Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
I finally got around to making my homemade oreos. I found a chocolate wafer cookie recipe here and veganized it. There was a homemade oreo recipe too but the crispy crunchy description of the wafers seemed more like what I was looking for.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup black cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons demerara sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
3 tablespoons hemp milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, and baking soda in the bowl of food processor and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Cut the margarine into about 12 chunks and add them to the bowl. Pulse several times. Combine the milk and vanilla in a small cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade or the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.
Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper or foil and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, or until needed.
Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into slices a scant 1/4-inch thick (I went thinner, closer to 1/8 of inch. If you’re trying to emulate the store-bought wafers, slice as thin as you can, and watch the baking time carefully, as it might be less.) and place them one inch apart on the lined sheets (cookies will spread). Bake, rotating the baking sheet from top to bottom and back to front about halfway through baking, for a total of 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will puff up and deflate; they are done about 1 1/2 minutes after they deflate.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks, or slide the parchment onto racks to cool completely. These cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or be frozen for up to two months.
Note: These cookies should crisp as they cool. If they don’t, you’re not baking them long enough. In which case, return them to the oven to reheat and bake a little longer, then cool again.
For the cream center I used my favorite frosting recipe:
1 stick Earth Balance
1/2 container Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
3 or more cups Organic Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
When I made these, I actually thirded the recipe so I wouldn't be wasting my ingredients if they were complete failures. Anyway, it still made a whole bunch of wafers. If I make these again, I think I will use powdered sugar in place of the demerara because it left the texture somewhat grainy.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup black cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons demerara sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
14 tablespoons Earth Balance margarine
3 tablespoons hemp milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine the flour, cocoa, sugar, and baking soda in the bowl of food processor and pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Cut the margarine into about 12 chunks and add them to the bowl. Pulse several times. Combine the milk and vanilla in a small cup. With the processor running, add the milk mixture and continue to process until the mixture clumps around the blade or the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a large bowl or a cutting board and knead a few times to make sure it is evenly blended.
Form the dough into a log about 14 inches long and 1 3/4 inches in diameter. Wrap the log in wax paper or foil and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour, or until needed.
Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into slices a scant 1/4-inch thick (I went thinner, closer to 1/8 of inch. If you’re trying to emulate the store-bought wafers, slice as thin as you can, and watch the baking time carefully, as it might be less.) and place them one inch apart on the lined sheets (cookies will spread). Bake, rotating the baking sheet from top to bottom and back to front about halfway through baking, for a total of 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will puff up and deflate; they are done about 1 1/2 minutes after they deflate.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on racks, or slide the parchment onto racks to cool completely. These cookies may be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks or be frozen for up to two months.
Note: These cookies should crisp as they cool. If they don’t, you’re not baking them long enough. In which case, return them to the oven to reheat and bake a little longer, then cool again.
For the cream center I used my favorite frosting recipe:
1 stick Earth Balance
1/2 container Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
3 or more cups Organic Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
When I made these, I actually thirded the recipe so I wouldn't be wasting my ingredients if they were complete failures. Anyway, it still made a whole bunch of wafers. If I make these again, I think I will use powdered sugar in place of the demerara because it left the texture somewhat grainy.