but this.one.takes.the.cake. Or should I say the oreo. I followed your directions to a T and they came out perfect. Better than any store-bought oreos… which I will never, EVER eat or buy again.
YUM! So amazing. The frosting is a little too sweet for me, but the kids I work with will love them. I also took the cookies out a little too early (mistake) and they were a bit too soft. But delicious. I’m making more this afternoon for my boyfriend’s family!
Also- the frosting was a little too hard to pipe so I just added a tad of milk… perfect consistency!
These look delicious. A question about shelf life: Say I were to make these and mail them cross country. If they made it to their destination in 3 days, would they still be safe to eat? It’s always so hard to get a clear answer on stuff like this. Thanks!
These are so great, Deb. (Can I call you Deb? I don’t know you but I love you.) I made them twice, most recently all festive 4th-of-July style with some flavored, red, white and blue filling, the journey to which is posted on my blog. I think I’m going to be the most popular girl at the party tomorrow. Thank you so much!
P.S. I, like others who commented, upped the salt (about 3/4 teaspoon) and used the meager 1 cup sugar – super good.
I made the filling with all butter and no shortening, and I thought it tasted better than the shortening version! For me, the shortening flavor was overpowering and didn’t taste anything like oreo filling. Using all butter helped with the flavor, but next time I’ll try mixing with heavy cream instead.
Dafna, I’ve sent these from TX to CA, NY, MS, and some other places I can’t think of right now, and everyone who ate them was just fine. :)
They were delicious! although I think mine were a bit too crispy. Does anyone know what the temperature should be turned down to for a convection oven?
I made these today and kept them puffy so they would be like Oreo Cakesters. Delicious! I made mine gluten free, but only changed the flour. I used Andrea’s Gluten Free Flour Blend (awesome stuff!) I love the filling! I think I will start using this filling for my Oatmeal Creme Pies. :)
The first batch i made of these spread out to thin, and were to big because i used my cookie dough scooper. Next time i made real tiny balls and only pressed them slightly. These turned out much more like original oreos yum yum these really impress
I am a very BIG fan of yours from Bangkok, Thailand . Love all of the recipes in your Smitten Kitchen. We love you here in Thailand…… One question I’d like to ask…. Is this Oreo Cookies… Are they soft cookies or rather crunchy and …. Are they exactly the same as the one they have at Dean & DeLuca ??? Those are great !!!! Thanks Deb !!!!!!!
Lard is a vegetable shortening substitution. Maybe not much healthier but more natural. Palm Oil is also a vegetable shortening substitution. In fact Lard and Palm Oil were used before vegetable shortening existed.
I make these with your icebox cookies and now that’s all people want from me. They have that oreo crunch and I could eat the dough all day. Thanks!
I made these and they turned out SO great. Thanks so much for sharing :)
Might be altitude/and or humidity differences that causes some people’s cookies to rise and some to “deflate”. It could also be because of overwhipping the batter/dough.
These are so GOOD! I made them for a bake sale a week in advance and they stored in the freezer perfectly.
Because they were so good I made another batch and made my own cookies and cream ice cream!
Ok, I’ve made these three times now :3 First time with all butter icing, second time egg free cookie, and a third time with an ice cream filling. These are AMAZING. Oh wait I made them a fourth time too with a white chocolate and mint filling, I brought them to a party and people said that they were the best cookies they had ever eaten :P
Does anyone have any idea on how to make the “golden” version of these oreos for those who prefer vanilla over chocolate? I’m thinking also of making fruit flavored cookeis with the fillings. I would love lemon cream or strawberry cream.
Hi, I stumbled upon your blog. I started eating primarily organic foods a few years ago, and now I make all of the sweet treats I used to eat as a child from scratch. Thank you for putting up this recipe : ) It looks simple and good.
I use the Spectrum brand of vegetable shortening, but another alternative to Crisco could be Coconut Oil, like sara f said. It is solid at room temperature, and doesn’t really impart a coconut-y flavor to the foods you put it in. It IS primarily saturated fat (you can see a link to the nutritional facts here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/508/2), but so is shortening and a good portion of butter.
One thing I learned from a biochemistry class that I took was that even though the label says, “No Trans Fat,” or “Trans Fat Free,” there may be trans fats lurking around in the tub. It’s most worrisome for the people who eat these types of products everyday–not so much for the casual consumer.
Here’s another link if anyone would like more info: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102351941
Is there a chocolate filling you have or recommend, instead of the cream filling? :)
My sister and I made these tonight, and they were soo good! We found that the 9 min cooking time was too long (our first batch was a bit overdone), and instead of shortening in the filling, we used all butter, and it worked out great. Very yummy, I think we’ll be making these again soon!
I just made these tonight…amazing and so much like the original, but better! I definitely agree with cutting the sugar in the cookies down to 1 cup…they are still plenty sweet. Next time I might add even a pinch more salt to the cookies, and cut back on the sugar in the frosting, just a bit. I also made a few of my cookies too big so they only made about 21 total sandwiches – next time I’ll be more careful on sizing. Thanks for the awesome recipe, Deb!
These are dangerous. If you want to have any semblance of respect for yourself, do not keep more than two or three of these in your home. I. Can’t. Stop. Myself.
I definitely agree with cutting back the sugar in the cookies, and in the icing (used 1 2/3 cup and it was perfect). And since I’m a bigger fan of mint oreos than the original, I substituted half of a teaspoon of vanilla for peppermint, as well as chopping up some chocolate and mixing that into the icing as well.
Oh, and yes, a glass of cold milk is essential. Makes this a religious cookie experience. Mmmm….ok maybe just one more…..
Just got done making these (see link) and they are amazing! I cut down on the sugar and they came out fine – not too sweet, just perfect. Thanks for always having a recipe for whenever I think “I should make some ___.” :-)
I made these, but filled them with whipped chocolate ganache instead of the icing. Much too tasty for my own good.
Hi, I’m also very sorry you didn’t enjoy your trip to Nashville though I must say going to Gaylord is not really going to Nashville :). That’d be like going to stay in northern Jersey and to experience NYC. I hope you can come back some time and actually stay in the real city and enjoy the things Nashville has to offer…but the Opryland/ Gaylord area really is just a suburban area. Meanwhile, these cookies look wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
These look decadent and look pretty easy to make. I’ll definitely be giving this recipe a shot. Thanks for sharing. :D
xx Love & Aloha
Oh my. Must. Make. ASAP.
i made this with a swiss butter cream filling, (bc i’m not a fan of crisco) and OH MY GOODNESS it was awesome.
I’m not a fan of vegetable shortening – have you tried making the filling without it?
So I have made these cookies about a dozen time in the last couple of weeks – I made over 100 for my youth group kids – they are hit with everyone! I think this is seriously the best recipe EVER! I only found your blog a couple months ago – but it one my favorites. Thanks for sharing!
I directly substituted butter for the shortening and it turned out just fine! Both taste and appearance were great. Here’s proof: http://kpluse.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/a-yummy-day/. Unfortunately I can’t quite capture the taste part, because a picture of me eating these cookies just does not belong on the internet.
These are beyond amazing! I don’t even like sweets that much, but I’ve become so addicted to these that I make double batches of the dough and freeze little balls of it for easy baking. I’m becoming famous for them among my kids’ friends. This is the best cookie I have ever had!
Can anyone tell me…are the cookie wafers chewy? Like an oatmeal cookie kind of texture? Or are they more hard like the original version of the cookie?
Veronica — Chewier.
Made these last night and brought them into work today – gone almost instantly! Two batches! And more were requested for a coworker’s birthday party tonight. The flavor is stunningly spot-on, and all the better without the scary laundry list of ingredients.
These look amazing! We have egg and dairy allergies so I am wondering how these would turn out using ener-g egg replacer and earth balance instead of butter. Any thoughts or suggestions would be so appreciated!!!!
Ohhhh my goodness – these are soooooo good.
Being a little lazy I admit – I used regular old Hershey’s Cocoa Powder (which I was a little nervous about) and they came out perfect.
I made a few changes, in the cookie i used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of all white sugar. And i cooked them for a bit longer (I was worried they would be too cakey)
After they cooled they tasted like the best oreo I have ever had.
When making them – I did a couple test cookies first – to see what size and thickness would be best – don’t worry they didn’t go to waste :) – I found that a round of cookie dough a little bigger than a marble squished down to somewhere inbetween1/8 inch and 1/4 inch was perfect.
I want to make these. My mouth is watering…..but all I have is self-rising flour. Will that work? Leave out the salt and baking powder of course. My mother loves Oreo cookies and I am going for a visit tomorrow (she lives six hundred miles away) and I would really like to make these and take to her.
These are now a staple in our life, thank you !!!!
No more worrying about Christmas gifts, cause there would be a riot amongst our friends and family if I gave anything other than tins of these.
I make these for school bake sales, hostess gifts, kids parties.
I am about to make a batch for my 12 year olds birthday, rolling the edges in crushed candy canes. Excellent.
Love this site.
You’ve done it again! These are fantastic! I am making them for a cookie exchange and had to do a test run, just in case they didn’t turn out, and now I have to make a second batch because we devoured them. The cookie stays very crispy and really is very tasty, much better than the store bought, in my opinion. Thanks for sharing!!
Deb, I have made these before and LOVED them. Now, I wanted to make them for the holidays, with a peppermint twist. I was thinking about adding peppermint extract to the filling. Do you think that is the best way to make them minty? Or should I add the extract to the cookie? OR, should I add crushed candy canes? Would love your imput! thanks!!
My new staple cookie-gifting aswell. Especially this time of the year when you add peppermint extract and a few drops of green food colouring.
After testing several methods, my preferred method of forming the cookies is to roll the dough into a log or two in cellophane (like your slice & bake cookies, Deb), throw in freezer to set, then slice fairly thinly into discs. Gives me the best thickness and shape, with minimal hassle.
I just made these for a cookie contest I’m entering on Sunday . I did two test runs and found the first time I tried them I put them in the food processor and the dough was very dry so I added an egg (I thought maybe my eggs were a bit small). This resulted in a much cakier cookie that would have been perfect for an ice cream sandwich. The next batches I did in the kitchen aid and they turned out perfect although in the end I made mine much smaller (going for the ‘cute’ factor) by rolling the dough inbetween parchment and using a small shot glass as the press. Cooking time cut down to 6 minutes. Many thanks!
Yum! I found this at work and couldnt resist getting home as fast as I could to try them out. They worked beautifully! I omitted a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda however and by necessity the shortening in the filling. We probably have some kind of similar product in New Zealand, but I figured I’d never want to buy it and just went with a full butter frosting anyway. Looking forward to morning tea :)
Thank you so much for saving my Christmas!! I was all set to make dozens of chocolate shortbread cookies but the recipe ended up being terribly BLAH. In a panic, I turned to your site (my first source for guaranteed amazing recipes) and, of course, you did not disappoint. I made the mint variation just now and got exactly 25 sandwiches (24 now that I’ve tested one) and they are quite possibly the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. I crushed 2.5 candy canes and added them to the filling with 1 tsp of peppermint extract and the flavor is perfect. Not too much, not too little. I also used Hershey’s cocoa, upped the baking soda to 2tsps and flattened them with the bottom of an espresso cup covered with parchment paper. Perfection!!
These are quite possibly the BEST cookies I’ve ever tasted and made! I needed a recipe for my office cookie swap and have had these bookmarked for a while. I couldn’t be happier with my decision! I can’t wait to share these with my coworkers! My only disappointment is that I wish I made 2 batches!! Thanks for these :)
I’d been wanting to make these ever since I found this recipe two years ago. I’ve finally made a batch for the holidays, but the dough seems to be much dryer than I would expect. It’s like potting soil; very crumbly, but with pressure I can squash out a cookie. They’re still good once baked, but crispy and they flatten out very little (I had to squish them down to cookie shapes myself).
I went through the recipe several times and I don’t see where I did anything wrong. Any suggestions? Maybe add another egg? Thanks!
These looked delicious, much better looking than mine turned out… I think I won’t flatten them as much next time or bake them at as high a heat, mine turned out really crunchy and flat.
I just made these and they are amazing! I was a little worried about the dough because it was so crumbly, but it turned out fine.
These cookies and your blog overall are awesome – because of you, people now think I’m a good cook, shockingly.
I made these cookies for the second time today, and mixed them up a bit: to make them more Christmas-y, I just made a peppermint version with candy canes that actually taste really good and also look pretty baller-slash-martha stewart-esque.So I thought I’d share since I love reading other people’s comments and ideas on this site :)
I ground up some candy canes (the red and green kind to be more colorful because I was afraid the red kind would just look pink) in a plastic ziplock. Then I sifted the bigger from the smaller pieces and added the smaller pieces straight into the bowl of icing (after mixing), replacing 1/4 cup of the confectioner’s sugar. Then, after filling, I stuck the larger chunks to the cream around the outside of each Oreo. For this to work, I had to add more cream to each Oreo to make sure some spilled out over the sides. In theory, I would have rolled the Oreos in the candycanes but in practice this resulted in a huge mess.
Merry Christmas Deb!!!
I made these last night and they were excellent! Instead on shortening in the icing I used coconut oil and it worked perfectly, I just had to warm it a bit before mixing since it’s cold here now and the coconut oil was very solid. The cream was a little soft at first but set up very nicely about an hour after I assembled the cookies. I have seen people ask about this substitution in the comments, but as I scrolled through I didn’t see a definited answer. Hope this helps!
Just tried this recipe, it was good but didn’t scream oreo to me. It just tasted like a crunchy wafer with sweet filling lol. When I first tried them they were still warm, I kind of preferred them hot cause they were a little softer. I didn’t realize they’d get so hard T__T
It was a nice experience but I dont think i’d try it again. It seemed very time consuming, and the filling was really heavy for me.
Thanks for the recipe though!! Maybe they’ll taste better with milk XD
@ Brian — I found melting the butter slightly, or at least making sure it’s been out overnight REALLY helped the second time I made this recipe. The first time my butter was still a little too cold, and it didn’t blend into the dough very well, making the dough really hard to work with.
PERFECT recipe! Thanks so much. To get them uniform in size, I rolled the dough into grape-sized balls, flattened them with the bottom of a glass (with parchment paper between the glass and dough), and then use a shot glass as a cookie cutter. Perfect Oreo size, every time!
THESE COOKIES ARE THE BEST THING EVER! Thanks for Posting this! :)
you may have just torpedoed my new year’s resolutions…mmm…chocolate torpedos…
these look fantastic!
just one question though – my flatmate is vegan and LOVES oreos, as they are vegan over in Australia, but unfortunately they aren’t here in Germany. Soooo I was basically wondering if there’s a way to eliminate the egg from the mix without ruining the recipe completely… I know there’s loads of egg replacing liquids around, but not so many in Germany (terrible place to be a baking enthusiast!) so if you’ve got any tips that’d be fabulous!
Hi Jiggy — I would search around for a chcocolate shortbread recipes, such as a slice-and-bake one, where you could make thin rounds. They usually don’t contain eggs.
Update time:
I tried a experimental vegan half batch yesterday, literally just got rid of the egg and they came out fine! they didn’t look quite as perfect as your batch, and they were quite brittle, but they’re all gone now and my flatmate has already told me I have to make another batch so I must have done something right!
Great recipe! I also substituted coconut oil for shortening, and it came out fine.
One comment– After 10 minutes mixing with a hand mixer, the cookie mixture never really became a “dough”, but more like a wet crumb. But at that stage it was easily moldable in your hand. Same with the filling– it looked like grated parmesan cheese after lots of mixing, but when you mash it together/put it in the piping bag, it took on the right consistency for applying to cookie.
I infused the confectioners sugar with lavender to give it an extra kick, then sprinkled some finishing salt inside the filling before making the sandwich.
My sister keeps making these cookies, and every time she makes them, she gets more out of the recipe than the last time (without changing anything). We’ve nicknamed them “Quantum cookies”, not that we’re complaining! They’re delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Oh, sorry!
I want only once:-))
These look AMAZING. Do you have any suggestion on how I can adjust these for Denver’s altitude? I want to make them on Superbowl Sunday….thanks for your help!
Just made these. Substituted coconut oil for the crisco in the filling,like someone suggested, and they are perfect! I will never buy oreos again!
the key is 2 eggs and 7 minutes in the oven for chewy cookies rather than crispy ones.
Just finished these for the first time. I followed the recipe to a T except I used Hershey’s cocoa powder. They turned out AMAZING! The cookies were crunchy just like an oreo and the filling with the cookie tasted just like an oreo. My best friend loves oreos so I decided to make her a batch of these for Valentine’s Day. :)))
If I put the drops of cookie dough in heart-shaped whoopie pie trays, would they form into the heart shapes?? I would love to make these using my whoopie pie trays for valentines day!
I must be doing something wrong! My Homemade Oreos always come out puffy when I want them to be crispy and thin like yours- can you think of what I may be doing wrong?!
Oh my goodness, i’ve made these about three times now (just now making a double batch) and they are absolutely fantastic! I’m working in a colder kitchen today so the butter’s “room temp” is a little lower than normal this time but every time i make these, they are gone in a half hour.
Smitten Kitchen has become my go-to for recipes!
Thank you so so much
Oh. My. Goodness. I just made these and they are so delicious I can’t even find the right language to describe them. Wow. Thanks so much for this recipe!!!!
Just made these because I had a bunch of leftover cream cheese frosting from making cupcakes for a baby shower. They were delicious! And so easy. My husband is raving about them. Thanks!
Yummy yummy yummy! I would’ve eaten them up eve before adding the frosting. My 4 yo is fan too, of course!
you can get black cocoa powder at penzeys.com or king arthur flour… the black would be more authentic to use…. also deb can you use coconut oil in this recipe for the filling? it does stay solid at cool room temps….
I made these with regular cocoa and an extra tsp baking soda and they turned out great.
I used only one tsp of dough for the cookies so that they would be oreo sized and then baked them for 4.5 minutes
Pictures of them here
http://seddy5.typepad.com/blog/2011/03/homemade-oreos.html
I made these Saturday Morning and by Sunday….they were gone ;-) You did warn me though. I am sure they will become a well frequented recipe!!
Made these to take into class today and they were gone in under 5 minutes. Next time I will keep half the batch home with me:(
made them last night and my kid will never be the same.
SO fun to make! The cookie itself is unbelievably good. Can’t wait to give them away!
I am cooking for a friend w/breast cancer and she loves oreos. Since she is getting chemo I am trying to cook w/out preservatives. These are AMAZING. I cannot thank you enough for this and all the other great recipes! Oh and I forgot the baking powder…didn’t matter. My kids went crazy for them!
Hi!
How could the recipe be adapted to make vanilla oreos? Could I just leave out the cocoa and add in some vanilla?
I just made these…. *swoon* They are AMAZING. I think I made the first sheet of them a little too big. Ha, who am I kidding? A cookie can never be too big!! mwahahaa…and that filling. Holy cow!
I have just recently made these but substituted your ‘normal’ filling for some leftover peanut-butter frosting from the chocolate peanut butter cake recipe which I also made from this site (which is, of course, AMAZING). If there is any way to improve these oreo cookies, I definitely think it’s by using PEANUT BUTTER frosting in the centre! As if we need more reasons to make these!
I have made 7 new best friends and 3 love interests with one single batch of these cookies. So, so good.
Ok, guys…..seriously? Enough with the “southern slam!” We happen to be very good cooks down here and I’m sorry that you didn’t have a good experience wherever you happened to be, Deb, but that doesn’t mean we are all bad. As a matter of fact, I believe you would enjoy sitting down and having lunch with me, we aren’t all stupid rednecks wearing camo. By the way, these cookies sound great! Thank you and have a great day!
There isn’t a single slam against Southerners or Southern food (both of which I adore) in this post. I had to take a terrible business trip to a terrible conference in Opryland and 100% of the food I had there was inedible. I missed home. Then I made Oreos.
I need to male this for Easter and blab to everyone about this wonderful blog. My question is and I hope in not repeating… Can I make a “vanilla” version? What would you suggest I substitute? My 16mo will not let ne eat any sort of cookie without partaking (it’s in the genetics!) and she’s not having chocolate till she’s 2. ;)
Making these as I type….can’t wait to taste them. I’m using the less-sugar version this time.
One tip when pressing dough flat before baking….cut a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover cookie tray. Place over balls of dough and use a flat bottom glass to press each ball of dough flat. Doesn’t stick at all to the parchment paper and you can quickly flatten an entire sheet at once.
Thanks for sharing!
I want that!!! Badly!!! please make me some mommy!!!!!!
These were a more challenging cookie than I usually attempt, but they were so worth the extra work! I have some truly awesome pictures from it on my blog … they almost make me want to make another batch tonight. But it’s 9:50 p.m., and I have work and a blood drive appointment in the morning. So I’ll make them again another time! Thanks for sharing!
Freeze these! They are even better that way.
these are the most perfect things that have ever existed.
I made these with coconut oil to replace the shortening and they turned out deliciously. Just thought I’d out that out there for information’s sake :)
Use coconut oil for the shortening. It’s healthier for you anyway and will be a solid at room temp. Easy to find in health food stores or international isles in major grocery stores. Buy it by the Gallon at Whole Foods.
These are amazing. They were easy to make and taste great. The kids are chomping away as I type. Thanks for such a great recipe. I could see these with peppermint added to the filling during the holidays.
Wonderful first find for me! Living abroad, I often have to improvise on recipies to remind the kids of what they used to eat back home in the States. So excited to try these today! Thanks so much!
I’d be as big as a house if I did all the cooking/baking of all your high fat recipes. Can’t you come up with some LOW FAT versions? It would be much more healthier.
Jada: There are lots of health blogs on the internet. Smitten kitchen is not about tinkering with recipes to get lower calories, its about making great food. Try moderation.
I made these two days ago and they are great. One small thing…they didn’t have that deep dark chocolate taste like a traditional Oreo. Should I add more cocoa powder?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks for the delicious recipe! I used a #100 scoop (2tsp) and they came out perfect…I got 33 sandwiched cookies.
Store in room temp or fridge? :)
I usually do it at room temp but the fridge might make them last longer.
I just made these! Awesome! I’m going to mail some to a friend :)
Amazing! I made mine too big and will be cutting them in half for a serving. They aren’t huge, but they are a little too decadent. (Is there such a thing?) Thanks for such a great recipe. You were exactly on the mark about leaving out 1/2 cup of the sugar in the cookie – it was perfect!
Thanks again!
Just made these…I still can´t believe how gooooood they are! Perfect, perfect! so much better than the Oreo´s! the cookies are chocolatey, crunchy, and the buttercream is perfecto for them!
Thanks again for a great recipe Deb! (Did I tell you I spend hours looking at your blog? I´m obsessed!)
Made these – yum! I used 1/4 C black cocoa, 1/4 C typical unsweetened cocoa and 1 C sugar…they were really dark and rich. Also tried using a few of them for ice cream sandwiches – loved them! Thanks!
So this is probably a silly question, but lets say you’re a college student without a mixer. Would I be able to make the frosting without a mixer, using a lot of arm muscle instead?
I have several of your recipes bookmarked, but this was the first one that I actually tried. Man, does it give me faith in you! In a family of four, these didn’t even last a whole day.
What do you do if you’re old fashioned (read:broke) and dont have any small kitchen appliances?
these look great! how do you think these would work for ice cream sandwiches? are these cookies soft and chewy or hard and crispy like oreo’s? i was just wondering if they would freeze okay with the ice cream
Delicious! I used a peanut butter frosting for the filling because my husband is a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate, also I didn’t have shortening on hand (and didn’t really want to buy.) So awesome.
Amazing- brought these into the office yesterday and people were still commenting about them!
So, I have been craving oreos like crazy and had a little feeling that Smitten Kitchen would know what to do. Sure enough, I tried this recipe last night and they are AMAZING. They are so easy to make and taste exactly like I wanted them to (i.e. like real oreos). Thanks, Deb!
Yum! I just made this recipe to avoid studying for tomorrow’s midterm, and it is delicious. I also found the dough too dry, and added an egg according to the advice in the comments. The resulting texture was lovely and easy to work with, and the cookies baked up crisp and flat. The cream filling also turned out very thick, but I gradually added tablespoons of water (I think the final count was 3) until it assumed a more spreadable texture.
The cookies are absolutely delicious. Perfect study snack.
Hey Deb!
I’ve just made it and found out that the cookies tasted a little eggy.. have i done wrong? I even added a little vanilla.
I used 1 large egg and the baking temp. was correct..
DELICIOUS! My favorite cookie now at home. I made a more grown-up version with a shot of rum!
Jumpin’ jack rabbits they’re already gone! I was surprised by how well these turned out. Like one of the other readers, my dough was more like the consistency of graham cracker crust. I was struggling with a solution and checked the chat board. I took the advice of adding an extra egg and that added just enough moisture to bind everything into a dough. The cookies remind me of the devil’s food cake with 7 minute frosting that is my dad’s favorite. Very good.
this is a delicious, versatile cookie recipe. next time I’m going to make it more of a HEALTH COOKIE by adding some chopped nuts, chopped prunes, and wheatgerm. I’m also going to use a packet or so of an ALL NATURAL ZERO CALORIE SWEETENER along with the regular sugar the recipe calls for, which will allow me to cut the granulated and/or powdered sugar content the recipe calls for in half, in both the dough and filling. I never use the artificial sweeteners out there, only the all natural sweeteners. Because I love coffee, I plan to add 1 tsp. decaf coffee powder to the recipe. both the dough and the filling can be frozen, as well as the baked cookies. I freeze the dough, cut 1/4 inch slice off, cut the slice in halves or quarters, roll into balls then press lightly onto cookie sheet before baking. air dry cookies overnight before freezing in zip loc sucking the air out of the bag w/a straw before sealing. put layers of wax paper/parchment paper between layers of cookies. I recommend freezing the cookies separate from the filling and assembling your cookies the day you serve them. the frosting can be warmed in the microwave, briefly, to bring to the consistency you will need to pipe between two cookie layers. something to keep in mind. the weather isn’t really going to affect your cookies as long as you freeze the dough in advance, cut your slices immediately after taking out of the freezer and baking them right away. this also prevents your cookies from flattening too much. I never bake cookies w/o first freezing the dough into a log, wrapped in plastic wrap. to clean the edges after piping in your filling, assuming you have washed your hands before working in the kitchen, just run your finger along the entire edge of your cookie rolling it in your hand. as far as room temperature butter and shortening, I just stick them in the microwave in a bowl until they are soft then whip them up w/a fork. I do not use any kitchen gadgets when I make this recipe, not even an electric mixer. I get by w/a fork, a bowl and my hands and the recipe comes out great! I also bake these cookies in the hot coals of a cookfire on a rack, out in the yard. you don’t need an oven or any of that fancy kitchen equipment they sell in the stores. trust me when I tell you you’re simply putting those store owner’s kids through college! its time to get back to basics, get back to our primal caveman/woman roots. we’re getting too soft.
lol, I’m kidding about that part. gotcha didn’t I, lol.
Very nice recipe. I will try this out for my self and my kids. Thanks for sharing!
These look so good! I really need to make these for my rumbling stomach and my blog.
I was wanting to make some of these to send to my boyfriend in Afghanistan and I was wondering if that was a good idea or if the cookies would just go bad.
I made these for my mum’s birthday with 3 different fillings: this white, classic one; an orange cream cheese frosting; and your peanut butter cream cheese frosting from your chocolate peanut butter cake. They were delicious!
http://jessicaeatsfood.blogspot.com/2011/09/oreo-cookies.html
Made your oreos this weekend to bring as a hostess gift for the friends we’d be eating with. They were a total hit as well as a conversation piece! As the meal was winding down, the guys compared how many they’d each eaten. My husband (naturally, tall and thin) was the Oreo Champ.
Hi Deb! I discovered your site about a month ago and have made several things you’ve written about. All were delicious- my favorite so far being the sugar plum crepes with ricotta and honey. Tonight I tried these oreos out and they are very tasty. My boyfriend, who doesn’t usually have much of a sweet tooth, went back for more after my giving him already more than I thought he’d eat. :) They’re a great option for anyone looking to make a different kind of cookie than the usual chewy ones, plus they’re adorable! Thanks for all your posts.
HI Deb,
I’ve been looking for a homemade oreo cookie that doesnt call for boxed cake mix. These look amazing and my kids are shouting hurry up mummy,.
Gonna try a little cream cheese in the icing, these look like they are calling for it!
thanks.
M.
These cookies look DELICIOUS! im spending a week at a friends house and we wanted to make some cookies and ironically I found this recipe! now we know what we’ll be baking. haha We cant wait to try these!.
Oh wow- I’m making these right now (they’re currently cooling before I make the topping) and I had to pause to say they’re SO GOOD. My parchment slipped and so one of my cookies cracked, so of course I was obligated to try it (Oh no. What a hardship.) and even on its own, the cookie was delicious! Slightly warm, it was like eating a brownie-cookie. Very appealing. I slightly upped the salt and decreased the sugar, for a rich, not-too-sweet finish. Thanks for this recipe!
just tripled the recipe and sent them out in care packages for college friends!! BEST THING EVER!!! (and i filled them with nutella and icecream cuz i ran out of frosting!!!)
I never comment on blogs or anything, but I’m making an exception for these. I just made them and I can’t even describe how amazingly amazing they are!! Made them at 11am, sent a picture of them around, within 20 minutes they were all gone. Amazing! Now I have to go make more. Thanks for this recipe!!!
SO GOOD! These are oreos refined. Truly scrumptious and very easy (and fun!) to make. I can also imagine dying the frosting different colors to make them fun for certain occasions.
This recipe is fantastic! I imagine this is what the original Oreo cookies tasted like back in 1912 when Mrs. Nabisco made them for her family and they all said, “grandma, these are so good, we should really sell them.” I made them for my mom (an Oreo fanatic) and FedExed them to her for her 60th bday. Also wrote about it on my blog: http://stillsimmering.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/birthdays-gratitude-and-homemade-oreos/
Thanks for sharing the recipe and gorgeous photos!
Just made these for one of my best friend’s birthday, swapping in the peanut butter cream cheese frosting for the filling. Of course, one of the cookies broke as I transferred it, so I had to make a taste-test Oreo with that one… this recipe is amazingly like real Oreos. Thanks for posting this!
These are AMAZING! I’ve made them several times, and they really do taste just like oreos and have a nice, almost rustic look to them. This time for a little bit of a holiday twist, I made a double batch, and made half of them mint oreos! I just added a 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract and a little bit of green food coloring (just to be able to distinguish the mint from the regular vanilla cream). DELISH!
Hi! What can I use instead of vegetable shortening?
Please let me know ASAP!
so i was laying in bed last night thinking about these (embarrassing, but true). as my mouth was watering, i had an idea. rather than making the filling for these, i’d smush ice cream between them and store them in the freezer. has anyone tried this? i think it will go over quite well…
For those of you wondering about substitutes for Crisco: I did it tonight with coconut oil instead of Crisco. Came out wonderful – super delicious. Only difference I can see is that it seems stiffer with the coconut oil, and so mixing the filling together was much easier just with my hands rather than the mixer. Filling the cookies/spreading the filling was also easier with my hands as well, I think because the oil softens a bit with the heat from the hands.
I just made these cookies – they are absolutely delicious! I used peppermint extract instead of vanilla, though, to make them a little Christmas-y :) I will definitely be making these again! Thank you!
I loved these cookies, my family gobbled them up. I put a picture of your cookies with a link on my blog. Thanks so much for sharing! http://tidbitity.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-cookies.html
These cookies made me the hero of Christmas this year. Thank you!
I made these for Christmas gifts, but for the filling subbed the shortening for a mix of half duck fat and half heavy cream, as well as adding orange zest and some almond extract.
What have I done? People are reportedly seeing deities upon consumption and demand is high.
Also: Rolled out the wafer dough to a quarter inch and cut ’em out instead of spooning as I was using standard Hersheys powder. No puffiness to report! Perfect shape.
My kids wanted to make homemade oreos over the break. As soon as I started reading your entry I CRACKED up – I, too, have had the misfortune of Opryland – not once but scarily twice. I have never been so happy to see a bagel as when those two conferences were over. Ugh. Miracle that we didn’t get scurvy.
Tried this recipee and the taste was great. Really like the Stuffing. Made a little bigger than I wanted but proabably pressed them down to much. Thanks have just acquired a new favorite cookie recipe…
I just made the filling part, to go with the Grandma’s brad vanilla wafer cookies (like a vanilla Oreo) because thy decided to cut back on the already skimpy filling- I swear you almost need a microscope to see it. Anyway, I’m not sure I made this right. I liked it okay, but I don’t think it was all that “light & fluffy.” It tasted almost exactly like Wilton’s buttercream frosting recipe, but a bit heavier – probably because Wilton’s recipe uses a bit of meringue powder & an you thin it with water for spread- ability. The recipe batch is smaller, but with almost identical proportions & is made in the same manner. It also uses only shortening instead of the butter/shortening mix, but again it didn’t really taste any different and it seemed odd that an Oreo-like filling should be so yellow from the butter. Anyone, please let me know, if you think they know if I something (and what it was) wrong?
Thanks
Oh, one more thing, are you suppose to sift the sugar then measure (what I did) OR measure it first, then sift? I know the first way if used for measuring flour, but I’m not sure when it comes to powered sugar?
I split the difference and used an amount of sugar between both extremes. Holy crap, these are delicious. I couldn’t stop snitching the dough…!
The filling reminds me of my family’s recipe for whoopie pies (well, the filling, I mean), except that it also has a couple raw eggs that give a unique richness. I doubled the cookie recipe, one-and-a-halfed the filling, and still had filling left over. I should have been more generous!
By the way, I’m taking half the batch to a local restaurant where we are semi-regulars. They are always so good to us, so I want to thank them.
I made these last night for the superbowl… thank you so much! I used a football shape for the cookie cutter and they were a huge hit, and so cute! :)
these are delish! highly recommend adding shredded coconut to the filling…extra yummy!
I want to make a double stuff Oreo cake for my son’s birthday next week, could I use this recipe to make the cake and filling? I have found a cake pan that looks like a cookie, was going to use that. Can you email me and let me know what I would have to do to the recipe to make it work?
sky_younker@yahoo.com
Yep, home run! These are fantastic and I can’t wait to play with the fillings! Coconut, peanut butter, almond, caramel…the possibilities are endless!
My boyfriend turned to me yesterday and said “you should try making Oreos.”
So, today, I looked at a few different recipes and decided on yours, mainly because this recipe called for less quantity of certain ingredients, and it seemed to produce the same or close to the same number of cookies!
The only problem i came across was the thickening of the cookies as they baked, making them less than flat. Reading over the other comments I see I’m not the only one with problem though, and the puffiness did not effect the taste one bit! These are delicious! I used only a 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup honey in the cookie part, and they were still good enough to eat on their own (as was the creme, but that’s another story).
Thanks for sharing! Yum!
Thanks Deb! I made a batch of these last night to take to my vet’s office. They were so awesome when my dog needed major surgery and I wanted a nice way to say thanks.
Of all the recipes on the internet that makes one skeptical that it may not taste like what you’re expecting….these ARE on point. Thank you for sharing. I’ve doubled the recipe and it took me a while to do them, but I have time, since an accident has me home for now. I will be making more for my entire neighbourhood. By the way, as a lover of everything chocolate, I have also incorporated molten chocolate chips to my dough mixture…OMG…Thanks again.
…oh yeah, by the way, I didn’t bother with the creme. I could not wait to eat them, Lmao, I just ate them as regular cookies. Will try them as Oreos this week though.
Where are the recipe notes located?
Right above the ingredient list.
I made these today for the second time this week, but instead of the creme given here, I made the creme de menthe buttercream frosting from the Baked cookbook. It doesn’t hold up as well at room temperature, but I’ve discovered that I really love the chewy give these cookies develop after they’ve been refrigerated for a while…
Am in the UK and just wanted to check something out on the recipe, when you say:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Is the baking soda bicarbonate of soda? And what about the baking powder? In the UK baking powder includes bicarb. A little confused.
Thanks
Baking powder actually includes baking soda. But baking powder also has cream of tartar in it, an acid that helps activate the leavener. (Straight baking soda, without an acidic ingredient, usually needs an acidic ingredient — such as the cocoa here — to activate.) You can make your own baking powder from baking soda using this formula, if you only have baking soda.
When I saw this recipe, I almost didn’t make it, because I don’t really like Oreo’s (they are missing a crucial component of a good cookie that’s called “flavor”), but since your recipes are always flawless, I thought I’d give it a go. holy lord. these are ridiculous. What’s great about them is that even though there are two components to making the cookies, the baking part and then the frosting part, it still takes hardly any time at all to make. They taste AMAZING. To use the word Oreo in this name of this cookie is an insult to this delicious perfection. Thank yo so much for sharing.
Anyone know of a “golden oreo” recipe? I want an oreo style cookie, but in vanilla form, any suggestions?
Can you comment on how “stiff” the filling is? I’ve made homemade oreos before and my husband was so “meh” about them because the filling was too much like frosting. He wanted something stiffer. More like the fatty, sugary disk of “frosting” the store-bough oreos have. He wasn’t having any of the smooshy frosting.
Hi Nancy –It’s not very hard (at room temp, you can always chill it to firm it fully) however, the cookies are also on the tender side so the squishing out isn’t an issue. Trust me, I think about this stuff constantly. (Hate squishy sandwich cookies.)
oh my word. delicious. i substituted coconut oil for the shortening with fantastic results. YUM!!!
OMG. I found these via the ice cream sandwich recipe and as soon as I made them they were scooped up and devoured by everyone around me. Cookie dough in a food processor? Brillant and talk about time saving. I made these after work with only an hour and half of free time before heading out and it was mind blowing how quickly they come together. Thank you Deb!
Also found these through your most recent ice cream sandwich recipe. Holy smokes! Just made them and they are everything you promised they would be. Thanks :-)
These are amazing. I recently made a batch and dyed the filling – it was a fun variation!
My 10 yr-old made these as a surprise for the family yesterday. Thanks for posting this alternative recipe for Oreos… We haven’t eaten them in years so it was a nice treat! We used palm shortening (spectrum is a sustainable brand) but I may try them again using coconut oil and see how they do.
I’m looking forward to another batch for ice cream sandwiches!
Deb, I have a plunger style measuring cup that I can “set”. I often use it to flatten cookie dough. This insures that they are all the same exact thickness and cook evenly. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes – I am never disappinted.
These taste much better than oreos! I snickered when I made the filling because it tasted and pretty much looked exactly like the store version. This is a keeper!
These are outstanding. Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
Oh my goodness, these are awesome!!! My eldest is on the Feingold diet and cannot have the namebrand Oreos. There are alternatives he can have but we have been less than impressed with them. I make most of our treats and when I found this recipe I knew I had to try it and they turned out great. Thanks soooo much for posting. I can already tell I will be making these frequently.
I used coconut oil instead of shortening which worked just fine. In that quantity, it did give the filling a very slight coconut flavor but was not noticeable when combined with the cookie part.
hi, i made these today and my son immediately fell in love with these. i tried mine with a cookie gun rather than a teaspoon and they came out absolutely fine ;). I however have a question regarding filling. Can we make it less sweeter?
My 15 year old just made these for a sports team bake sale. Execution was easy, although there was a panic moment when it seemed the dough was going to remain like powder. Switch to a deeper bowl, and faster, longer beating brought it into dough form. Used Hershey’s Dutch Special Dark coco and Spectrum shortening. They turned out great and every one of them sold!
Made these today after reading over the recipe and the countless comments. They’re verrrrry close to the store-bought Oreos; they’re Oreos, with a home-baked taste, if that makes any sense. The chocolate cookies are a little softer, not as crispy as the original, but the creme filling is spot-on! Amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
Made these today as a Father’s Day Surprise for the hubby. He isn’t home from work yet, so he hasn’t tried them, but my 4 year old helper and I are sold!!
I know this is an old post, but I’ve just made the cookies this morning and they turn out AWESOME. But i’ve must to replace the filling with a cream cheese buttercream and it was delicious. Here in my country it’s SO HARD to find shortening (nobody knows it) But as soon as I can find it I will made them again. Hope it will be soon!!!
Congrats for your blog, it’s always funny, pretty and the recipes ar always yummy.
Greetings from CHILE!!!
Just made a batch and their super good 5 Star recipe. If you don’t want to use butter in the dough you cant put just a bit under a cup of olive oil instead so you can make the treat low calorie
Are they soft?
Just made these tonight and they were wonderful. Goes really well with milk as they are quiet rich in flavor. Thank you for sharing.
I am dying over how good these are, never, not ever will the very occasional bag of oreos make it to my house again. Thanks for sharing!
I was just wondering, is it at all possible to cut out the baking soda?
I really want to make these but I’m only missing the baking soda and since I can’t drive yet my dad’s getting awfully annoyed being dragged out to the store every time I forget something, hehe…
Just made these! I used 3/4 cup sugar in the cookies because I tend to like cookies that are less sweet. I also found that I only needed half the frosting. I didn’t have shortening, and instead just used butter. The cookies are a nice soft crumbly texture. I think they turned out awesome.
These are AHHH-Mazing! Thank you! Dangerous. I made a batch Thursday night and my 4 year old insisted we bring to school. Of course, gone! So I made more on Saturday, a double batch and there are still a few left :) I did put them in the fridge (I like them cold) but how long do you think they’d keep in the freezer? I need to pack some of them up or I’m going to be in trouble!
delicious!!!
…there is no crisco here in paris – anyone looking for it’s twin substitute try
“Planta Fin -doux-” it can be found in the carrefour by the refrigerated butter :D
I’d love to make these but am struggling to convert to grams and ml (im english) as everywhere i look there’s slightly different conversion quantities! I thik i’ll just buy a set of american measuring cups to make things easier, just wondering if you could recomend a good set as i’ve looked at a few but they also seem to vary in size slightly! Thanks, Anna
Hi Anna — I just added weights to this recipe.
Thank you for this recipe, it’s amazing!! I’ve added some food colouring to the filling and now it’s bright pink. WOOHOO. I had way too much filling though (even though I followed your recipe and put in on thickly between the cookies), so I’ll try and freeze the filling. YUM, I tell you. Yes, there was ‘licking the spoons’ involved. Haha. Will have mine with some strawberries and raspberries since it’s the season.
Esther.
I’ve made these cookies on several occasions and they are delicious everytime. I cannot believe how close they taste to Oreo cookies but these are better because they’re homemade!
I adapted your recipe for the chocolate wafer component to make cookies in the shape of ninja action figures. With a third less sugar, they are perfect. The grand plan is arrange these cookies on top of my son’s birthday cake, all lined up to kick down his candles. Well, that’s the plan anyway. The backup plan is I eat them all before the party.
There’s nothing to say but delicious! Worked out great. Made 25 sandwiches I think – had some, but not a ton, of filling left over. Used alkanized cocoa – aka Dutch process – so my cookies were nice and flat like “real” Oreos. I used 1c. sugar and they were plenty sweet!
Made these but used a peanut butter powder sugar n butter filling and it was amazingly delish highly recommended!
I don’t buy dutch processed cocoa and made these with natural cocoa. I cut the sugar in half for the cookies, based on the comments above. I was tempted to cut the baking sofa in half also, because of the cocoa, but didn’t. With natural cocoa, I can definitely taste a strong baking soda flavor. Think next time I will cut in half or possibly eliminate entirely and increase the baking powder a bit they are still very good.
For people (like my self) who don’t have acces to or have reservations about using vegetable shortening, coconut oil is a good alternative. Solid at room temperature and not stuffed with weird indgredients! It’s a good, neutral flavoured frying oil as well. BR, Laura, Denmark.
I just took these out of the oven. I’m making them for the very first time, and for future reference (and Deb if you still read these comments), Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa is AWESOME for these. They are MUCH darker than your pictures Deb. I don’t think Hershey’s made their dark cocoa when you first posted this recipe…not every store carries it, but luckily my local Albertson’s does (Portland, OR). The container actually says it’s a mix of regular cocoa and dutch cocoa, but when you open it, it looks almost like what I’d picture black cocoa looking like. I have a Baker’s brand cocoa that’s also a mix of dutch and regular, but it’s only slightly darker than regular cocoa, nothing like this. Just thought I’d pass that along, if you find the Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa, it looks (and I assume tastes) just as good as black cocoa!
Also, I used a tbsp cookie scoop, and ended up with only 13 sandwiches, however, they’re so big that most people would be satisfied with just one as an after-dinner dessert cookie…I hope so anyway! Definitely double the recipe next time as well as use a tsp scoop.
I am in desperate need of a glass of milk. My cookies turned out a little puffed up and then when I tried to flatten them, they crumbled BUT I DON’T CARE. So good!
Has anyone made the cookies with brown sugar?
Just made these for the family. The “black cocoa” used in real Oreos is Black Onyx Cocoa, a highly alkalized cocoa. The package suggested mixing 25 – 50% with dutch cocoa, so I used 50/50. Delicious and the same color as Oreos! I got the black cocoa at a local spice shop. If you want the authentic color, it is worth finding!
I made the filling with all butter and it turned out fine. The cookies came out tasty but wafer thin – I halved the recipe and still ended up with 25 cookies! Wonder what I did wrong.
I want to make these, but I cannot get the dark chocolate. Would it be okay to use Hersheys? I am new at this, so I just need a little help. They look so good, and I know my grandchildren would love these for Christmas. They live 1100 miles from us, and I want to send them to them.
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a couple weeks now and finally tried it. I just have to say, I’m never buying oreos from the store ever again! I was a little confused at the beginning though, I felt like I was doing something wrong the entire time because my dough was kinda crumbly but I kept on trucking and oh man! Wonderful recipe!
I took a batch of these two work more than a year ago. The other day when I asked what cookies I should make this weekend, a co-worked shouted “The oreos! Those were the best cookies I’ve ever had!”
This continues to be one of my favorite recpies. As oppose to using the crisco filling I use a buttercream frosting for the filling. here:
http://savorysweetlife.com/2010/03/buttercream-frosting/
I, also, opt for the more cookie like texture by using more sugar.
Great recipe!!!
We do love Oreo’s, but I have banished HFCS from entering my home..most foods in the grocery are off limits. I have been looking for a homemade OREO recipe.. can’t wait to try this.. my family will be thrilled.. looking at all the tips I think we will try both fillings in small batches. I believe butter cream is where we will end up. Happy Baking all.
I made these with coconut oil instead of Crisco and they were de-lic-ious!! A big hit with everyone, especially my 5-year-old daughter who had never been given an Oreo before because of the crappy ingredients in them.
Can I substitute natural unsweetened cocoa powder for the Dutch?
I had a question? I tried to skim through all 511 questions but I’m sorry if this has been asked….do you always do the method like it states? I started to do the traditional cookie method (butter in mixer, cream, add egg, mix, slowly add dry ingredients) and then I realized that wasn’t the method and was tempted to keep going because I didn’t want to wash two bowls out and figured, how much can it matter. I did end up following instructions exactly as it was my first time, I was just curious. Great compliment though from my 8 year old son, he had no idea of the name of these and after having one he said they tasted like Oreos. So cool :)))
Deb, I know I was warned that I would never go back. But now you have corrupted me forever. Loved the cookies, came out great even though I used my mixer. My children and others will love you forever!
I changed the recipe a bit to make it taste more like real Oreos and I had a major success! They were almost exactly like real Oreos. For the biscuits, I used the 1 cup of sugar instead of the 1 1/2, but then I also doubled the amount of cocoa and salt in them. This made them have a darker, more accurate Oreo taste. They also came out pretty hard and crispy. For the filling, I didn’t use any shortening. I used 1/2 a cup of butter, 2 tblsp. custard powder, and 3 tbsp. vanilla. I then just creamed in the icing sugar until it was soft and sweet enough. The filling is really soft at first, but after a little while in the fridge it’s exactly like Oreo filling. These were amazing and disappeared in a day.
I made these yesterday to bring to a big gathering and they were a total fan favourite for both adults and kids. I was the hero of the party! For the filling I just used butter instead of shortening and they turned out wonderfully. They are foolproof to make and really impress. Thank you Deb!
omg it looks so god i am totally trying the recipe. i love chocolate.
I am late to the party, as I just discovered this recipe and website. I doubled the recipe. Why not double the pleasure for the same amount of effort? Currently I am letting the dough relax and chill a bit in the refrigerator before baking; however I sneaked a taste of the cookie dough and was amazed beyond belief! This may be my new go to recipe for chocolate cookies!
These are insanely good! I ate the first dozen and a half as soon as they cooled down enough to consume! I am now very thankful I doubled the recipe.
Hi! I love my whoopie pie cookie recipe, but I don’t like the filling part! So I am looking for a new filling… really I am just trying to recreate Oreo Cakesters, since they seem to have been discontinued….
Anyway, would the filling part of this recipe work in a whoopie pie? Is the texture/consistency right for it?
I return to say that I made these again, this time substituting rice flour for all-purpose flour because my sister-in-law and her kids are gluten-free… I can report that while the cookies didn’t rise as much as with regular flour, the success of the cookie didn’t depend on it and they were a total hit! The kids couldn’t get enough of them. As with the last time, I had quite a bit of icing left over after filling all the cookies… next time I would probably make a generous half-batch.
About that shortening issue: I’m no expert, however I wonder whether using white chocolate in some to-be-determined ratio, might do the job of firming up the cream filling, instead of Crisco? It’s not going to add to the flavor especially much, but it is even harder than Crisco at room temperature.
Hi deb I’m planning to make these soon but my oven runs slower than usual so how long should I keep the cookies in the oven for? Thank you
Cameron — Without knowing how much slower your oven runs, that’s impossible to answer (and even then, it’s always just a guess). Look for the cookies to spread and puff slightly. Within a minute later, they deflate — this is when you can take them out. (This is for Dutched cocoa. With natural cocoa, these cookies stay puffier.)
My son has requested a giant oreo cookie for his birthday. Could I make these as two 9″ cookies?
These cookies are absolutely amazing! So far I’ve made them twice, and both times they have come out really well, but I liked them with more sugar.
Deb! I’m hosting a ‘When you wish upon a star’ baby shower in two weeks and really wanted to serve homemade moon pies. I’m so excited that you posted these!! I’m banking on mine turning out more like whoopie pies than oreos :)
Hi Samantha — For the puffier effect many people mention, use a Natural cocoa instead of a Dutched one.
Thanks for sharing this great recipe. Oreos are not available here in Brazil and these are even better!
Oh, dear. On behalf of the other cool people in Nashville, I apologize for the monstrosity that is this city. And this state. It’s a terrible place here but we’re not ALL bad at cooking. :) I’m looking forward to making these, I love Oreos but the preservatives scare me! Wish luck to me, the thirteen year old trying to explain why she needs shortening. ;-;
These are awesome! Quote from my husband, “these are ridiculous” which is a good sign haha! Even with natural cocoa, which is all I ever use and can even find, they come out pretty crunchy, little chewy in the middle (especially with the filling and not all by themselves). While the fat factor may not be much better in these than real Oreos, they don’t have all the artificial crap, which is fantastic and much better to eat. Thank you so much!
Wow! You know you’ve hit a home-run when people are still commenting six years after your post!! I couldn’t sleep and decided to see if I could find a different dessert on-line. And I have to say; this is the first time I have ever commented on someone’s recipe. Though I have not tried them (yet), just the look of them has me wishing I could make them now! Sadly however; the family is sleeping…I suppose I can wait another 6 hours. :(
Thanks for the recipe…going to check out what other goodies you have!
These look amazing! I’m wondering if I can roll them out & use a cookie cutter to make fun shaped Oreos. We are doing a Mickey Mouse party & I have the perfect sized cookie cutter!
These are delicious! And I have an answer to the shortening question: I replaced it with butter and they’re fine. I can’t compare though, because I haven’t made them with shortening. I’m keeping them in the fridge, which I’m not sure is necessary.
I used the lesser sugar quantity and they were great. They don’t taste like oreos to me (I guess the preservatives change the flavor), but that’s not a complaint. They’re delicious and will now be my go-to dessert for large groups of people.
These are delicious! And much easier to make than many of the other recipes I saw. I used the food processor for both the cookie and the cream and it worked out beautifully!
These homemade oreos are FANTASTIC! Thank you for another staple recipe in my bookmarks folder.
By the way, your cookbook has been a great addition to my kitchen. So much so that I’m working my way through every recipe, I think I’m about halfway through. Keep up the great recipes!
Just baked these and they are delicious! Substituted cream cheese for the shortening and filling tastes great, although slightly creamier. For all the amateur bakers: I used a hand mixer, and snipped the tip off a freezer ziplock and used it to apply the filling and worked great!
Is the volume or the weight more important for the cocoa?
Jon — Volume, but only because I find cocoa weights to be quite inconsistent. (I assume this is why you asked?)
I have not tried it in this recipe, but coconut oil has worked in the past as a shortening substitute for me. It has the same consistency. I try to stick with clean eating, so shortening is out. (for those who do not know, it does not have a coconut flavor.)
Holy cow, these are absolutely delightful! I am gluten intolerant, so I tried the gluten free version, which is pretty much exactly the same except for the flour type and the xantham gum, and I gotta say, these are magnificent. I had only the store brand of everything, including shortening, but they turned out just wonderfully. I’m so glad I found this recipe because Oreos are my favorite cookie and I haven’t been able to eat one in so long!!
I agree. I believe both Penzey’s and King Arthur carry black cocoa powder. I used it in a cake once, and it was a bit darker than normal…I imagine these cookies would showcase it at least as well.
Just made them. Sinful. I don’t like oreo filling so I have been searching for a recipe for just the cookie. I used the Hershey’s Special Dark and 1 cup of sugar. I added 1 teaspoon of instant coffee. Absolutely delicious. My family does not like super sweet things – I may even try to use less sugar next time. I made four cookies for now and stuck the rest of the batter in a gallon baggie and rolled it, to use later.
Made these this morning without the filling (but dialled back the sugar anyway) they were so beautifully rich and chocolatey, amazing recipe- and they’re SO easy to do! This is going to have to be a regular thing.
Love this recipe! I them made for the second time today and am so thrilled with the tasty results. I followed the recipe, with one exception. Like many others desiring to skip the shortening, I substituted it with coconut oil using the same measurements. They taste great and the consistency is nice and creamy!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful talent with all of us!
How sturdy are these cookies when assembled? I’m looking for a (rectangular) sandwich cookie that will stand up and stay together once pressed together, and this looks promising!
Rachel — They’re pretty sturdy but if they’re very warm, the filling could squeeze a little.
Thanks Deb! I used your filling recipe for these mixed tape cookies and they held up perfectly!
http://instagram.com/p/fF90rOOcfI/#
About how many of these are you allowed to have in your possession before you will be considered as a ‘dealer’ by the local constabulary?
Do you know if there are Oreo ‘looking’ press molds available for forming the wafers?
We are definitely going to try this recipe… Now if only we could get some real Zabars bagels out here in the West.
Wow. If these are as addicting as the real thing….we’re all in trouble!
Hi I just made these wonderful cookies. I have been looking for a chocolate ripple type cookie to make gluten free for my daughters. I just replaced the plain flour with Ogran Gluten Free Plain flour and they look and taste fantastic.
here is a link to the photo on fb.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1474616_735620083132796_2023268230_n.jpg
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I was able to find Black Cocoa at my local Amish Bulk Foods Store in Central Illinois. They taste just like the real thing!
Hi,
I made this exactly as instructed except I didn’t have dutch process cocoa and I used the standard type and they still came out unbelievable and even looked like yours. Phew. :)
Seriously though sooo good. I wish I doubled or tripled the recipe because they finished faster than I can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
But now I have a question. Circumstances have changed. I need to make them non-dairy. Can I substitute oil for butter? Would grapeseed oil work or would coconut oil be better? Or neither would work? Thank you in advance.
Coconut oil is better if you don’t mind the faint taste of coconut; otherwise, I’d use shortening or a vegan butter substitute such as Earth Balance (readers seem to like this; I have not auditioned it).
Made these yesterday and they were fabulous. I used sprouted whole wheat flour and Sucanat instead of sugar. I also substituted lard for vegetable shortening in the filling, and doubled the vanilla. I don’t have anything to compare to but everyone who ate them said they were delicious.
Hi Deb,
I made these yesterday and they were amazing! I did fiddle with the recipe a little though. I used 1 cup sugar definatly recommend it and salted butter and salt( I forgot to take it out but I think it complemented the sweet even more) and I was wondering if this is why they aren’t as crisp?( are they supposed to be crisp?)
For the filling I used confectioners sugar, water and vanilla, mixed it until a soft/ stiff dough formed then cut into pieces and sandwiched! ( cooks illustrated) Absolutely delicious!
These look so good! For the filling, however, is there a possible substitute for the vegetable shortening? Would it be the same if you just didn’t use it altogether? I heard you can use butter instead, but the filling already has butter in it, any suggestions?
Ari — You can replace it with more butter or virgin coconut oil, if you don’t mind a slight hint of the flavor.
My cream filling is more crumbly then light and fluffy. What can I add to fix this?
Lily — You can beat in some milk or cream, 1 teaspoon at a time. You don’t want it to be too soft, though, Oreo filling is intentionally firm so that it doesn’t squeeze out too much.
I must have done something wrong somewhere, because when I made these, they were super crunchy and not at all fluffy-looking, like yours. I know oreos are not fluffy cookies, but the ones I made were so hard! I even under-cooked them, and they still came out like flat little hockey pucks. I was not happy. :( Any advice?
Hi Amber — What kind of cocoa powder did you use? Did they rise and then fall or just spread and stay flat?
These cookies are so good! Made them exactly as the recipe reads. Next time I think I might make the dough into a log and slice in order to make them more uniform.
I made the icing with only butter because I was out of shortening and the cookie got an 8/10 on the husband scale (his favorite cookie usually gets a 7/10). Great recipe!
I used 1/2 lard and 1/2 coconut oil in place of the vegetable shortening and they turned out wonderful.
I made the icing with half unsalted butter and half my own mix: mostly ghee (clarified butter – common in Indian recipes) and a little coconut oil. The ghee is solid at room temp and so is the coconut oil; I didn’t want the coconut flavor and didn’t have any shortening. The ghee worked great!!! I had it in the pantry b/c I picked it up at Trader Joe’s on a whim — the flavor and texture of the icing was great! Most of my 1/4 cup was ghee, with just about a tablespoon of coconut oil. Definitely sift the powdered sugar, as it mixes so much better! And use good vanilla!
Hi,
Can you keep these cookies in a cookiejar or do they have to be stored in the fridge? My brother loves oreo cookies and I promised to make them as soon as possible. I’ve tried checking the comments for an answer but there are just so much comments. They are obviously very good according to all the positive comments.
You can keep them in a cookie jar, but they’ll last longer in the fridge.
Made this recipe last night and it turned out great! I substituted the vegetable shortening with coconut oil but I had to add a bit of extra butter to get a creamier texture. I’ll try adding the cream next time. I also had to soften the coconut oil and beat it before creaming it with the butter. First filling batch came out super chunky since the coconut oil was too hard.
I also used regular cocoa powder but added 1/8tsp of baking soda for every 3tbsp of cocoa I replaced and it helped the cookies stay nice and flat! I got that tip from JoytheBaker actually. Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
are the cookies chewy?
jake — They’re crisp once cooled.
I made these as is, and they were absolutely fantastic!! They make a lot of Oreos, so I had lots to go around. My husband actually snuck a few for breakfast one morning. I am about to try them with more of the sugar for the wafer part, and add chocolate chips, for double chocolate chip cookies. Mmmmm…..
I am a Pastry Chef for a catering company in the Bay Area and I have been searching for assorted sandwich cookies to produce for a whole sale client. It never occurred to me to make Oreos before! I made these today and I must say they were AMAZING. They taste just like the real thing, just slightly less crunchy which is an improvement in my opinion. The only change I made was adding about 1.5oz of butter to reduce the powdery texture and flavor of the filling. I love your site and I am looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
These cookies are delicious but the filling never got very thick. I idn’t substitue anything – does it just need to be whipped more?
Christine — Try chilling it slightly so that it will firm up.
Making these right now. I just ate WAY too much of the wafer dough! SO good! Now to add the filling. These are likely going to be the end of me….!
You’ve done it again, Deb. It’s bad that I know about these. Yikes.
I found black cocoa at a local bulk foods store, and decreased the baking soda by 1/4 tsp since it wasn’t Dutch-process (think I read that recommendation in your choc banana bread). Other than the cookies not being the texture of Oreos, these are spot on. YUM!
Curious: do you think the lack of crunchy/crispiness to my cookies was because I used different cocoa, or because I didn’t bake them long enough, or are yours not crispy either? Mine were a little more crunchy the first day; the next day they are really chewy. Which isn’t at all a bad thing, really.
amy — From what I’ve read in the comments here over the years, people who do not use Dutched cocoa (i.e. use natural cocoa) seem to be the ones that find them puffy and soft. Btw, it took me forever but I finally bought black cocoa and the amount that it smelled EXACTLY like store-bought Oreos stopped me in my tracks. It’s probably time for a new Oreos recipe that includes them. ;)
I definitely wouldn’t describe them as puffy and soft–like the whoopie-pie effect others talked about–they were super thin, and reeealllly chewy.
I just took another half-batch out of the oven today. (Probably a quarter of the dough never made it into the oven…I couldn’t stay out of that ridiculous dough.) Because, you know, I had leftover filling from Saturday, and what else was I going to do with it? I certainly couldn’t throw it away. But I suspect it won’t be enough for all the cookies, which means I’ll have to make more…and then I’ll have too much again, so I’ll have to bake more cookies…see what you’ve done? :P
I discovered these just recently and while I have not lost my taste for “regular” Oreos, these are on a different level altogether. Pair them with milk and your favorite film/show and you will never go back. They are so soft and wonderful and I feel strangely healthy because, you know, no chemicals.
Oh, yes. The Opryland. I stayed there two years ago and I have to say it feels more like a giant rainforest-themed indoor zoo than a hotel (without the animals, of course.) Evidently, my decision to scout out the local restaurants rather than eating at the hotel was a good one.
DELICIOUS! I made these with the lower sugar content, and the flavor is wonderful. The texture is light — lighter than an oreo (and I want to keep looking for that thicker texture for pie crusts or ice cream cakes), but these were delicious. I might even drop the sugar more than 1/2 a cup, to get that tang from the cocoa, but thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi! These look so great and fun to make. I tried making the chocolate cookies last night in hope of filling them today. My cookies spread out a lot and didn’t puff as much as became flat. How can I make them puffier? Mine are more like little crispies.
After SEVERAL YEARS of having this recipe in my stash to make someday…I finally pulled the trigger. They are SO DELICIOUS…I had to sub coconut oil for the shortening since I didn’t have any, but they were still great. Thanks Deb!
wow they are sure yummy
Do u need the shortening? is their a substitute
You can use additional butter or coconut oil (the kind that solidifies).
This didnt taste anything like an oreo, nor did it bake into a hard cookie.
I always use coconut oil in place of shortening with these and they’re always delicious. Coconut oil seems to work in place of shortening almost always.
I always use the reduced amount of sugar in these (1 cup) and I’ve found it helps me to decrease the butter to 1/2 cup (1 stick) too. Otherwise the cookies make your fingers very oily when you handle them. It’s a nice bonus that 1 stick of butter is easier to measure!
Santa has requested these this year.
I was so impressed with how easily these cookies came together. Based on how the batter tastes, I think they are going to be amazing!
I made these with the lesser sugar, and since I didn’t have dutch-process cocoa, went for 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, no baking soda. They turned out like in the picture, so perhaps that’s the work-around to nix puffy chocolate wafers?
We’re ready for the snowpocalypse now!
A perfectly delicious early Valentine’s Day treat! Merci beaucoup!
Hi Deb! I loooove your site. I’m about to make these with my kids, and was wondering how long the cookie dough would last in the fridge? I like to make half batches at a time so I can have fresh cookies when the first run out, to lengthen the shelf life so to speak. Is it best to bake the whole thing at once? Thanks!
Suki — I’d only keep it for a day. Longer, scoop it out and freeze the slightly-flattened balls of dough. Can bake them right from the freezer.
I saw a couple of requests in the comments regarding a vanilla or golden Oreo cookie but no response. I can’t eat chocolate and would love to be able to make homemade “golden Oreo’s”, any ideas?
Substituted flour with whole wheat flour added a tsp of vanilla essence and 3 tbsp of corn flour n it was perfect! Yumm!
hey deb!
like many others i went ahead with this recipe with hersheys cocoa and thankfully mine didn’t puff too much, looked very normal! but i just wanted to ask hmm are the cookies meant to be on the softer side or crispier side? mine turned out not crisp at all – they were quite soft and (very) slightly crumbly; i’m not sure what went wrong. i know for one that my oven doesn’t heat up very well so i left it for longer and tried a slightly higher temperature but neither worked (not even both) :( it’s okay they still tasted wonderful!
as for the filling i tried all-butter and it turned out quite badly for me, too mushy for my liking? also i couldn’t get the filling well-mixed enough (still many many crumbs of sugar that can be tasted in a single bite) probably because i don’t have a pastry blender and can only whisk by hand :( any suggestions? (ended up throwing out this batch of cream and i’m going to try again tomorrow!)
tiffany — They usually start soft and get crisp when they cool. The filling keeps them a little softer in the center. For the filling, try mixing the sugar in slowly. If the butter gets too warm/soft in the process, just chill the filling for a few minutes before spreading it, so it’s a bit thicker.
Well I put in two eggs instead of one because my mixture didn’t want to become a batter… just in case anyone was wondering, the wafers baked fine but the flavour was egg with a hint of chocolate… Yuck! The icing, on the other hand, was really good.
Do you think these chocolate wafers could be used similarly to the Nabisco Famous Wafers used for ice box cake? It’s a family favorite but I can’t always find them at the supermarket. Case in point – I bought the last 2 boxes on the shelf for my stepdaughter’s birthday cake a few weeks ago. Thanks!!!
Coconut oil might be a suitable substitution for the vegetable shortening. It is a solid at room temperature, just as is the shortening.
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but clarified butter is a good, workable substitute for shortening.
Deb – I had a very crappy day.. so i baked these last night, and am spreading joy with them today. holy moly you are right -milk takes them to a whole new level.
TURNING IT AROUND!!!!! so excited!!!!!! – Karlene B
Deb,
I love your blog and never try a new recipe without consulting yours to see if you make a version of it that would inevitably be better.
I had never made anything like this before but just a few hours before my weaving class, which is our last of the semester, I realized I had not made any delectables (which has come to be expected of my colleagues) and that I needed to throw something together quick.
Not only were these quick ( I had them mixed, made, and assembled in just about an hour) but they taste like something that took all day to make, and I know my class (there are only 4 of us so plenty to go round!) is going to go crazy.
Maybe I have a sugar-coma death wish or something, but I can’t help but imagine How amazing these would be dipped in dark chocolate or white fudge–perhaps half and half? Food for thought! (literally.)
Just made them!!! Now how do I stop myself from eating the entire batch!!!
Krissy — that’s exactly what I thought of when I made them.
Deb,
Made these as a test run for our holiday party. They are fantastic, and I’m feeding them to the gaming group today. I’m going to end up doing some vanilla and some peppermint extract for the party, and possibly a drop of green food coloring, to make festive mint “oreos.” The cookies themselves are also fantastic, though, and are going into my regular rotation list for when a chocolate cookie is called for. Thank you for this recipe!
Deb – these are amazing! A huge hit in my cookie time this year. I tried your recipe and then made some where I added peppermint to the filling. Oh my gosh – I highly recommend trying this way!
These look amazing!
I thought you might enjoy my broken oven homemade Oreos saga, Deb. http://kathyewing.com/2016/01/the-last-batch/
these are an unsurprising hit! I’ve also tried them with basil buttercream, unnecessary but delicious. has anyone had success with a chocolate cream filling for these? I imagine just adding cocoa powder but any tips would be welcome.
I used half coconut oil with butter for the filling and it worked perfectly well. They’re delicious.
this is an AMAZING recipe!!!!! i added a little half & half to my filling to make it more creamy it worked well
These cookies are awesome like all your recipes!
I actually used only a cup and half of confection sugar the second time around!
They were terrific and just a bit less sweet!
Also accidently I made the first batch too large forgetting there were two to a cookie. Made them the second time like that on purpose!
Thanks so much. Congrats on the new site!
These are really yummy! My kids and their friends gobble them up. They were easier than I anticipated, and the chocolate cookie is good on its own (I made using Deb’s tip to reduce the sugar).
I’ve also tried adding peppermint and a touch of food coloring to the frosting. These were also very tasty.
Ahhmazing! I have made these for gifts and for the sheer gluttonnous joy of eating them. I recommend not eating half a batch in one day if you wish to avoid tummy distress.
I use a 2 tsp cookie scoop for the cookie part and to fill with frosting. It really helps with the consistency. I recommend not making them very big because they are quite rich. I also do the sugar reduction recommended to make the cookie less sweet.
They freeze amazingly! I have frozen them prepared and with the cookie separate from the filling and both work really well. I toss them in the freezer to make ahead for gifts.
The frosting also takes flavoring really well. I have substituted mint, raspberry, cherry, and orange (all separately) for the vanilla. I will often dye the filling for whatever season or holiday they are prepared; or to match the flavoring.
Just try not to overcook them, the cookies will be good but much easier to eat if the cookie is still a touch soft.
Thanks for this recipe and also for this wonderful site. I love the idea of making my own oreos since the original contain PALM oil, which is produced in a disastrous way for social and environmental reasons. There are more endangered species too, like the orangutan or the Sumatran tiger because they lose their natural habitats.
So please, make sure that the vegetable shortening you use doesn’t have palm oil. Even the so-called “green” RSPO certification isn’t enough.
Not all palm oil is problematic. The stuff used in cheap processed food definitely is to be avoided, but Tropical Traditions is sustainably sourced and is a healthy traditional fat. I don’t know about Spectrum.
These are amazing! I get asked for the recipe every time I make them, and I gladly point people to your site.
Quick question: could you please give me some advice on mailing these delicious treats? Do you fill them before sending, or send the filling it its own container?
I googled shipping tips, but any thing else you can share would be appreciated. Thank you!
Are you overnighting? If overnighting and packed well, you can probably fill them. My friend Gail has excellent cookie packing tips in this post — it’s her business!
update. i packed in a circle-shaped plastic container. then i put that container in a larger box and padded the container with air popped popcorn. they arrived in two days and were still “amazing,” according to my friend.
I finally made these. I used black cocoa and the cookie part turned out perfectly. The filling though was too sweet, and the vanilla turned it brown. So next time, clear vanilla, and less powdered sugar. I wish I knew how to attach a photo.
Just made these they were amazing!!!
The first time I ate Oreos with my boyfriend we were newly dating. I took one and to my horror and amazement watched as he took three and dipped them in milk and ate all three at one time. He was 23 at the time and he’s 6’4 and practically a giant. Maybe that’s how it was possible?
Naturally, when I saw this recipe I had to make them! They are SO GOOD! Not hard to make. The chocolate cookies are the perfect sweetness and the filling is total sugary goodness. A winning combination. This recipe made it into my folder of cookies I continue making. Thanks again Deb!
I made these for my boyfriend who is obsessed with Oreos and he loved them! I also used the lesser amount of sugar.
How many teaspoons of dough for cookie do you suggest I use? I would like them thin.
Would love it if you would try your hand at homemade fig newtons too!
Or chocolate covered digestive biscuits? :)
These look amazing. Could I trouble you to confirm the baking soda vs powder amounts? I’m used to those ratios being switched. Might also explain the rise in everyone else’s–though they appear to be winners as written! Thank you for the recipe.
They are correct. I think the puffier ones are happening with non-Dutched/regular cocoa but cannot say for sure.
Needs more chocolate (what doesn’t?). Some vanilla (1 tsp) in the cookie is helpful, too. Otherwise, crispy cookie and nice filling
(I used all unsalted butter, no shortening). Thank you!
These were fantastic! I made them a little more grown-up: I added a teaspoon of espresso powder, a half teaspoon of cayenne, and a few grinds of black pepper to the cookies (and a splash of vanilla to balance the moisture from the added dry ingredients), and used orange extract instead of vanilla in the cream. Sinful! Thank you!
Thanks for the idea. My family loves orange/chocolate combinations, & made with orange extract, these would be perfect for my brother’s birthday.
I just made the cookies, not the filling (I just used nutella), but WOW OH MY GOODNESS YUM. They’re nice and thin, and wonderfully chocolatey.
I used the 1 cup sugar suggestion, and found them plenty sweet for my tastes.
These are my new go-to chocolate cookie recipe.
I just made these for the first time & they are fantastic! Not to mention one of the easiest cookies I’ve made (& I make a lot as I send cookies to the university class my husband teaches each week). Thank you so much for the recipe & for reposting it this week!
I am not able to find vegetable shortening where I live (overseas). Can I use more butter, or margarine in place of the shortening? I know it provides stability, so I’m not sure how it will work without the shortening.
Butter here is just fine.
For the shortening, do I use crisco solid or liquid?
I’ve made these and they are amazing! I want to make them for Christmas how “freezable” is the dough or the cookies after baking?
Just made these and they were so super easy and came together in no time at all. I opted for the less sugar option and could not imagine them to be any sweeter. I also did all butter in the frosting and 1/2 cup less of the powdered sugar. My one mistake was not having a glass of milk already poured. Super rich, super delicious. My husband and 1 year old LOVED them as well. Thanks Deb <3
I’ve made these every Christmas for three years, and feel I finally have it dialed. To get a more traditional Oreo sized cookie, I weight the dough into 10g balls (time consuming, but worth the even baking time) and baked for 7 mins at 375, rotating half way through. This year I swapped out the stuffing recipe for this one from Serious Eats http://www.seriouseats.com/2017/08/how-to-make-oreo-style-cookies-from-scratch.html#comments-425892
Again, more time consuming with cooking off the butter, but I prefer it to using shortening.
And the flavour of the filling is fantastic!
Thanks Deb, for yet another stellar recipe (even with my swap!)
I am going to try these. I found the black cocoa from an amish market and thats what is used for oreos. I used the cocoa to make banana bars and added half cocoa to the bottom layer and it tastes like oreo banana bars. The trick is in the blaxk cocoa. Thats where the taste comes from. I will try these asap. But one ?, do i hqve to use shortning for filling? I do have organic shortning but i still dont know about using it. I also have all natural lard with bha and thought about using it in place of shortning. Seems how lard is the original product that was used for everything then they made shortning as a cheaper way to bake with.
The lard is without bha.
I’m an old lady. I cook a lot, and generally I’m a pretty good cook. These cookies are the most impressive thing I’ve ever made! I rolled the dough into a log to chill the night before slicing and baking them. They spread beautifully – I will roll a thinner diameter next time because I only ended up w/ 15 cookies and not quite enough filling. But omg will I be making these again. Soon. Probably too soon. Thank you Deb!
I made these last night and they were a big hit, though I only got 10 sandwich cookies (and they weren’t terribly big). I didn’t have shortening, so I used the filling from Bravetart, which is all butter, and that seemed to work well. She has you melt the butter and strain it before beating it with the sugar, etc., which made for a nice consistency.
Just made these today. I settled on 1-1/4 cup of sugar. Mine were a little puffier than your picture. I may not have flattened them enough. But they sure are delicious and my 4-yr old grandson loves them!
Dear Debbie,
I made the Strawberry Sommer Cake-what a treat.My friends went gaga!!
The Carrot Pasta Salad was a hit und lasted 2 days. You made my week!!
Many thanks- like always I can’t wait for my next try.
GINA
Just made these. Doubled the recipe and used Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa as a test. They are nice and dark and I may go for straight black cocoa for fun next time. Filling is sweet and a perfect foil for the cookie. I used the lower sugar amount in the cookie and would definitely not go higher with that filling. I put a little cup on my kitchen scale and just rolled the dough into approximately 13 gram balls- 15 per cookie sheet. I tried both pressing and not pressing and not pressing give a smoother and cleaner edge and saves a step. Dang. They are tasty.
Thanks so much for the tip about weighing and not flattening – so helpful!
We adore these. I use 1 1/4 c. sugar, do not flatten, and bake on parchment paper. If they last long enough, I freeze them, sandwich them with ice cream and refreeze.
I made this and tweeked it to be vegan and gluten free. They turned out so delicious! Thanks again Deb! For substitutions I used: earth balance vegan butter, bob’s red mill 1 to 1 GF flour, and flax egg (ground flax mixed with water). Other than that no changes, except I doubled the recipe. So glad I did as they were devoured by my coworkers :)
Always happy to find a recipe I can make vegan, GF, and nut free as there are many people with food restrictions at my office.
I have wanted to try these for a while. Ever since I tried a fresh baked Oreo made by a local, moveable bakery here, Itty Bitty Bakery. what prompted me to finally try these is a bowl of maple frosting in my refrigerator. It is the result of a less than successful new recipe for Maple whoopie pies. They were edible but not memorable. Disappointing to me to waste so much maple syrup for something that was just meh. The recipe for the maple filling for the whoopie pies made twice as much as I needed. So, I decided the best place for the remainder of maple frosting was inside an Oreo. Great success, declared dangerous by my husband. I agree that the cookies are also delicious on their own.
Looks magical.
Absolutely fantastic–a total hit with my family. I thought only half of the filling is necessary and I used and only 6 tbsp. of butter in the dough to get soft, chewy cookies (our preference) that were almost like mini-whoopie pies.
How about stamping? I would love to personalize but not sure the texture will work… have you tried?
I don’t think this cookie would take to it because it’s a drop cookie.
How long can these be stored?
Is it possible to make the filling without vegetable shortening and use all butter?
Never mind – just saw this question was answered already!
Just made a batch and dad described them as “if a cupcake and an oreo had a baby…” Definitely making these again!
Have you ever made different kinds of oreos? I just made these and they were sooo good and I thought to myself – peppermint?? Or maybe even peanut butter oreos? Just wondering, thank you!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! They taste better than the real thing. Don’t get discouraged when the cookie batter looks really dry, just keep mixing it in the electric mixer and eventually it will look wet. Also I used tablespoon sized scoops for the cookies and wished they were just a bit smaller. The filling became a lot easier to pipe after my hand warmed it up after a bit, also you can be generous with the filling as I ended up with a lot left over. Overall amazing recipe!
Made these tonight, and enjoyed them very much. The cookies are a little thicker than an Oreo, but they sure are tasty.
Two questions:
1. Do you think it might work to roll and slice this dough to make uniform shaped cookies?
2. The recipe says it makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies. For clarification, do you mean individual cookies, which would make 12 to 15 finished sandwiches? I ended up with 17 finished cookies. Thanks Deb!
I don’t usually comment, but after making the wafer recipe for the tenth time or so I figured I should! This is such a great, versatile chocolate cookie recipe, and easy to mix up even sans mixer. I’ve gifted the oreos, done versions with bacon fat in the filling (really good), and even made the cookies to go with homemade ice cream for our wedding dessert 5 years ago. FWIW, I’ve always used the lesser amount of sugar and usually weigh the flour.
I’ve been making these for years and they are always a big hit. I returned to get this recipe for a baking contest (with an unconventional flour) because I don’t think anything can beat homemade oreos. It just occurred to me that you can dip these in chocolate…
These cookies are absolutely awesome!!! Instead of the filling I used vanilla ice cream; they are just perfect as frozen sandwiches. The cookies remain soft and chewy and they really do taste like oreos. I had to convince my husband that there were not any crushed up oreo cookie crumbs in the recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!!
The color on my phone is off, so I thought you made peanut butter filled Oreos. Now, though, I think it is worth a try. Maida Hatter has a peanut butter frosting recipe that was divine with dark cupcakes.
Any recommendations of how to make the filling a peanut butter filling?
Start with this frosting, maybe?
Thank you so much! With the coronavirus shut down, I am going to bake up a storm and will add these to the queue. Thank you :)
These were awesome! I used butter in the filling and it was just perfect. I do wish that I had remembered to use Dutch cocoa instead of Hershey’s but they were still irresistible. I spread a dollop of filling in the center because I hate piping. They definitely had a homemade quality to them that was appealing.
Have you found a cookie scoop size that works for the teaspoon sized cookies? I love to double and triple this recipe and find the scoop would make my life MUCH easier.
Yes — I use this one and it makes them exactly right.
GREAT! Just purchased and there will be oreos for the office soon!
These turned out great! I was worried about not having the recommended cocoa powder as I’m not located in the states, but these were an absolute hit and so easy to make. Thanks for a great recipe that will be made again soon!
So so good and easy! I used my hand mixer for everything and a teaspoon as my scooper and had no issues. My cookies were bigger than normal Oreos but I don’t mind! I made these for my mom who is a HUGE Oreo lover and she was so happy with them. Thanks, Deb!
Hey Deb, I’m commenting both here and on the world peace cookies post in hopes to get your attention. I’m planning to make the chocolate silk pie from your first cookbook tomorrow, and I have a batch of world peace cookies in my freezer that I was thinking of using for the crumb crust. Do you think they would work or would the chocolate chips throw off the texture? If they wouldn’t work, I would make a batch of the chocolate wafers from this recipe instead. Please let me know what you think! Thanks!
I think they could work. I think the biggest difference between homemade cookies and storebought ones we might grind into crumbs is the butter — homemade cookies, especially those, are much more rich and will need less butter to hold together. (I try to read all new comments that have come in anywhere on the site in the morning so no need to leave it in two places, I read them from my admin panel; I’ll delete the other.)
Thank you for responding so quickly! I’ll give them a try starting out with less butter and see how it comes together.
We had some leftover cannoli filling (not a usual occurrence!) and thought to use that for the filling. These cookies were easy and came out perfectly. I was able to reduce the sugar in the cookies to 50 grams, and that was perfect for our preferred sweetness level.
I made this vegan by subbing in vegan butter and a flax egg in the cookies, and using vegan butter in the filling as well. I also added some coffee to the filling- so decadent! These were so delicious. But be sure not to over-bake them if you’re looking for a soft cookie. I preferred the batch I baked for about 7-8 minutes. I have been keeping them in the fridge- they taste incredibly good slightly chilled.
In short, they are very delicious, easy to make, and everybody LOVED them. I’ve made these at least 6-7 times with different shortenings as well as some experiments with sugar, amount of cheese, and different flavors. Every time they turned out great, specially for the children’s. Thanks for this amazing recipe
Hi Deb,
I’m wondering why you use baking soda in your recipe for the wafers. Baking soda needs something acidic to activate it and make it rise. Dutch-proessed cocoa is alkaline, so the baking soda in your recipe is never activated.
How many cookies does this make approximately?
What can I use instead of vegetable shorting ?
Thank.you
You can use a coconut shortening or butter.
Mmmmm…made these today. The cookie is delicious and crispy…I used a different (butter only) recipe for the filling and I’m pretty sure these will be gone very soon! Thank you for bringing Oreo-like cookies back into my life!!
I finally got around to trying this recipe – delicious as anticipated. I had some onyx cocoa from Savory Spices, so they turned out dark like their mass market namesake. I found using the log-chill-slice technique to be a great technique for quick, uniform cookies. I found a log ~1-1.25″ in diameter produced a cookie similar in size to an Oreo.
Deb, thank you for all the wonderful recipes spiced with stories of your life and misadventures.
Happy Baking!
I contend that these are the PERFECT ice cream sandwich cookie. I bet I’ve made these 100 times. I always knock the sugar down to 1 1/4 cups. Sometimes I add mint extract with the vanilla. If it’s summer, I freeze them, then sandwich them with ice cream. The cookies freeze up solid, but thin, and not too hard. If I’ve baked them a bit long, they freeze up crispy shattery. If I underbake them, they freeze up chewy. Either way, this is a WIN.
This recipe has become such a family favorite. I get requests all the time. And they honestly couldn’t be simpler – I love that the cookie dough comes together in 5 minutes.
What can I use instead of vegetable shortening in the filling? Will butter work?
Yes
Just thought I’d leave this here for anyone else that was a little freaked about the vegetable shortening.. I used expeller pressed coconut oil (no coconut flavor) and the frosting was super good and thick. I’m not sure how thick the original recipe is supposed to be.. but these were definitely yummy without the shortening. The cookies themselves are super good too.. I might decrease the bake time next time to make them a little chewier. But they taste just like Oreos! My fav!
For the filling- how do I modify if shortening is not an option? Sub more butter?
Hi Selma – if you scroll down through the comments, you will find that someone substituted cream cheese for the vegetable shortening, and she said it was delicious. I haven’t made this recipe yet – but I plan to do the exact same thing! Hope yours come out well!
Thanks!
I must confess that upon seeing there were over 700 comments (!) I took the quick route and just asked without scrolling.
I made these for the first time last night and absolutely loved how easy and quick the recipe was. I followed the less sugar version and did everything as written, and these came out so delicious! Making another batch tonight for my husband to bring into the office. I don’t know if I will be able to enjoy regular Oreos anymore after having these.
OMG these are heavenly. I happened to have black cocoa on hand which adds to their Oreo-ness. I found the frosting to be the exact right quantity for the cookies. My portion size turned in to a total of 20 cookies. I wondered if a teaspoon was enough dough…it’s perfect. They spread in the oven, and then you sandwich them, so it’s just right. Thank you for this recipe, Deb! I know it will be in regular rotation.
You know how you wrote that these are impossible to mess up? You clearly haven’t met me. When I took the first batch out of the oven, they had run together and turned into basically one thin sheet the size of the cookie sheet. I realized that I had forgotten to add the flour! ( I know, I’m the world’s worst baker.) So I just dumped some flour into the dough that remained in the food processor until the consistency seemed ok and baked the rest. Delicious, even with just a random, unmeasured amount of flour. My husband couldn’t stop eating them. I also reduced the sugar the 250 gr despite planning to skip the filling and they were plenty sweet.
Later, I tasted the cooled first batch of flourless cookies and I liked them even more than the “regular” cookies. They were crispy and tasted like Brownie Brittle. I think they would be spectacular with ice cream. Next time I make these I might even intentionally leave out the flour.
OMG! These are epic! For speed, I divided the dough in two, and rolled into logs about 3/4” in diameter. Then I sliced them with a knife, about 1/3” thick. After they were on the baking sheet, I used a glass with a flat bottom, dipped in sugar, to flatten them a bit. Super speedy. Soooo delicious! There was lots of filling; I should have been just a bit more generous with it. This recipe is a keeper!
Made these yesterday with the reduced amount of sugar and they are perfect (and I have a heavy-duty sweet tooth). I had some Italian buttercream in the freezer, so I used that for the filling, mixed with some TJ cookie butter. Delicious!
Perfect timing. I just got back from Santa Rosa, where the Red Bird Bakery around the corner from the Astro Motel has a large version of these that is my go-to motel snack every time I visit Santa Rosa (4 or 5 times a year!). I came home hankering for more large fresh better-than-Oreos and here is the perfect recipe. Thank you!
Hi Deb, thank you for all your fabulousness! I saw your comment that these could probably make it a week – do you think they would last well or longer if they were vacuum-sealed?
So apparently if you decide to roll these out and cut them into the shape of giant hearts to make into Valentines Day gifts for you two sons who you have given a giant heart shaped cookie to every year since they were old enough to eat cookies and aren’t going to stop now just cause they are in College: it works! Adding pink food coloring to frosting is especially pretty. Thank you Deb! These are my youngest son’s favorite cookies.
These have been a go to of mine for years people always go crazy for them. I even made them for a wedding dessert bar!
Recently I attempted to make a gluten free version and they came out great as well. I used bobs 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour and measured by weight.
Can I ask why you don’t cream the butter and sugar first?