Homemade Raspberry Oreos

 

I have two serious Oreo cookie addicts in my life: my youngest sister and my boyfriend. My sister thinks store-bought Oreos are better than any other cookie in the world--including homemade chocolate chip cookies. I swear, I don't know how we are related sometimes. My boyfriend doesn't eat many Oreos plain, but he loves anything Oreo flavored: cheesecake crust, cupcakes, whatever. If it's Oreo, he's sold. That's why I decided, this Valentine's Day, to include homemade Oreos in his assortment of Valentine's treats. Since he's also a big fan of raspberry, I decided I would make the Oreo cream raspberry flavored. It was an excellent decision.

I'm going to warn you now: these Homemade Raspberry Oreos are seriously addicting. Not just because of how they taste--though just try and resist them. (I mean, come on, store bought Oreos are addicting enough, so imagine how addicting the homemade version is...) But in addition to getting addicted to how these cookies taste, you're going to get addicted to making homemade Oreos. They're really not as hard as you would think. I made some for my Christmas cookie spread that had a gingerbread flavored wafer and a vanilla creme, and now I can't stop thinking of fun Oreo flavors to make at home.

The problem with most homemade Oreo recipes floating around on the internet is that, while they are tasty, they don't really taste authentic. I've had Thomas Keller's homemade Oreos from Bouchon Bakery in Columbus Circle. (Which, by the way, is a heavenly place.) But, while the cookie was pretty good, the creme was miles off to me. Sure, I know that no recipe for a factory-produced product is going to taste the same without the artificial flavorings and strange processed ingredients, but I hoped there was a closer replica out there somewhere. When you look up the recipe, you'll see that he uses white chocolate ganache. Tasty, but not that trademark Oreo flavor. The Smitten Kitchen Oreo recipe has nearly perfect filling, so I used her creme recipe as the base of my raspberry Oreo filling.

After extensive Googling, I decided to go with this recipe for the cookie, and am I glad I did! The chocolate cookies were dark and crispy and had that distinct saltiness that Oreo cookie wafers have. (I think that if you added some mint extract and covered them in dark chocolate instead of filling them, they would also make an outstanding Thin Mint copycat.) The raspberry creme is dense, yet light, and nicely tangy from the addition of raspberry jam. The combination is outstanding. You will love and hate me for introducing you to them!

Homemade Raspberry Oreos--could they be America's NEW favorite cookie? I think it's possible!


Homemade Raspberry Oreos
Total Time: 1 hour
Yields: About 30 cookies 

Source: As mentioned about, the chocolate cookies are just barely adapted from Bravetart and the creme is adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Cookie Ingredients:

• 3 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 and 3/4 ounces granulated sugar
• 1 and 1/2 ounces brown sugar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 4 ounces all-purpose flour
• 3 ounces dutch-processed or dark cocoa powder

1. Using a stand mixer, cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Add salt, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla extract and beat, at medium speed, until combined. Turn the mixer to low and add egg yolks one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition. When the eggs have just been incorporated, scrap the bowl and mix on low for 30 seconds.
2. Add flour and cocoa powder and mix until just incorporated. Using a fine mesh sieve, lightly dust a clean surface with cocoa powder. Scrape the dough into a ball and place on the cocoa dusted surface. Dough will be very firm.
3. Sprinkle dough with additional cocoa powder and roll to 1/8" thickness. Cut with a 2" round cookie cutter, or other small shape. To make "designs" on the cookie, press a smaller cookie cutter firmly in the center of the dough circle, but do not cut all the way through. You should make a deep impression, not a clean cut. (You can also form the dough into a log, chill, and slice, if you prefer, but I think the roll and cut method looks nicer.)
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet lined with parchment paper. (If you are having trouble moving the cookies, use a very thin spatula or bench scraper to transport them.) Work scraps back into a smooth ball, roll, and cut, until most of the dough has been used. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cookies should be fully cooked and crisp, but not burned. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire cooling rack before filling.

Raspberry Creme Filling Ingredients:

• 1/4 C room temperature butter
• 1/4 C vegetable shortening
• 2 and 1/4 C confectioner's sugar
• 1/4 C seedless raspberry jam
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and shortening until well-blended. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar, mixing on low. Add the jam and the vanilla and beat 2-3 minutes, until the creme is fluffy.
2. To fill the cookies, transfer the creme to a pastry bag fitted with a large round piping tip. (You can also use a large zip top bag, sealed tightly, with a small hole cut out of the corner.) Squeeze a generous dollop of creme on one cookie. Top with a second cookie and press lightly. Repeat until all of the cookies are filled. If desired, dip the cookies in dark chocolate and let set on wax or parchment paper until the chocolate is firm and the cookie lifts easily.