Giant Oreos

*dusts off cobwebs*

Hello! So I know it's been a while since I last shared a recipe, although what with travelling across the USA and starting university, the past few months have been hectic to say the least. However, fear not, I am back now with awkward tan lines, a stack load of new recipes and an even greater passion for baking (if that was even possible!). This week's recipe comes as a bit of a throwback and was more or less what started off my baking career at the ripe old age of 15. Due to the unsatiable appetites of the 40 teenage girls I lived with at the time, these quickly became my namesake recipe and thus my weeks became a blur of cocoa powder and vanilla buttercream. Anyhow, shall we begin? I present to you...

GIANT OREOS !!!!!

Okay, perhaps that wasn't the best description I've ever given, but these Oreos are just THAT good they hardly need an introduction. Softer than a standard Oreo, yet chewier and more 'cookie-like' than a Whoopie Pie; take 2 of the best chocolate cookies you've ever laid your eyes on, sandwich them together with the smoothest Vanilla Buttercream and you've got yourself a match made in heaven.

What makes these cookies so different from all the others is the combination of light brown sugar and standard granulated sugar, balanced together with a higher amount of cocoa powder that i'd usually use for my standard Double Chocolate Cookies. The higher cocoa density allows for stiffer dough, which makes it super easy to roll them into the perfect shape therefore making sure the Oreos are similar in size... well hopefully. Another tip to ensure regularity in shape is to pop the dough into the fridge for 30 minutes before shaping; not only does this make sure your hands stay somewhat clean but it also prevents the cookies from losing too much of their shape when in the oven.

Once again i'm using my classic Vanilla Buttercream in this recipe, after all why change something if it works so well? Although you can quite easily just spoon the buttercream onto the cookies, by piping it on I feel as though you can achieve a much cleaner finish as opposed to a more rustic look! For these I used a Wilton 11 Round tip. So that's that really, short, simple and super delicious, these Giant Oreos will go down a storm with everyone who tries them!

Recipe (makes 6)

For the cookies:

115g Unsalted Butter

150g Granulated Sugar

50g Light Brown Sugar

1 Large Egg

165g Plain Flour

65g Cocoa Powder

For the Buttercream:

250g Unsalted Butter

450g Icing Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tbsp Whole Milk

Method:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the Butter and Sugars in a bowl until smooth and fully combined. Add the egg and repeat the process.

2. Gradually add the Cocoa powder to the mix and fold until no lumps remain. Sift the flour into the bowl and mix together until a semi-stiff dough is formed. Place the bowl into the fridge for 30 minutes for the dough to firm up.

3. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 5.

4. Once chilled, shape the dough into golf ball sized pieces, place on a line baking tray and press down slightly to flatten them. Bake for 12-14 minutes, place on a wire rack to cool.

5. To make the buttercream, cream together the Milk, Butter and Vanilla Extract in a bowl until smooth. Gradually begin to add the icing sugar until fully incorporated and the buttercream is smooth and pale.

6. once the cookies have cooled, fill the inside of one of the cookies with the piped Vanilla Buttercream, and sandwich together with another cookie. Keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container placed in the fridge.

Happy Baking!

#chocolate #recipes #oreo #cookies