Homemade Oreos

Making the same chocolate chip cookies or your favorite brownies over and over again gets old really fast. However, most people don’t branch out because finding a good dessert recipe is like trying to find decent produce at Wal-Mart: practically impossible. You have to try a million different recipes before finding one that tastes good and doesn’t require obscure skills, ingredients, or equipment. Luckily, this recipe is unique, delicious, and easy to make! And besides, who can turn down a homemade Oreo cookie? These cookies have always been a favorite of mine and they are sure to bring you out of your dessert woes! These Oreos will also transform you into a master baker in the eyes of your friends and family with minimal effort on your part! If you know how to measure ingredients, turn on an oven, and stir things you will ace these cookies every time! Get ready to have all of your baking dreams come true!

Makes approximately 1 ½ dozen cookies.

Total time, including cooling, is about 3 ½ hours.

Note: These cookies are NOT gluten free, vegan, dairy free, etc. I have never experimented with different variations of these cookies, so I do not know how they would turn out, but you are more than welcome to try!

Ingredients

Cookies:

¾ cup shortening

2 eggs

1 box Devil’s food cake mix.

Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese

1 stick softened butter

3 cups powdered sugar

Tools/Equipment

Oven

Hand mixer

2 Mixing bowls

Rubber spatula

2 Cookie sheets

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Knife

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together the cake mix, eggs, and shortening in a mixing bowl.

Note: The dough will get very thick, so make sure everything is well mixed.

Roll the cookie dough from the previous step into small balls, about an inch in diameter, and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Note: Since the cookies contain a large amount of shortening they will NOT stick to the pan, I promise!

Warning: As you may know, ovens get hot, so make sure to use good hot pads when removing the cookie sheets from the oven!

Note: You may need to leave the cookies in the oven for more or less time, depending on your particular oven. The cookies are done when they have flattened out a little bit and have started to show signs of cracking on the surface.

Note: Do NOT immediately move the cookies from the cookie sheet onto a cooling rack. They are very soft and will fall apart if you try to transfer them right after they come out of the oven. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes on the cookie sheets, and then transfer them to a cooling rack.

a) Cream the softened butter with your hand mixer until it is light and fluffy.

Note: Do NOT melt the butter! The frosting WILL NOT work if the butter is melted. Simply pull it out of the fridge ahead of time and let it come to room temperature.

b) Cream the cream cheese with the butter until it is light and fluffy as well.

Note: 4 oz. of cream cheese if half of a cream cheese package! Do NOT add an entire cream cheese package, you will make way more frosting than you need!

c) Add the vanilla and mix it in.

Add the powdered sugar and mix it in.

Note: I like to add it in half a cup at a time until the frosting is at a sweetness level I like. At most you will likely only use 3 cups.

Spread the frosting you prepared in steps seven and eight between two cooled cookies.

Note: Make sure the cookies are cooled completely before you frost them! Otherwise the frosting will melt and the cookies will fall apart!

Place the frosted cookies on a plate in the fridge for a couple of hours to let them set. Once they’re cooled, share them with your friends and family to show off your amazing skills, or eat them all yourself! Either way, have fun and enjoy your wonderful new creation!