It is time for Holiday Recipe Club today!  Erin from Big Fat Baker came up with this great idea to challenge us with different ingredients each month. This month the ingredients were beef, strawberries, or heavy cream.  I had a hard time deciding what to pick!  I thought about a nice romantic meal with beef that you could make for Valentine’s Day.  But in the end my sweet tooth won out, go figure!  I kind of feel like I cheated with this recipe, but there is heavy cream in there!  Want to join in the fun?  Go check out Holiday Recipe Club and Erin will give you all the details!

Homemade Oreo’s have been on my list for a while.  I figured this was the perfect chance to make them, and “Holiday” them up.  You know, cut them in hearts, fill them with pink frosting.  These come out like a grown up version of an Oreo.  They have a richer chocolate flavor, are a little softer, and have that delicious vanilla butter cream filling.  I was surprised how easily these came together.  You could do the traditional circles with white filling, or hearts like I did for Valentine’s Day.  Shamrocks with green filling would be great for St. Patricks Day…you get the idea.

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Homemade Oreos
From Cookiepedia

Cookie
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 up cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Filling
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 Tbls heavy cream

In a food processor mix together sugar, brown sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Add the butter a few pieces at a time, with the motor running.  Pulse to incorporate.  Add the egg and vanilla.  Pulse until the dough starts to form.  Turn the dough onto a clean surface.  Form into a disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the dough in half.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 in thick.  Cut into desired shape.  Place on a lined baking sheet.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, the cookies should look dry.  Cool cookies in a wire rack.

To prepare the filling beat together butter, vanilla and salt until fluffy.  Add sugar and beat until fully incorporated.  Add milk 1 Tbls at a time and beat until the desired consistency.  Spoon or pipe filling into the center of a cookie.  Top with another cookie, pressing down gently to spread the filling to the edge.

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