Homemade Oreos

We've all seen the recipes for homemade Oreos floating around the internet.

You know... the ones that are all soft and not at all like actual Oreos?

These, dear friends, are not like those fake Oreos at all. These taste exactly like real Oreos. 

They have exactly the right crunchy consistency, just like I hoped they would. And the frosting?

Creamy and smooth, exactly as it should be.

I made these Oreos to put into homemade cookies & cream flavored ice cream, but I can't stop eating them. We'll see if any of them survive. 

So, to sum up: homemade Oreos, perfect crunchiness (not reminiscent of whoopie pies at all), delicious flavor, without all the preservatives from the store-bought cookies. 

Homemade Oreos

Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder, dutch process 

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups powdered sugar

2 tbsp cream (or half & half or milk)

1. Using a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. 

2. Add the dry ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut out into desired shapes. Bake for 10-12 minutes on a lined baking sheet (I line it with my silpat, but you can use parchment paper). 

4. Let cool on a cooling rack and make the filling. Beat the butter for 30 seconds on medium, then add the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, then add the cream as necessary to thin it to the desired consistency. 

5. Fill and serve. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes

Everyone needs a chocolate cupcake recipe, right?

These cupcakes are moist, rich, and chocolatey.

Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes

Yields: 12-14 cupcakes, depending on how much you fill them

2 tbsp veggie oil

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

3/4 cup + 3 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup cocoa powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs + 1 egg yolk, room temp

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream (I used regular yogurt)

1/2 cup hot water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line a cupcake pan with liners.  

2. Put veggie oil, chocolate chips, and butter into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring every 30 seconds, until just melted.

3. Combine flour, baking soda and powder, cocoa powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk until combined. 

4. In a large bowl, combine sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until combined. Add the melted chocolate mixture, then whisk until combined. 

5. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the yogurt to the sugar mixture. Mix until just combined (I didn't even use my stand mixer. I just used a whisk). Add in the hot water last, and mix until it's combined. 

6. Use a cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners. I filled mine about 3/4 of the way full, but I would fill a little bit less next time. (High altitude messes everything up!!!)

7. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Ultimate Chocolate Frosting

Yields: enough for 1 dozen cupcakes

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, slightly softened

3 cups powdered sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

milk for thinning

Beat the butter on high with a mixer for about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, slowly. Add the vanilla. Add milk as needed for desired consistency. Beat for about 3 minutes to make it fluffier. 

Pipe the frosting onto cupcakes using a closed star tip. Top with chocolate sprinkles.

Caramel Cupcakes

I recently took a dialect quiz. The point of the quiz was to demonstrate how differently people across the United States speak the English language. The quiz was scarily accurate... it identified my hometown and my parents' hometown as the places I'm most likely from. You should check out the quiz at this link. One of the questions was how I pronounced "caramel." Am I the only one who completely ignores the middle "a"? I say "CAR-ml."

Anyway, these cupcakes were a fun experiment for my husband's work luncheon. It was Harry Potter themed, so I wanted to go with something along the lines of butterbeer cupcakes. I adapted the cupcake recipe from Natasha's Kitchen, and I invented the frosting recipe.

Caramel Cupcakes 

Yields: 15 cupcakes

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup canola or veggie oil
1/2 cup buttermilk (I always use milk with 1/2 tsp white vinegar)

1/3 cup caramel sauce (the ice cream topping kind is what I used)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line cupcake pans with 15 cupcake papers. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk for about 1 minute. You want to get everything really well incorporated.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the eggs with the sugar for about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and oil, then beat for 15 seconds.

3. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk slowly, alternating between the two. Use a cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly among the 15 cupcake papers. I filled my cupcake paper halfway up the paper.

4. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.

Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 tbsp caramel sauce
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
milk for thinning

1. Beat the slightly softened butter for about 1 minute in the stand mixer. Add the caramel sauce.

2. Slowly add the powdered sugar, then add the vanilla. You may need a few teaspoons of milk or cream to thin the frosting out enough to pipe it.

To assemble the cupcakes:

Let the cupcakes cool. Use a very small round piping tip to fill cupcakes with the caramel sauce. Pipe frosting onto the cupcakes using a closed star tip. Drizzle with leftover caramel sauce. Enjoy!

My wonderful husband got me a fancy frosting piping bag and giant cupcake coupler for my birthday. Most useful present ever! 

Mini Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

Cupcakes. 

Oreos.

Frosting.

Do I have your attention yet?

These are adorable mini chocolate cupcakes with Oreo filling flavored frosting.

Mini Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes 

Yields: about 4 dozen mini cupcakes

6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tbsp hot water
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit (365 for high altitude). Line mini cupcake tins with liners. 

2. Whisk together the cocoa powder and hot water. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

3. Melt the butter with the sugar in a saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Pour the butter/sugar into a mixing bowl, and beat until it's cooled down, about 4 minutes. 

4. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla, then the cocoa/water mixture. Add the flour mixture slowly, alternating with the sour cream.  

5. Scoop the batter using a small cookie scoop or spoon in into the cupcake liners. They should be about 3/4 full. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

Oreo filling frosting

1 stick butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
15 (ish) Oreo cookies

Scrape the filling out of all the Oreos. Keep the filling and crush the cookies. Beat the butter and the Oreo filling together with a mixer for about 1 minutes. Add the powdered sugar slowly, then the vanilla, and the pinch of salt. Beat for about 1 minute after it's all added to make sure it's all beat in and fluffy. Pipe onto the cupcakes with an open star tip, then roll them in the crushed Oreo pieces.