Homemade Oreos are two thin dark cocoa cookies pressed around a soft vanilla cream. The dough comes together in one bowl, chills for 1 hour, and bakes at 325°F for 15 minutes. One batch makes about 40 sandwich cookies.
The cookie itself is barely sweet. Most of the sugar sits in the filling, which is why the whole thing tastes like the cookie you already know. Use dark cocoa powder, not the regular kind. Regular cocoa is lighter in color and milder, and the cookies come out brown instead of nearly black.
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Flour on the counter works too, but extra flour lightens the cocoa and dulls the color. Parchment keeps the dough dark and stops it from sticking.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Cream butter and sugar
Beat the softened butter with the sugar and salt in a large bowl until the mixture looks pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes with a hand mixer. Scrape down the sides once.
2. Add the eggs
Beat in the eggs one at a time. Wait until the first disappears into the butter before adding the second.
3. Sift the dry ingredients
Sift the flour, dark cocoa, and baking soda into a separate bowl. Cocoa clumps badly, so don't skip this.
4. Combine into a dough
Add the dry mix to the butter mix in two or three additions, stirring on low. Stop as soon as the last streak of flour disappears. Overmixing makes tough cookies.
5. Chill the dough
Turn the dough onto your counter and press it into a flat square. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
6. Heat the oven
Set the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment.
7. Roll and cut
Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll one piece between two sheets of parchment to 1/4 inch (1/2 cm). Cut rounds with a small cutter and space them 1/2 inch (1 1/4 cm) apart on the tray. Press the scraps together, re-roll, and cut more. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
8. Bake
Bake one tray at a time for 15 minutes, or two trays at once and swap their positions halfway. The cookies are done when the tops feel firm and dry. Move them to a rack to cool completely.
9. Make the filling
Beat the 1/2 cup butter with the powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
10. Sandwich the cookies
Spread a generous scoop of filling on one cookie and press a second cookie on top. Squeeze lightly and scrape the edge clean with a knife. Repeat with the rest.
How to Store Homemade Oreos
Refrigerator
Keep filled cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Refrigerate only if your kitchen is hot, and let them come back to room temperature before eating.
Freezer
Freeze unfilled cookies in a bag for up to 2 months. Freeze filled sandwiches the same way, but expect the cream to firm up hard.
Reheating
No reheating needed. If frozen, leave them on the counter for 20 minutes.
Tips & Tricks
- Chill the dough a full hour. Warm dough sticks to the parchment and tears when you peel it back.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces before rolling. Each piece stays cool while you work on the others.
- Roll to 1/4 inch (1/2 cm). Thicker cookies taste doughy and don't snap.
- A champagne glass rim makes a good cutter if you don't have a small round one.
- Rotate the baking sheets halfway through if you bake two trays at once.
- Let the cookies cool completely before filling them. Warm cookies melt the buttercream.
Variations
- Add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract to the filling for a mint version.
- Swap half the filling butter for cream cheese for a tangier sandwich.
- Use gluten-free all-purpose flour and the dough still works, though it may need a few extra minutes to firm up in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use regular cocoa powder instead of dark?
Yes, but the cookies come out lighter brown and taste less intense. Dark or Dutch process cocoa is what gives homemade Oreos their near-black color.
Q: Why did my cookies spread and lose their shape?
The dough was probably too warm. Chill it again for 20 minutes and work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest in the fridge.
Q: How do I know the cookies are baked through?
Break one open. The center should be dry, not glossy, and the cookie should snap rather than bend. Fifteen minutes at 325°F is the target, but oven temperatures vary.
Q: Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes. Wrapped tightly, it keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Let it soften on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling.
Q: Do I have to sift the cocoa?
It's worth it. Dark cocoa clumps and leaves dry pockets in the dough that don't bake out.
Homemade Oreos: Chocolate Sandwich Cookies From Scratch
Make homemade Oreos with dark cocoa cookies and a soft vanilla cream filling. One hour of chilling, 15 minutes in the oven, and 40 sandwich cookies.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1Cream butter and sugar — Beat the softened butter with the sugar and salt in a large bowl until the mixture looks pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes with a hand mixer. Scrape down the sides once.
- 2Add the eggs — Beat in the eggs one at a time. Wait until the first disappears into the butter before adding the second.
- 3Sift the dry ingredients — Sift the flour, dark cocoa, and baking soda into a separate bowl. Cocoa clumps badly, so don't skip this.
- 4Combine into a dough — Add the dry mix to the butter mix in two or three additions, stirring on low. Stop as soon as the last streak of flour disappears. Overmixing makes tough cookies.
- 5Chill the dough — Turn the dough onto your counter and press it into a flat square. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- 6Heat the oven — Set the oven to 325°F (160°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment.
- 7Roll and cut — Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll one piece between two sheets of parchment to 1/4 inch (1/2 cm). Cut rounds with a small cutter and space them 1/2 inch (1 1/4 cm) apart on the tray. Press the scraps together, re-roll, and cut more. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- 8Bake — Bake one tray at a time for 15 minutes, or two trays at once and swap their positions halfway. The cookies are done when the tops feel firm and dry. Move them to a rack to cool completely.
- 9Make the filling — Beat the 1/2 cup butter with the powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- 10Sandwich the cookies — Spread a generous scoop of filling on one cookie and press a second cookie on top. Squeeze lightly and scrape the edge clean with a knife. Repeat with the rest.
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