Grab The Milk

I have mentioned many times that I'm not the biggest fan of baking. I just don't enjoy it as much as I do "regular" cooking. Now maybe you have noticed I have been doing a little more of it, but you have probably also noticed it's never that labor intensive. No rolling out of dough, no kneading of bread, no lattice crusts--I leave those things to the professionals. (Any by professionals, I mean if you make home made bread or pie crusts more than once.....you are a pro to me!) But this recipe? Well, even I can do this; and if you like Oreos as much as I do, then you are going to be just as excited as I am. This comes to me from my dear friend Natalie in Nebraska. She and her beautiful daughter Olivia have started a baking blog, The Sweet Tooth, and they are quickly becoming 2 of my baking heroes! Seriously, anybody that can tell me how to make an Oreo at home---we are now friends for life! So if you like to bake or just want to follow a mother and daughter's summer of baking fun, head on over to their blog and see what yummy things they are making today:)

At Home Oreos

Cookies:
1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. Hershey's unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. plus 2 TBS butter, room temperature
1 large egg

The Filling:
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
1/4 c. vegetable shortening
2 c. sifted powdered sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt. With an electric mixer, beat in egg and butter. Continue mixing until dough comes together in a mass. Take rounded teaspoons of dough, roll into balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. If dough starts to stick, moisten your hands. Dip the bottom of a glass in flour and flatten each dough ball. The thinner you make them, the crispier they will be. Bake for 9 minutes and cool on rack--they will continue to flatten as they cool. While cookies are baking, prepare the filling- Blend butter and shortening together. Add powdered sugar 1/2 c. at at time. Blend in vanilla and mix well. When cookies have cooled, spread filling on flat side of one, and top w/ another close to the same size.





Cocoa Powder