Homemade Candy Cane Oreos

I think most people agree that Oreos are some of the best cookies out there.  Chocolate cookies with creamy frosting in the middle.  What’s not to love?

This homemade recipe uses all natural ingredients, producing a result that surpasses the store-bought variety (in my opinion)!

The December Flavor of the Month is Cookies.  Have you been into Trader Joe’s during the holiday season?  They bring out all kinds of holiday goodies, including these:

A whole display full of these boxes greets me whenever I walk in there.  And boy, are these cookies tasty!  They are like Oreos for peppermint lovers, with candy cane pieces mixed into the filling.  I try to resist them, but if I do happen to give in and take some home they usually don’t last more than a couple of days!

So when I decided to make homemade Oreos, I knew I would have to turn them into Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s.  The recipe begins with chocolate cookie dough:

I used chocolate mint candy canes for the filling, but you can use any flavor you desire, or leave them out altogether.

The fun part is crushing the candy canes!

See those larger pieces?  They got stuck in the tip of the pastry bag when I was filling the cookies.  Crush them up really fine, or spoon the filling onto the cookies if you’d like to keep the larger chunks.

This is how I filled the cookies.  I used the largest round tip that I have (Wilton tip 12).  The spiral technique worked really well, and left a smooth look to the filling after I placed the second cookie on top.

They look just like Oreos, and taste even better!

Homemade Candy Cane Oreos
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
Yield: About 3 dozen cookie sandwiches

Dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolk and vanilla, and beat to combine.  Add the flour mixture in three batches, mixing on low speed after each addition.  Mix just until a dough forms.

Divide the dough into two pieces.  Form each piece into a 6 inch square and wrap with plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease two baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper.  Remove one piece of dough from the fridge and roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper until it is about 1/8 inch thick.  Place the dough and parchment onto a tray or extra cookie sheet and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes or until firm.  Repeat with the other half of the chilled dough from the fridge.

After removing the dough from the freezer, use a 2 inch fluted or round cutter to cut as many rounds as possible.  Chill the scraps to reroll for next batch.  Place the rounds onto one of the prepared baking sheets, 1/2 inch apart.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until baked through and slightly puffy.  Cool the entire pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then remove cookies from pan and place them directly on the cooling rack.

Filling:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 pound confectioners sugar
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon mint extract, depending on taste
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup crushed candy canes (about 3 canes)

With an electric mixer, beat butter, mint extract, vanilla extract, and water on low speed until combined.  Add confectioners sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in crushed candy canes on low speed until well combined.

To assemble cookies: Using a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off, pipe the filling onto the flat side of a cookie.  Top with another cookie, placing the flat side onto the icing.