Handmade Oreo Cookies

Back in November, I was sifting through twitter and came across a very interesting post. The words “Adopt-a-blogger #4” dashed across the screen in a tweet by Dine and Dish which caught my attention. After clicking through the link on the tweet, I came to the Dine and Dish blog written by Kristen and learned more about the program. I left my comment on the blog post expressing interest to be involved as a “newbie” since my blog was under a year old.

In January, everyone was notified as to who their mentor would be. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil was matched with me to be my mentor. I had recently come across her blog and added her to my blog roll, since I enjoyed her writing style, recipes and authenticity.

Mentoring others is one of the greatest gifts that you can give to another person. It is imparting your knowledge, experiences and guidance to help another person be successful with their particular goals. In my career, I have the daily opportunity to mentor my team members and it is truly the best part of my job. Knowing that I can help guide someone to achieve their goals is completely satisfying. I have been fortunate enough to participate in my company’s formal leadership development program and mentor employees who want to grow with the organization. Mentoring is a lifetime activity that benefits both people who are involved.

I reached out to Lindsay and we communicated via email to get to know one another a bit. She couldn’t have been more welcoming and kind in her communication. I shared my goals and she was excited and open to helping me. I discovered that she and her husband went to college in Northern California and has family in the Bay Area. My husband Charles and I are native Bay Area residents, so it is wonderful to already have something in common already. Her and her husband have a thriving handmade pet collar business, called pattern and paw. I am going to have to order a special collar for our little doggie Max.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(Max - our 10 year old Lasha Apso and a photo of Charles and me)
 
We decided to start this adventure by adding one another to our blog rolls and perusing each others blogs for an eye catching recipe to introduce one another to our readers. Lindsay has so many great recipes, that it was hard to choose. One in particular caught my eye – homemade Oreo Cookies. The photo just made my mouth water. Originally from the book Retro Desserts and then Smitten Kitchen created them. I adapted the recipe just slightly. I get in the mood to make cookies, since it completely therapeutic and my husband enjoys the finished product. Truth be told, as long as I can remember, the best part of making cookies is eating the dough. Some people are afraid of the raw ingredients, mainly the egg, but that has never stopped me. My husband Charles and some of our closest neighbors were the recipients of these delicious cookies!

Starting my food blog is a complete passion of mine and I look forward to the journey ahead and learning from my new friend and mentor Lindsay. Thank you Lindsay for participating in the Adopt a blogger program!

Handmade Oreo Cookies
 
For the chocolate wafers:
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners sugar
1 T. vanilla extract

Directions

Set two racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375 degrees.

In a food processor, or bowl of an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda and powder, salt, and sugar. While pulsing, or on low speed, add the butter, and then the egg. Continue processing or mixing until dough comes together in a mass.

Take rounded teaspoons of batter and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. With moistened hands, slightly flatten the dough. Bake for 9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Set baking sheets on a rack to cool.

To make the cream, place shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.

To assemble the cookies, in a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch, round tip, pipe teaspoon-size blobs of cream into the center of one cookie. (No pastry bag? Just spoon it on). Place another cookie, equal in size to the first, on top of the cream. Lightly press, to work the filling evenly to the outsides of the cookie. Continue this process until all the cookies have been sandwiched with cream.