A simple homemade version of your favorite cream-filled chocolate cookie. Plus, make homemade mint Oreos too!
Welcome to Day 6 of Sally’s Cookie Palooza! Be warned: picture overload today. I can’t shake my love for Oreos, you guys.
These homemade Oreos are for my fiancé. Oreos are his favorite store-bought cookie. It’s often he digs into my stash of Oreo cookies that are clearly labeled “need for recipe!” Oreos are Kevin’s favorite accompaniment to cold milk and favorite remedy to a chocolate craving. The guy can’t get enough. And oh yeah, I love them in these red velvet Oreo brownies and Oreo balls too.
I made these homemade Oreos as a huge “thank you” to the wonderful early Christmas present he got me. What a fun night that was! The next day, tired and groggy from a late night, we ate homemade Oreos. And it was nothing short of amazing.
Making America’s most popular store-bought cookie is much easier than you ever imagined. They aren’t as crunchy as the authentic, but they aren’t as soft and cakey as whoopie pies either. They’re in between. And I find that they are crunchier on day 2. Perfect-o with some milk and/or ice cream.
Little did I know that I already made Oreo cookies before. Well, sort of. All I did was transform my go-to chocolate cookie dough that I use in these double chocolate chip cookies, baked them smaller, and sandwiched them together with a sweet cream filling. Which absolutely tastes like the real thing!
Quick: what’s your favorite… the cookie or the cream? Mine’s totally the cream.
Here’s exactly what I did to my chocolate cookie recipe to turn them into Oreos.
Oreos aren’t as soft, moist, and “melt-in-your-mouth” as my chocolate cookies. So first, I took a look at the flour to cocoa ratio. I increased the flour and decreased the cocoa. I did this to not necessarily make them less chocolate-y, I did it to harden them up a bit.
Likewise, I reduced the brown sugar to only 1/4 cup. This is because brown sugar is moist and I wanted to decrease the moisture in the cookie. Finally, I left out the milk in my chocolate cookie recipe. The milk adds a touch of moisture to the dough, but there is no need for it when making Oreo cookie dough.
That all sounds pretty easy, right? It gets easier! In my original chocolate cookie recipe – the dough requires at least 2 hours of chilling. However, since there is more flour in this Oreo cookie dough (and thus producing a thicker, sturdier dough) – there is only a need to chill it for about 30 minutes.
When you roll the slightly chilled cookie dough, make them small. Only about 2 scant teaspoons of dough per cookie. Roll the dough into little balls and place on your baking sheet. Then, very slightly press down on them. Like so:
Then, bake the cookies for a short 6-8 minutes in the oven. They’re quite small, so they don’t need much time in the oven.
The cookies will slightly spread and flatten out:
I accidentally left 1 batch in for 9 minutes (hey, I got sidetracked because Jude saw the “dreaded” UPS man drive up) and the cookies sort of crack on top. Oh well, still tasty!
The chocolate cookies must cool completely before you add the cream filling. I thought about the cream filling I made for my Homemade Oatmeal Creme Pies. It’s creamy, for sure – but not quite as thick as an Oreo cream filling.
I made a few test creams when writing my cookbook over the summer and found that shortening provides the perfect “sturdiness” and thickness that we all love in the Oreo filling. To make today’s filling, you’ll use a combination of butter, shortening, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract.
I completely surprised myself. This sweet stuff tastes like the real thing!
Sandwich some of the cream filling between two cookies. However much or little you want. I am a huge sucker for Double Stuf Oreos, so some homemade Oreos had a bit more filling than others. Mmm mmm good!
Oh, but that’s not all. Add a touch of green food coloring and peppermint extract to make…
Mint Oreos!
There are so many varieties of Oreos on shelves these days and I think mint is my favorite. Even more than peanut butter Oreos. Yes, I know. I’m surprised too.
And I completely adore homemade mint Oreos!
Consider yourself warned.
You’re going to make these homemade Oreos once and then about 100 more times. They’re quite quick, quite easy, and possibly better than the real thing. Forget that – they ARE better than the real thing. At least that’s what Kevin told me and I sorta agree.
You may just never want the store-bought kind again. 😉
Follow me on Instagram and tag #sallysbakingaddiction so I can see all the SBA recipes you make. ♥
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Homemade Oreos
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 19-20 sandwich cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
A simple homemade version of your favorite cream-filled chocolate cookie. Plus, make homemade mint Oreos too!
Ingredients
Oreos
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream Filling
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup (48g) vegetable shortening, room temperature
- 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the cookies: Toss the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Switch the mixer to medium speed and beat in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Turn the mixer off and pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a dough is formed. Cover the dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Chilling is mandatory.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Roll the dough into small balls, 2 teaspoons of slightly chilled dough per ball, and place 12 on each baking sheet. Press down on the balls to slightly flatten as pictured above. Bake each batch for 6-8 minutes. These cookies are small and bake very quickly. They will appear soft when done. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. You’ll make 3-4 batches (38-40 cookies total).
- While the cookies are cooling, make the cream filling: In a small bowl using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening together on high speed until creamy and combined, about 1 minute. Turn the mixer off and add the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Beat on low for 1 minute and then switch to high and beat for 1 more minute until creamy and combined. The cream filling is thick. See photo above for how mine looked.
- Spread cream filling between two cooled chocolate cookies. Repeat with the rest. Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cookies freeze well, up to 2 months. Cream filling may be made ahead of time (up to 2 days in advance). Cover and chill when storing. Allow to come to room temperature before using.
- Mint Cream Filling: When you add the vanilla extract to the cream filling, also add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract and 2 drops of liquid or gel food coloring (or add more until you reach desired color).
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: homemade oreos
I made these today and the whole family loved them! My son told me not to lose this recipe. They are a little different than store bought Oreos, but we liked them better! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
★★★★★
I love this recipe and have made them many times! Curious if you’ve ever made a gluten free version? I was thinking to try it to bring to dinner party where a friend can’t have gluten.
★★★★★
Hi Rebecca, We have not tried this recipe using gluten free flour but let us know if you try it!
Can’t wait to try making these!!
I will make them at least once as written and then probably the mint version as my family LOVES mint anything (especially your mint brownies!!!)
What about converting the filling to a peanut butter Oreo filling? Could you swap some of the butter or shortening for peanut butter?
Hi Rebecca we would try this creamy peanut butter frosting as the filling – yum!
Any suggestions for how to make peanut butter filling?
Hi Teresa, we’d try the filling from these peanut butter cookie sandwiches. Let us know if you give them a try!
I just made these and they are delicious! Way better than store-bought! I used black cocoa and they even smell like Oreos! That distinct aroma! I will be making these again and again! Thanks so much for the recipe!
★★★★★
These were SO cute and delicious!!
★★★★★
Very easy, and we really liked them. I will definitely make them again!
★★★★★
My cookies came out tasting amazing! They puffed up beautifully in the oven. However, after allowing them to cool for 5 minutes, they completely flattened. Do you know what could have caused this! Thanks!
Hi McKenzie! The cookies could be underbaked if they collapsed out of the oven. A few more minutes should help next time!
Any suggestions for making the filling chocolate creme? Thanks.
Hi Tygs! We haven’t tested a version with chocolate creme, but you could start by swapping a small bit of the confectioners’ sugar for cocoa powder. Cocoa powder can be finicky, so it may take some tinkering (like adding back in more confectioners’ sugar to thicken the creme). Let us know what you try!
I tried making these and they came out flat and somewhat chewy. I followed the directions exactly. I used a scale for the dry ingredients. I chilled the dough for over an hour. I measured out two teaspoons and then weighed it so I could make sure each cookie was the same size (it came out as 15 g). Also, I cooked them for 8 minutes to make sure that they were cooked enough. I have no idea what went wrong.
Hi Rebecca, the cookies are meant to be a little chewy– not hard like regular Oreo cookies. That should definitely be clearer in the description. If the cookies ended up flat, it’s likely an issue of not enough dry ingredients soaking up the wet. If you try the recipe again, 20-30 extra grams of flour will help. Sorry you had trouble with this one!
These were deliciously yummy! Thank you for creating yet another tasty recipe.
★★★★★
Hi there!
Are you able to store dough in fridge overnight and then make balls in the morning? Thanks!
Yes! The dough may be a little hard to roll after chilling overnight, you can let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before rolling if this is the case. Enjoy!
Those look great, but they’re not Oreos. A whoopie-pie, maybe?
They ARE Oreos! The taste alone tells you that. I DO get what you’re saying though & all I can say is, make them flatter & less filling but the taste is ALL Oreo.
Do you think these would stand up being mailed to my nephew in arkansas?
Hi Ingrid! Because of the dairy in the frosting, we wouldn’t recommend shipping these particular cookies. But many cookies ship well! You can read more about shipping cookies in this blog post.
These look amazing and my husband and I LOVE Oreos. Can you freeze them as sandwiches or do you need to freeze the cookies and filling separately?
Hi Parker, you can freeze them as sandwiches. Enjoy!
My daughter prefers vanilla Oreos, can I just leave the cocoa powered out? Thank you
Hi Carolyn, cocoa powder is a finicky ingredient, and unfortunately it wouldn’t be as simple as omitting the cocoa powder. It would take a bit of recipe testing to perfect. Instead, you could make the cookie portion with another one of our recipes, like perhaps our drop sugar cookies or chocolate chip cookies (minus the chocolate chips)?
Thank you I will give them a try.
I made these as ice cream sandwiches. The cookies stayed soft with the ice cream. It was perfect.
★★★★★
Any suggestions on how to make them harder, more like store bought Oreos? The only thing I can think of is keeping them longer in the oven, but I fear that’ll just make them more brittle, rather than hard and firm.
Can I skip the shortening? It’s sold out.
★★★★★
Made this today and they are delicious! My daughter wanted pink oreos so we added four drops of red food colouring to the icing and got a nice pink. How long with the icing last in the fridge, or can it be frozen? We ended up with about 1/2 cup extra. Maybe I was too skimpy on the filling!
Hi Libby, You can keep the leftover filling in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze if for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, can we turn it into one giant oreo cookie?
Hi Aleena, We haven’t tested it although I’m sure you could. I’m unsure of the bake time you would need. Let us know if you try it!