A Hungry Bear

Yes, it has been months since my last post.  And no, the bear hasn’t starved…  I have been busy moving from Atlanta to San Francisco, starting an exciting new job, and planning for my family’s visit in April!  I’ll apologize for the long absence without a new recipe by sharing one of my favorites - a classic Martha Stewart recipe for homemade oreo’s.

Ingredients: (for cookies) 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 5 Tablespoons melted butter, 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar, 1 large egg; (for filling) 4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) room temperature butter, 1.5 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Start by whisking together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, then set aside.

Stir the melted butter and egg into the brown sugar.

Whisk until thoroughly combined.

Stir the flour-cocoa mixture into the butter-sugar base; use a stiff spatula to combine everything until it’s all the same color and consistency.

Divide the dough in half - form into 2 balls. Take half of the dough and press into a flat disc shape on a piece of parchment paper.

Roll out in between two pieces of parchment paper till 1/4 inch thick. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden.

Using a cookie cutter (the opening of a juice glass will work too), cut 2-inch rounds out of the dough.  Continue to roll out the scraps and cut until you’ve used up all of it.

Bake the cookies on parchment paper in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.  When they’re done, immediately transfer the warm cookies to a wire rack to cool.

While the cookies are cooling, you can make the filling.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter until light and fluffy.  Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and granulated sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla extract.

Using a cake decorating kit isn’t necessary, but I think it makes the filling look a little more fancy (and definitely more Martha-esque).

Cover half of the cookies with icing, using either a butter knife or icing kit.  Top the iced cookies with their “lids” and press gently down on each to stick them together.