Double Stuff Oreos

The last four weeks were a whirlwind of house hunting and negotiating, a wonderful weekend in Chicago, a (very hot) trip to Boston for the marathon, and a visit from a dear friend and her boyfriend who we met for the first time.  Between all of that, life in general, and work (oh, yes, that -- I do have a job), I feel like I've been largely absent from cooking and blogging and doing things at home that I love.  The glorious spring weather we have had is a contributing factor... I just feel guilty being inside!

A major contributing factor to feeling overwhelmed is that we are under contract (!!) on a home.  If all goes well, we'll be home owners in mid-June.  When I think about cooking, I now see myself in our new kitchen and cooking in our current place just isn't as enticing.  The prospect of owning our own home is both amazing and terrifying.  I don't want to share any details about the house until things are official, but below is a glimpse at a lovely little something from the backyard.

Thankfully, S's birthday party this weekend snapped me out of my house dreaming and back to reality - I promised to bring dessert to the party and the clock was ticking until party time.  Initially, I offered to make Rhubarb Buckle.  If you love rhubarb, you must make Ali's version of Rhubarb Buckle.  Seriously.  It is a must.  We made it during the aforementioned trip to Chicago and I had four pieces in a 24 hour period.  Are you judging?  If so, just wait until you make it! 

You know what else is dangerous?  These Double Stuff Oreos.  Looking at my photos, these look more like whoopie pies than Oreos.  If you look at the photos on Smitten Kitchen, the cookies are much flatter and thinner.... I was worried that the cookies would flatten considerably during baking, but they didn't.  Next time I make these, I'll press them down more before baking.  I do, however, stand by my change to make fewer cookies but to add more filling.  The filling really complements the intense chocolate flavor (with a touch of saltiness) of the cookies and I think the cookies as a whole benefit from just a little more filling.

If you have a cookie thief in your household, beware!  I had to stop Rob not only from eating the cookies, but also the frosting.  Under the guise of helping me spread the filling, I caught him sneaking tastes of both.  Consider yourself warned!

Double Stuff Oreos
Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen

Yield = 20 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

For the chocolate wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup 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 vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F.
2. In a food processor or the 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 the dough comes together in a mass.
3. Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately two inches apart.  With moistened hands, flatten the dough.  Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking.  Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.
4. To make the cream, place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla.  Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
5. To assemble the cookies, use either a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch round tip to pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie or use a butter knife (I used a knife and it worked well).  Apply filling to half of the cookies and then apply any remaining filling to the cookies until you use all of the filling.  Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the filling.  Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie.  Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched. 

Update on Friday, May 25, 2012 at 12:43 AM by Darcy Eden

After making these for a second time, I wanted to report back about making the cookies thinner.  The second time around, I used approximately 1 rounded tablespoon of dough per cookies.  I rolled the dough into a ball, placed it on the parchment paper, and used the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookie to approximately 1/4" in thickness (as pictured below).  The end result is a much flatter, more Oreo-like cookie.  I kind of like the look of my first (very thick) batch, but these were more manageable to eat!

Midnight Cowboy Cookies

One of the oddest things about the internet is how you can become friends with someone you haven't ever met in person. I was e-introduced to Jackie at dessertification by my dear friend Sarah - Jackie and Sarah went to college together. I love reading about her creative desserts and thoroughly enjoy her wry sense of humor... and I suspect that if we went shopping together, we'd have an excellent time and purchase many similar items!  Hopefully we'll meet in person at some point.

Rob sneakily depleted our frozen cookie dough supply and I wanted to mix things up a bit on the cookie front when I refreshed it. I've been on a chocolate chip cookie kick for awhile and these were a delicious discovery - I love that the dough base is peanut butter, and that with each bite you taste chocolate and pecans. These are crunchy and seriously addictive.  I'm psyched we now have a stash of these in the freezer.

Midnight Cowboy Cookies
Recipe from dessertification as adapted from Holiday Baking
Yield = approximately 4 dozen

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup vegetable shortening
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 cups (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.


• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.


• In a stand mixer, beat together the peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for approximately 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and then beat the eggs into the wet ingredients one at a time until fully combined.


• Using a low mixer speed, combine the flour mixture with the wet ingredients. Stir in the oats, chocolate chips, pecans, and coconut until just combined.


• Make tablespoon-sized balls of dough (I use a melon baller) and place them at least 1" apart on the baking sheets. At this stage you can also freeze the dough balls for baking at a later time. Bake the cookies for approximately 15 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden brown.

Jim Lahey's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rob's grandmother spends her summers in Bridgehampton and it was on a visit to see her when I first had a Tate's Bake Shop chocolate chip cookie.  You can find Tate's cookies all over, but the original bake shop is located in Southampton... and like a Range Rover and a popped collar, these are a staple at picnics and beach outings in the Hamptons.

These cookies remind me of Tate's.  They are thin and crispy - I tried baking them two different ways (first immediately after mixing the dough and then after freezing the dough) and it didn't make the slightest bit of difference in the thickness of the cookies.  My go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe from Alexandra Cooks produces soft, chewy cookies and I love them; however, these cookies, particularly if you like your chocolate chip cookies on the crispy side, are delicious. 

Jim Lahey's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Active time = 20 minutes
Recipe from Jim Lahey via the March 2011 Bon Appétit 

Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Preparation
Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 425°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and both sugars in a large bowl until well combined, 2–3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla; beat on medium-high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, 2–3 minutes. Add dry ingredients, reduce speed to low, and mix just to blend. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 1/2" apart. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until edges are golden brown, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature, or freeze cookies for up to 2 months.

Simple Sugar Cookies

A classic sugar cookie recipe is something every baker needs in their arsenal.  A great sugar cookie is versatile in that it can stand on its own as a tasty treat, but also can be decorated with frosting and sprinkles on the proper occasion.  

My mom is notorious for having baked goods all over the house at the holidays.  She tucks a covered plate of cookies or a bowl of her famous sweet and salty popcorn in some nook in my parent's house where you inevitably stumble upon it (see the photo below of the popcorn in a sneaky spot at Christmas).  Before you know it, you have eaten 10 cookies or many handfuls of said popcorn.  It is both a curse and a blessing.

This past Christmas, my mom's holiday cookies were particularly good so I requested the recipe.  Something about the cookies set them apart - they have a bit of a zing that I attribute to the freshly-ground nutmeg.  My grand plans for decorating sugar cookies at the holidays did not materialize, but when we hosted two football parties, I had a chance to put the recipe to use.  

My dear friend L sent me an ingenious Christmas present that made the cookies even better - an alphabet cookie press set from Fred & Friends.  I made "P" and "B" cookies for our Patiots vs. Broncos party (in addition to football helmet cookies) and I am already envisioning using these for bridal showers, baby showers, and any party where cookies are appropriate (when aren't they?).  I didn't decorate my cookies at all, but they'd look great with either the letter or the background filled in with a solid color or if you made them with colored dough.  And the cookie cutters are so simple to use - you use one side to cut the shape of the cookie and flip the cutter over to press the appropriate letter into the cookie.  The best part about this recipe, however, is that you don't *need* to do anything to these cookies - they are delicious on their own.

Simple Sugar Cookies
Yield = approximately 45 2-inch cookies

Ingredients
2 cups unsalted butter (4 sticks), room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2 tsps vanilla extract
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly-ground nutmeg

Make the dough
In a large bowl using a hand mixer set on medium speed or a stand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Slowly add granulated sugar and beat until combined.  Add 2 eggs, the 2 egg yolks, and the vanilla and mix thoroughly.  Reduce speed to medium low, add the flour, salt, and nutmeg, and mix until combined.  Divide dough in half, shape each piece into a 6x4-inch rectangle, and wrap in plastic.  Chill for 4 to 24 hours.  At this stage, you can also freeze the cookie dough for future use - just defrost the dough in the refrigerator when you want to use it.

Bake the cookies
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness.  Cut out shapes of choice and, using a spatula to transfer them, place cutouts 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.  Rotating pans halfway through, bake until cookies are golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Gather up the dough scraps, form into a disk and rechill.  Repeat until all the dough is used.  Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Vanilla Almond Shortbread Cookies

My parents are the champions of homemade gifts.  Each year, we are surprised by incredibly thoughtful and creative gifts that they make.  For example, the pencil holder my Mom made me after my first Ironman sits on my desk at work and I am reminded of her and the event every day.  My Dad made me a beautiful wooden cutting board last year that I use almost every day and have posted about before.  My craftiness is limited to making cards.... am I really their daughter?

This year I decided to tap into the one other "homemade" thing I can do - bake.  My Dad loves shortbread, so instead of buying him Walker's shortbread for his stocking, I made shortbread from my new favorite cookbook - The Grand Central Baking Book.  This Vanilla Almond Shortbread is simple and tastes just like a classic shortbread should taste.  It would be easy to roll out and cut into a cute shape (say, a heart for Valentine's Day?) and doesn't crumble easily so works well for gifting.

Vanilla Almond Shortbread Cookies
From The Grand Central Baking Book
Yield = 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients
2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 ounces) freshly ground almonds (not almond meal)
2/3 cup (2.75 ounces) confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 ounces or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
1.  Measure the flour, confectioner's sugar, almonds, and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine.

2.  Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. 

3.  Reduce the mixer speed to low, then add the vanilla and the dry ingredients and mix just until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough.

4.  Shape the dough into two logs.  To do this, first use a bench knife or sturdy spatula to divide the dough in half.  Place each half on a 12- to 14-inch length of parchment paper, waxed paper, or plastic wrap.  Smooth and pat the dough into a rectangle by flattening the top and sides with your hands.  Then use the paper to help roll and shape the dough into logs 2 inches in diameter and about 10 inches long.  Twist the ends of the paper to seal the log, then refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days (or freeze for up to 3 months).  If you are using previously frozen dough, defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.

5.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 

6.  Slice the cookies 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and place them about 1 inch apart, in 3 by 4 rows, on the prepared pans.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.  The cookies are ready when they begin to brown at the edges.