Strawberry Oreos

America, on the whole, has better junk food than the rest of the world. Well, maybe not better (Belgium knows what's up), but American snack aisles certainly have more variety than their international counterparts. Case in point: Oreos. I thought Canada had a huge range of Oreo products... Golden, Double Stuf, those chocolate covered ones you get at Christmas sometimes... but in the States: Birthday Cake, Cool Mint, Creamsicle, Gingerbread, Peanut Butter, Mega Stuf, Neopolitan, Candy Corn, and Berry Burst Ice Cream. Browsing Amazon.com's Oreo selection makes me want to drive 7 hours to Montana right now.

Last summer, my mom did just that, and when she came back she brought me all kinds of American treats, including Berry Burst Ice Cream Oreos. They went in the freezer so I wouldn't eat them all at once, but they still disappeared pretty fast.



So this is my homage to American Oreos, those fabled, illusive things. To get the strawberry buttercream filling really strawberry-y, I used some Fresh As strawberry powder (made from ground freeze-dried strawberries) that I got at Duchess Provisions here in Edmonton. Probably my favourite store ever, by the way. Anyway, these turned into a more grown-up (dare I say sophisticated?) version that are great for giving away as gifts, bringing in to the office, or hoarding in your freezer to feed your raging Oreo addiction.

Strawberry Oreos

Chocolate Wafers 
Makes about 5 dozen wafers for 30 sandwich cookies 
(Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Strawberry Buttercream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 to 3.5 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla or strawberry extract
3-4 tablespoons good quality strawberry preserve
1/4 cup powdered freeze-dried strawberries (optional)
Red food colouring (optional)

To make the wafers: Measure the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and baking soda into a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Cut the softened butter into cubes and add it to the dry mixture, pulsing again to combine. In a small bowl, mix the milk and vanilla together. While the food processor is running, pour in the milk mixture and let the machine run until the dough comes together in smooth clumps. Take all the dough out of the processor and knead it a few times (in a bowl or on a countertop) until it's totally combined. Shape the dough into a long, even cylinder about 2 inches in diameter. Tightly wrap the cylinder in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and put it in the fridge to chill for at least one hour.

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line some baking sheets with parchment paper. With a very sharp knife, slice the log of dough into discs about 0.5 cm (between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch) thick. Place them one inch apart on the parchment lined sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes (this will depend on how thin your slices are). Keep an eye on them. The original recipe suggests taking them out 1 1/2 minutes after they've puffed up and deflated.

To make the filling: Beat the butter with an electric mixer for a couple minutes until it's super smooth. Add a tablespoon of milk the extract, and the strawberry powder if you're using it; gradually add the sugar, mixing well. You may need to adjust the consistency of the frosting by adding more milk or more sugar, but you want it to be relatively stiff yet creamy. If you're using food colouring, beat it in now. Once you've made the buttercream, gently fold in the strawberry preserve with a spatula - don't beat it in.

To assemble, you can pipe the buttercream on or spread it with a spoon or knife. Apply buttercream to the bottom of one wafer and sandwich it with another. Pretty self explanatory. I like to keep these in the freezer for a sneaky treat every once in a while, but they'll stay good in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. 

This is me pretending that I eat cookies one at a time... on a plate. Ha!