Recipe: Faux-Reos (Homemade Oreo Sandwich Cookies, cappuccino, mint and peanut butter filling variations)

FAUX-REOS (HOMEMADE OREO SANDWICH COOKIES)
(with cappuccino, mint and peanut butter filling variations)

"Very thin and crunchy, with an intensely chocolate, not-too-sweet taste, these dark, almost black cookies look nice when pressed with a cookie stamp. Though you'll never duplicate exactly the look of an Oreo, this homemade version comes close to matching the taste and texture of those wonderful cookies."



FOR THE COOKIES:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (7 7/8 ounces) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounces) Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder*

FOR THE FILLING**:
1/2 envelope (1 teaspoon plus heaping 1/4 teaspoon) unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) cold water
1/2 cup (3 1/4 ounces) shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) confectioners' sugar

TO MAKE THE COOKIES:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the granulated sugar and butter. Add the salt, egg, water, and vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in the flour and cocoa powder until well combined; the dough will be very stiff.

Roll the dough into balls about the size of a shelled chestnut, or a "shooter" marble - the big marble you use to shoot at the little ones. (For those unfamiliar with either chestnuts or marbles, this is about 2 level teaspoons of dough.) Place the balls on parchment-lined or lightly greased cookie sheets and flatten each ball until it's 1/8-inch thick, using the bottom of a glass dipped in cocoa powder. (You may also use a cookie stamp, for a more realistic faux-reo effect.) To get a nice crisp cookie, it's important to press them thin use a ruler on the first one so you can see just how thin 1/8-inch is. (If you press them thinner than 1/8-inch, you run the risk of having them burn.) Place the baking sheets in the refrigerator to chill the dough for 30 minutes.

WHEN READY TO BAKE:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Bake the cookies for 18 minutes. It's important to bake them just the right amount of time: too little and they won't crisp properly; too much and they'll scorch. Watch them closely at the end of the baking time, and at the first sign of darkening edges or first whiff of scorching chocolate, remove them from the oven immediately: Remove the cookies from the baking pans and cool them completely on a wire rack.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Soften the gelatin in a cup containing the 2 tablespoons of cold water, then place the cup in a larger dish of hot water and leave it there until the gelatin is completely dissolved and the liquid is transparent. Remove the gelatin from the hot water and let it cool until it's room temperature but hasn't begun to set.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream the shortening, then beat in the vanilla and the confectioners' sugar, a little at a time, beating until the mixture is light and creamy Beat in the gelatin.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Sandwich the cooled cookies, using about 1 1/2 teaspoons for regular faux-reos, more for double-stuffed. (You'll have some filling left over if you fill the cookies moderately.)

*You may use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, but Dutch-process will give you a darker, more "chocolaty" cookie.

**FILLING VARIATIONS:

CAPPUCCINO FILLING:
Substitute 1 teaspoon espresso powder and 1/4 cup (3/4 ounces) sifted unsweetened cocoa for 1/4 cup of the confectioners' sugar.

MINT FILLING:
Add 1 teaspoon mint extract to filling.

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING:
Cut the shortening amount to 1/4 cup and add 3/4 cup (7 ounces) smooth peanut butter to the remaining shortening when it is whipped.

Makes about 50 sandwich cookies
Source: The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion by King Arthur Flour