Homemade Oreos (GF, V)

Now that fall is upon us here in Los Angeles, I'm feeling the weather change (please hold the snarky comments- though more subtle, there are seasons in L.A.) with a pain in my throat and congestion in my sinuses.  I've been feeling pretty icky and run down.

While I was relaxing the other evening by flipping through video clips on Hulu, I came across this video from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It's a sing-along featuring the cast of Sesame Street, Jimmy Fallon, and the Roots playing the musical background with toy instruments.  It reminded me of being a kid home from school in elementary school.

When I was home sick, I would secretly watch Sesame Street because although I loved it,  I felt like I was "too old" to still watch it. Isn't it funny how when you're a certain age as a kid you try to prove how grown up and unlike a "baby" you are, but then when you grow up just a little bit it's socially acceptable again to enjoy some childlike things?

These cookies are definitely an indulgence that place you back in childhood. I'm not usually a crunchy cookie kind of girl, but it is my serious opinion that a homemade Oreo should be crunchy.

If you look up "homemade Oreo recipe" in google, you will find plenty of recipes.  And most use plenty of butter and eggs.

But herein lies the problem:  real Oreos don't have butter OR eggs.  Real Oreo cookies are crisp and chocolatey with a sweet, thick filling in the center.  They are not soft, brownie-like cookies kissed together with a fancy buttercream.

I get it- I like butter too. And like I said, I like soft cookies (which are generally created by using butter and eggs). But there comes a point when a blogger may as well have made a whoopie pie, rather than a cookie that professes to be an Oreo.

These little guys are not only vegan and gluten free, they are as nostalgic and delicious as the originals, sans the high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil.  I even made my filling in some fun Halloween colors to celebrate the start of October.

Homemade Oreos (Makes approximately 3 dozen)

For the cookies:

• 1/2 cup organic, non-hydrogenated shorteninig
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup, plus 1 tbsp water or dairy free milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups regular or GF Flour (I used 1/2 cup sweet rice, 1/2 cup potato starch, 1/2 cup sorghum, 1/2 cup white rice fl)
• 3/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup organic shortening
• 3 tablespoons non-dairy milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 3 cups powdered sugar

To get their signature round shape, it's best to make the dough and let it chill in the fridge for about an hour or two.  Then, place the dough on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with sweet rice flour (or regular flour).  Place a second piece of parchment paper of the same size on top of dough and roll out using a rolling pin.  Cut cookies out with a circle cookie cutter.  Place on a baking sheet one-inch apart.  

Bake medium sized Oreos for 8-9 minutes at 375 degrees.

I recommend baking and filling the cookies in one day.  If they sit out overnight they are really tasty, but start to lose their crunch.