homemade oreos.

So I had one of my get-the-urge-to-bake-around-midnight moments again, and I ended up making some really delicious homemade Oreos with vanilla creme. :) They seem to be pretty popular so far. I'm going to post the original recipe that I worked off of, and then just some small changes I made along the way...you can decide how you'd like to make them!

Homemade Oreos

For the chocolate cookie:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
*I used Hershey's natural unsweetened cocoa, and they tasted yummy anyway.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
*I ended up adding 1 more tablespoon of butter, mine just wouldn't come together without it.
1 large egg

For the vanilla creme:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
*I put in another 1/2 teaspoon...vanilla flavoring is my favorite and I think it helped balance out the strong chocolate flavor in the cookies.

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass. *This can take a while for it to actually start to stick together, so don't be discouraged if it's 10 minutes before it all starts coming together.*

3. 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. *I put some non-stick cooking spray on the baking sheets and it worked out just fine. I flattened the ball between my wet hands before putting it on the baking sheet, it just seemed a lot easier than flattening it on the sheet. If you like your cookies a little bit crunchier like me, bake them for 11 minutes instead.*
4. To make the creme, 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. *It took me more like five to six minutes to reach a consistency I liked for the creme.*

5. 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 milk. *Make sure to be a bit generous when you put creme on the cookie...also, instead of using a pastry bag I just used a spoon.*

Now you have deliciousness!! :)