Lately, my husband has been getting me into a bit of trouble.
You see, he’s my taste tester. He’s not afraid to tell me when something I make is awful (it has happened before… believe me!), so I know he’ll give me an honest opinion. So, when I’m baking and working on a new recipe, I often take him a plate of samples.
A few times lately (including yesterday when I was working on this particular recipe), he has raved on Facebook about what I made for him. I’m thrilled when my recipes turn out well, and I’m always glad that he’s happy with his afternoon snack. But, I wind up with a whole group of jealous friends, neighbors, and relatives who want to know why I didn’t make homemade oreos (or cinnamon rolls, brownies, muffins… ) for them. It’s a bit of a dilemma!
In this case, the homemade oreos that my hubby was taunting his friends with on Facebook were already spoken for… Most of the cookies were destined for the cafe at our church. But, of course, I had set aside a few extras for my hubby. Then it hit me… I had a solution to my problem! I just reminded him that if anyone wanted samples of the treats, they would have to come out of his snacking stash. My guess is he won’t be sharing my baking secrets on Facebook anymore!
These homemade oreos are easy to make. They are based on my recipe for vanilla bean sugar cookies. By adding dutch process cocoa, they have the dark chocolatey flavor of oreos. Paired with a quick vanilla buttercream filling, I happen to think they are better than the originals. Of course, if you’re friends with my hubby on Facebook, you already knew that.
Homemade Oreos
(Makes approximately 3 dozen)
For the cookies:
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons half and half
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 3 – 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, whisked to remove any lumps
Begin by preparing the cookies. Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until well incorporated.
Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, beating on the lowest speed. Continue to mix on the lowest setting until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.
Divide the dough in half, and shape into two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
When the dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Set aside.
Taking only one portion of dough out of the refrigerator at a time, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to 1/8 – 1/4-inch thickness. Use a cookie cutter (approximately 2 inches in diameter) to cut out cookies and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cookies are cooled, prepare the filling. Combine the softened butter, half and half, vanilla, and salt and beat until combined. The mixture may be a bit lumpy, but will come together. Add the powdered sugar gradually, approximately 1/2 cup at a time, until the filling comes together. It will be slightly stiffer than a cupcake frosting.
Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe the filling onto half of the cookies, and top with the remaining cookies to form cookie sandwiches.
This recipe worked out perfectly! I never bake, I’m a meat cooking mom, so I did burn the first batch, the rack on the oven was too low. I didn’t find the dutch process cocoa either, although I was happy that it didn’t matter, the cookies were just not the same colour. A tip for non-bakers like me – put parchment paper over the dough to roll it out, it doesn’t stick to the roller. Love this recipe!
hi, i live in Lagos Nigeria and cant get dutch process cocoa powder. can i use the ordinary kind instead and whats “half and half” dnt think i will be able to get that either.
adesola – Yes, you can use regular cocoa powder… The cookies may not be quite as dark, but they will taste delicious! And, half and half is simply half cream and half milk, so you can substitute part cream and part milk and the recipe should work out just fine. Enjoy!
I just made a batch of these and they are delicious! Thanks for the recipe… I made them up in mini heart shapes, so cute.
I feel very accomplished! I made these cookies tonight and they are VERY yummy! It seemed to take awhile – a bit time consuming but worth it. Thank you to everyone that shared this blog so I could find it on Pinterest.
Is the taste the same as whoppie pies?
Gwen – The flavors may be similar to whoopie pies, but the texture is very different. Whoopie pies have more of a cake-like texture and a fluffy icing and these cookies are a bit more crisp and have a thick/stiff icing more like a real oreo.
AWESOME! I always get a butterknife & scrap off the cream from my oreos…..I tell my husband every time can SOMEONE PLEASE make just the outside of the oreos…..now I can! Can’t wait!
Finally! Someone else who likes the cookie but not the filling! I thought I was the only one!
Oh, noooooo… I do the same thing. I like the cake and not the frosting too!!! Please don’t hate me! :)
hahaha … and my friends thought i was strange! i do exactly the same thing … love the cookie … not a fan of the filling! :p
With the butter and half and half in the filling, should they be refridgerated?
Amy – I typically don’t refrigerate the cookies… Just like I don’t always refrigerate cake made w/ buttercream icing (which typically has the same ingredients). However, if you are concerned about it, you can keep the cookies in the fridge. Just make sure they are well wrapped.
With the butter and half and half, are they ok to be mailed (one week in the mail)?
Jean – I have made these cookies and left them at room temperature for a few days, so I think they’d be OK. However, if you would feel better, you could substitute shortening for the butter in the frosting and use a little bit less powdered sugar to get the right consistency.
Wow wow wow! just finished making these! Fantastic! I had a little bit of a tough time guaging thickness for the cookie part but found out the thinner ones taste more authentic. Anyone know of any tricks to get the dough all the same thickness?
Hi, Robin – I’m so glad you enjoyed the cookies! You can actually buy rubber bands for your rolling pin that will keep the dough at a specific height. You can find them at specialty stores or on Amazon.com (affiliate link).
Was wondering if I could just roll dough out flat and bake a top and a bottom and make one big cookie. I can’t find cookie cutters here so I am stuck. Has anyone ever tried that? I could spread the cream across the bottom and just stick the top on it and have a big cookie. If that works you could even ice it if you wanted and make a cookie “cake” anyone think this will work?
Hi, Tonya – It’s worth a try to make one giant cookie, but my guess is that the edges will brown and get hard before the center of the cookie bakes properly. Instead of using cookie cutters, you could simply roll out the dough and use a knife to cut it into squares. I think that would work a lot better!
Tonya you could also use a clean metal lid from a jar, or plastic cup, or a clean tin can from soup or something similar in size to use as a cookie cutter so you get a uniform size for your upper and lower cookies. Worth a try.
Or you could form your dough into a log and slice off sections the thickness of the cookie you want. Just make sure to chill you dough really well so it will slice.
These were fun to make! :) I baked mine for ten minutes, and they turned out great. I ended up with more filling than I needed, but that’s probably just because I didn’t fill the first few very full.
Just put the “dough” in the fridge to chill.. it has the consistency of frosting and looks like it too, is this normal.. I have a bad feeling about it…
Martha – The dough should probably be a bit thicker. It should have a consistency similar to a sugar cookie dough. Perhaps try adding more flour? The butter may have been too soft.
Great recipe and I’m so excited to try it! I was wondering if you can tell me how long these will stay good/fresh? Do they need refrigeration or can they stay out? I’d like to make them as part of a “Get well” basket but I’m not sure about storing them. Thanks!!
Hi, Maareya – I typically will keep these cookies at room temperature for a day or two. My advice is to bake the cookies ahead of time and wait to add the filling/frosting until right before you are going to add them to the basket. Then, they should be OK for a few days until they are enjoyed. Of course, if you prefer or you are concerned with storing the cookies at room temperature, you could also use shortening instead of butter for the filling.
Thank you for figuring out a way to make these!! My ds is allergic to corn & gluten (among many other things.) I tweaked your recipe to make it gluten-free & corn-free it came out to be pretty darn good (& this is from a person that can’t stand GF foods because it usually tastes like cardboard w/icing on it).
For the first time in 4 years, my son & I got to dunk “Oreo” cookies together which used to be one of our favorite reward treats together. He is now 8 and said they were “AWESOME”.
The texture of the cookie was amazingly similar to the real ones, a bite could be taken w/out the cookie completely falling to crumbs (typical w/GF baked goods), AND, most importantly, the cookie could be dunked in milk.
The frosting was pretty good & suited the cookie very well. If you can eat real Oreos & are very picky, then the filling won’t completely hit bull’s-eye, but pretty darn close! (The real Oreos have too many “artificial” ingredients that can’t be duplicated well :-).”
I used Bloomsfield Farm’s All Purpose Mix for the flour & Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa as another person suggested in a comment.
Thanks again!!! I usually don’t comment, but this was exceptional & GREATLY!! appreciated from this Mommy that tries to replicate “regular” foods while substituting out allergen ingredients.
Hi, Jenifer – So glad that you enjoyed these Oreos and that you were able to make the recipe work for your son! Thanks for stopping by!
They look delicious! How far apart are the cookies before baking on the cookie sheet? Wasn’t sure if they spread or not..
Thanks!!
Hi, June – I don’t space the cookies out *too* much… I think I leave about an inch of space between the cookies to be safe, but they shouldn’t spread too much. If you have trouble with spreading, try popping them in the freezer for a few minutes before putting the tray in the oven.
I’m making these today. If my we snippet of dough is any indication, I’m going to love these! These will also be a great homemade version of those famous chocolate wafers that you can use for a pie crust, too!
darkchocolatecrunchiness!
i made them yesterday, came out delicious but didn’t taste like oreos to me. maybe i did something wrong?
I am SO EXCITED to try these! I am mid way into it (cookies are made but I’m in need of half and half for the filling) and so far, AMAZING! THe flavor of the cookie is pretty spot on, far as I can tell. Can’t believe I can still enjoy oreos with my family without worrying about all the awful artificial ingredients.THANK YOU, so so much, for sharing this incredible recipe!
My friend and I just made these. I have to admit, we were a bit skeptical. They were delicious, though! Way better than store-bought Oreos!
thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
i loved the picture so much of the heart shape so that is the one i made. because i think a cookie cut in a heart makes it 100% better!
i just made these and loved them as did the 3 teen boys in the house.
personally i do not like real oreos so very turned off by all the garbage they put in them as others had also said….
i decided not tell my family they are ‘like oreos’ because honestly they’ve never tasted oreos (we live in finland) but instead just call them ‘chocolate heart sandwich cookies’.
in a pinch i sub the half and half for regular milk (not skim) and frosting still turned out wonderful.
I found this recipe via Pinterest … This recipe should be banned !
I only made them this afternoon and I have already eaten 3 !!!!!!! I can already feel my jeans groaning lol … (I wonder if I can sneek another before bed without anyone noticing)
Thanks from the UK :)
If you think eating 3 of these is bad i’m keeping my mouth shut…looks like i’ll need to loosen my belt.
Just wanted to let you know that I pinned your oreos. They look wonderful and I can’t wait to try out this recipe. Thanks again for sharing it!
Melissa
Hi, I love this idea. My son and I are Oreos fans. I’m just wondering if when baking the cookies will it rise a little bit in the middle or will it stay flat? I want to be flat.
Asking because sometimes when I bake cookies, the middle rises and it doesn’t look nice and flat.
Thanks
Hi, Marjorie – When I bake the cookies, they don’t really rise much in the middles since they don’t contain a lot of egg or baking powder. To help the cookies keep their shape in the oven, you can also pop the tray of already cut cookies into the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. That will help them to bake evenly and retain their original shape. Hope you enjoy them!
I am 15 and I loooooooove baking, I don’t mean to brag or anything but I rarely eat better dessert than the ones I make so I am Super duper excited to make these!!! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH!
Wanted to thank you SO much because I am going to make the cookies 24/7! I love the chocolate cookies of oreos and don’t eat the inside and this just solved my problem because I can just make the cookie part and not the filling!!!(: Thanks sooo much!
Jen, I enjoyed reading your blog about the Homemade Oreos.
Thanks for sharing the recipe too. Looking forward to reading more.
Can I use whole wheat flour instead of white flour?
Hi, Jen – You can give the whole wheat flour a try… The cookies might not have the same texture since whole wheat flour tends to be a bit heavier than traditional all purpose flour. You may want to start with a bit less flour and just add enough to keep the dough from being too sticky. If you give it a try, let me know how it works!
Just finished making these. So good and so much fun. I used the Hershey’s special dark cocoa and it was perfect. Exact color of an Oreo. The dough was nice and smooth to work with. I may have made the filling a tad too thick, but I put it in a piping bag and just piped a big dollop in center of one cookie and used the other cookie to press the filling down and they came out great. Will definitely keep in my “winner” file. Thanks!
about 6 months ago i had to go gluten free, and my hubby had to go gluten free. I’ve finally figured out how to make it gluten/sugar free. I substituded 3/4 c. brown sugar splenda and 1 cup bob’s mill g/f oat flour and 1 c potato starch. Holy Cow it’s great! Hubby and I absolutley love them!
Do you think i can make these using gluten free flour. I just discovered my gluten allergy.
Sarah – Yes, I think these cookies would work well with a blend of gluten-free flours. I would try an all purpose gluten-free flour blend. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Hi Jen, I’ve just discovered your blog when trying to find a good recipe for homemade oreos. The photos look amazing, can’t wait to try this recipe! I’m not a baking expert and I’m based in the UK, so measurements in cups scare me a bit :) Would you be to tell me the measurements in grams? Or at least how many grams one cup has? Every person seems to have a different version… Keep up the good work!
Hi, Monica – Since I don’t typically weigh my flour in grams, I am not 100% sure. However, I have seen that all purpose flour should be between 115g and 140g (depends on whether or not it is sifted, etc.) for one cup. For sugar, you can estimate about 200g per cup. Hope that helps!
Many thanks for replying. Sounds about right, I’ll try the recipe with these quantities. If only I had more time to bake all the stuff I’ve been drooling over :)
I loved these! Any ideas as to why the filling came out a little more off-white than the pictures? I figure adding more powdered sugar would fix this, but I felt the filling was verging on too sweet already. Either way, thanks for the recipe!
Hi, Melanie – It may just depend on the brand of butter that you have… I think some are more yellow than others. If you wanted more of a white filling, you could certainly use vegetable shortening in place of the butter.
These are really great! I have made them several times and love them. They just make so many. I am wondering if I can make these ahead of time and freeze them all put together? Or is it better to make the cookies and freeze them and then make the frosting at a later time and assemble? Thank you for this recipe!
Hi, Jami – I have never tried freezing the cookies already assembled with the frosting. However, the frosting is basically just a thick buttercream, and I freeze cakes frosted with buttercream all the time. So, my gut instinct is that it would work fine.