Get yourself a tall glass of milk for dunking.

How many photos can I post of these nostalgic cookies before things get weird? Because I have to tell you, after tasting them, the sight of these soft, chewy, rich, and perfectly creamy homemade Oreo cookies are making me swoon. I want to frame these photos and put them over my fireplace. They’re just so darn dreamy.

When I was little, as my after school snack, I used to load up a plate (yep, you heard that right, a plate) of Oreo cookies, pour a big glass of milk, and cuddle up on the couch to watch Saved by the Bell. I had a very systematic way of eating them. I’d hold the end, with the very tips of my tiny fingers, dunk them in milk for 10 seconds, then I’d devour the entire soaked cookie in one bite. It was heaven. Sometimes I’d get distracted by the tv show (mostly Zack Morris and all his early 90’s charm) and let the cookie soak too long, causing it to break off into the milk, creating cookies and cream milk. Also heaven.

Some people eat Oreos by breaking them open and eating the filling first. Can we agree these people are doing it wrong? The cookie must be eaten as a whole. It’s the blend of chocolate and vanilla together that makes an Oreo magic.

The key to these homemade Oreos is good quality dark cocoa. You need that deep, heavy chocolate flavor to pop with the creamy vanilla filling, giving you that authentic Oreo flavor. If you can do a blend of dark cocoa and black cocoa, even better. But black cocoa is hard to find in grocery stores and I wanted to use what I had on hand. For the filling, I like a very sweet vanilla bean flavor, which is why I use vanilla bean paste. Plus, I love seeing little specs of vanilla bean. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I always have vanilla bean paste in my cupboard, but if you don’t, pure vanilla extract will work just fine.

I like these cookies soft and chewy, rather than crispy, hence me drowning them in milk. But if you’re a crispy person, just roll them slightly thinner.

These homemade Oreos are the ultimate pastime favorite made new. I think they’re worlds better than the original. Now if we could only bring back Saved by the Bell (mainly Zack Morris).

Homemade Oreos

* makes about 30 dozen 2” cookies sandwiches

You’ll need:

1 ¼ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ½ cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp kosher salt or sea salt
¾ tsp baking powder
⅔ cup dark cocoa powder ( I use Hershey’s Special Dark)
3 to 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
Extra flour for rolling

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
Add the salt, baking powder, and cocoa. Mix until fully combined.
Add the flour, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition, until the dough comes together. If this happens at 3 cups do not add another ½ cup. If the dough still seems sticky, add the additional ½ cup of flour.
Cover the dough and chill for at least an hour.
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface, about ¼” to ⅜” thick (the thicker the cookie, the more chewy it is). Use your favorite cookie cutter to cut into shapes. Bake on center rack for 10 to 11 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.
Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack.

Note: To get the floral design on my cookies I used a patterned rolling pin I found on Amazon. Click here for an example. If you like this look, roll out the dough with a standard roller first to almost desired thickness. Then roll over once, firmly, with the patterned roller. Cut into shapes. Place the cookie filled sheet in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before baking. This helps the pattern hold up in the oven.

Vanilla Bean Cream Filling

You’ll need:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp of pure vanilla bean paste (I use Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Bean Paste. If you don’t have vanilla bean paste use 1 tsp pure vanilla extract.)
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
pinch of kosher salt to taste

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter on high speed for 2-3 minutes, till light and airy.
Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the vanilla bean paste, heavy cream, and a pinch of salt to taste. Mix on medium high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Spoon the filling into a pastry bag and cut the tip off. You can also use a butter knife or spoon for the filling if you like a more rustic look.
To assemble the cookies, swirl the filling over the top of one cookie and firmly press the other cookie on top, being careful not to break it. Chill the cookies, covered, in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up the filling. Enjoy them at room temperate with a tall glass of milk. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 1 week.