At one time Nabisco actually conducted a study that determined that 50 percent of Oreo consumers twist the cookie apart before eating it. I guess this is important information, since it concerns the worlds top-selling cookie. Historians at Nabisco aren't sure who came up with the idea for this sandwich cookie back in 1912, but they do know that it was introduced along with two other cookie creations that have long since died. The name may have come from the Greek word for mountain, oreo, which would once have made sense because the first test version was hill-shaped. When the Oreo was first sold to the public, it was much larger than todays cookie, but it kept shrinking over the years until Nabisco realized it had become too small and had to enlarge it again to todays current 1 3/4-inch diameter.
In 1975, Nabisco figured we couldn't have too much of a good thing, so the company gave us Double Stuf Oreos, with twice the filling. But why stop there? Now you're free to pile as much "stuf" on your cookies as you like.
Cookie 1 18.25-ounce pkg. Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake mix 3 tablespoons shortening, melted 1/2 cup cake flour, measured then sifted 1 egg 3 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons brown paste food coloring (optional)*
Filling 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 2 tablespoons hot water
1. Combine the cookie ingredients in a large bowl. Add the water a little bit at a time until the dough forms. Cover and chill for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. On a lightly floured surface roll out a portion of the dough to just under one 16th of an inch thick. To cut, use a lid from a spice container with a 1 1/2-inch diameter (Schilling brand is good). Arrange the cut dough rounds on a cookie sheet that is sprayed with a light coating of non-stick spray. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove wafers from the oven and cool completely.
4. As the cookies bake, make the filling by combining the filling ingredients with an electric mixer.
5. When the cookies have cooled, roll a small portion (heaping 1/4 teaspoon) of the filling into a ball (just over 1/4-inch in diameter), and press it between two of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Makes 54-58 sandwich cookies.
*This is an optional step to help recreate the color of the original cookie. If you do not use the paste food coloring be sure to change the amount of water added to the wafer cookies from 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup. The food coloring gives the cookies the dark brown, almost black color. The coloring can be found with cake decorating supplies at art supply and craft stores.
Tidbits: If the dough seems too tacky, you can work in as much as 1/4 cup of flour as you pat out and roll the dough. Use just enough flour to make the dough workable, but not tough.
If you can't find the chocolate fudge cake mix, or just prefer to make your cookies from scratch, you can use the clone recipe for Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix found here on the site.
Rate and Review
DIYBear Submitted on 04/19/12
Pretty quick and easy. Good as they are, the chocolate cookie is not as darkly chocolate as the really thing. Changes I found that made it go quicker:
1. Treat the cookie dough like that of a cookie cutter dough - use a pastry ring to cut out circles.
2. This is going to sound odd, but I cooked the cookies on a griddle. Keeps the cookies flat.
Islandbound Submitted on 01/20/11
Requires a little work and probably would'nt make them if the original was on sale but excellent recipe.
Rebecca Submitted on 01/21/09
Not bad, but a lot of work. I think I'd rather just go out and buy the regular Oreo's instead of spending hours making these.
phelpsphan14 Submitted on 12/23/08
Ahh... homemade food is always better than the stuff they sell at the store.
Joyce Submitted on 12/04/06
Excellent! My grandchildren like them better than the original.
starbuckian Submitted on 05/18/06
These are great! They do take a while to make but if you're committed to it you won't be disappointed!
Mallory Submitted on 02/28/06
THIS IS THE BEST RECIPE EVER!!!
Anonymous Submitted on 11/07/05
one word: wow.
AlohaGirl Submitted on 09/10/05
The spice lid was too small so I switched to 1-1/2" cookie cutter and the size was about right. When fresh, my kids were not impressed but after sealed in tightly closed container for a day, the flavors blended and they tasted just like the original. The texture is more cookie-like while the original is almost cracker-texture.
