O-OREO

I much prefer cooking to baking. There are several reasons for this preference. First of all, I don't necessarily love sweets (I know - the horror). Sure, there are desserts that I feel like I could eat enough of to put me in the hospital; but in general I am more geared toward savory flavors than sweet ones. Secondly, my husband is a type 1 diabetic and having sweets in the house is not the best choice for his health. And lastly, the exactness of baking tends to stress me out. All of the precise measuring, leveling ingredients, and letting things get to room temperature make me high strung (well more high strung than I already am). Baking can be fun, but because of the aforementioned reasons I never plan baking recipes into my weekly menu. Every time I bake it is usually a result of boredom. If I am having a slow weeknight and feel restless I will hop in the kitchen and bake something with ingredients I have in the pantry and fridge. I always bring the outcome to my work and send half with Forrest to his work. I have found in my experience that co-workers are very willing participants in taste testing anything made with sugar.

Homemade Oreos
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

For the chocolate wafers:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
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
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 pure 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. Then mold the edges of the cookie into neat round circles.

Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set cookies on a cooling 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 alternating between the two. 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.