Step by step

Method

6 steps

1. 1

   Black cocoa powder: The secret ingredient that makes Oreos taste and smell exactly like Oreos is — delightfully, for once — not something artificial but an extra-Dutched dark cocoa powder called black cocoa. I do not (ever) recommend making a full swap for regular cocoa in a recipe with black cocoa; it’s too intense and can be bitter in large volumes. For these homemade Oreos, I swap just 2 tablespoons (25%) of the cocoa with black cocoa powder. These still make a fantastic cookie even without. P.S. Worried about using the rest of it? Check out my favorite Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches , Peanut Butter Icebox Cake , and this Layered Mocha Cheesecake . [Buy Black Cocoa Powder online here or here .]

2. 2

   Sugar level: The original recipe called for 1½ cups granulated sugar in the cookie wafer, but I found this excessively sweet. Instead, I suggest a range of 1 to 1¼ cups sugar; both work well and are a touch more authentic as the wafer part of the storebought cookie isn’t heavily sweet.

3. 3

   Butter temperature: When using a food processor, which I do here for both the cookie and the filling, I find that there’s no need to bring the butter to room temperature before adding it. I cut it into small cubes, and just blend it a few seconds longer until smooth.

4. 4

   The perfect scoop size: If you want to be a tad obsessive, a .5-tablespoon scoop will yield a homemade cookie closest to the packaged size (1.75 inches). However, I usually use this 1-tablespoon scoop instead (or you could use a 1T measuring spoon), for a 2.25- to 2.5-inch cookie, as shown here.

5. 5

   Shortening vs. butter in the filling: In the original recipe, the filling was half shortening and half butter. I presumed it was for stability, but I make it exclusively with butter these days. I prefer the flavor and have no issues storing the cookies at a cool room temperature.

6. 6

   Pan-dropped cookies: My favorite discovery in recent years is that instead of pressing the mounds of dough to flatten them slightly, if you drop the pan of cookies on the counter (from a few inches high) right as they come out of the oven, the cookies deflate in a wonderful wrinkly pattern on top that looks particularly Oreo-ish. This is also helpful as I almost always forgot to press on the cookies.