It is still a little early to start with the traditional christmas baking we have here in Germany. But until then, I found other recipes that will help me pass the time until December 1st. These cookies for example, I stumbled upon a couple of days ago here. They looked so yummy, I decided to give it a go. I am a huge fan of making things that you usually buy at the store, such as custard or chocolate bars. I got to know oreo cookies a couple of years ago in the States and since then they made their way over to Germany. Nowadays everybody here knows about them. I like them, my brother is crazy about them and you can use them perfectly for cupcakes or cake pops. It was my first try at making the cookie itself and it came pretty close to the original.

I like to get inspired by other food blogs, especially from different countries. I check in on Joy or Desserts for Breakfast on a daily basis to see what´s new in the blogging business and get ideas on food, props and photography. The only problem is, that American food blogs don´t use the metric system. And since they are pretty much the only country that uses inches, cups and ounces, everybody else has to figure out how much that would be in gram or millilitre. Another interesting thing about international blogging is that each country has its own go-to ingredients to use for cooking and baking. I kept looking everywhere in the United States for Quark, vanilla flavoured sugar or finely grounded almonds. On the other hand, when I returned to Germany there was no way you could find frosting or maple syrup anywhere. So for me, when I get inspired to try something from an American blog, the first step is to figure out how to substitute certain ingredients and which measurement to use.

Thankfully, this recipe was fairly easy to adapt. The measurements were already given in gram and the only thing I had to substitute was vegetable shortening. (Never heard of it before, but found out that we have something similar that does the trick.)

For the cookie dough:

155 grams all-purpose flour
45 grams unsweetened Dutch process cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
250 g sugar
140 grams room-temperature, unsalted butter
1 large egg

For the filling:
55 grams room-temperature, unsalted butter
50 grams vegetable shortening
240 grams sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 190°C. In a bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter and the egg and mix until you have a slightly firm dough.

2) Use teaspoons to put the dough as little balls on a baking sheet, covered with baking parchment. You can also use your (slightly moistened) hands to form little balls. Remember to put them a couple of centimeters apart, the dough melts in the oven. Bake the cookies for 9 minutes. Don´t be scared if they are still really soft in the middle, they harden once they cool. Let cool completely.

3) In the meantime, you can prepare the filling. Mix butter and vegetable shortening in a mixing bowl at low-speed and gradually add the sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on high-speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the filling is light and fluffy.

4) To finish the cookies you can use a pastry bag or a spoon to put little balls of cream into the center of one cookie. Place another cookie of equal size on top and press carefully for the filling to spread evenly between the cookies. Continue until all cookies are done.

I know that in the States oreo cookies are eaten with a glass of milk. Some people also take them apart to eat the filling first and then the cookie. You can eat them however you like but with this recipe there is very little that can go wrong. The cookie itself is not that sweet and goes perfectly with the pure-sugar filling. They don´t taste a 100% like the original but come very close and have their unique character. It is like the big, older, not as perfect but more likeable brother. Enjoy!