Over-Sized, Double-Stuffed, Chocolate-Dipped Oreos
I may have a slight obsession with the mint chocolate combination. While I was making vegan peppermint patties the other week, I was already thinking about all of the wonderful things I could do with that minty filling, aside from simply stuffing my face with it.
The texture closely resembles Oreo filling, and I’ve spent the last two weeks dreaming up a recipe for a homemade version of the childhood favorite. I would have baked these days ago, but my life is currently consumed with end-of-year freelance projects, cleaning up puppy accidents, and yelling “no” about a million times a day at Olive. I would not be surprised if she thinks this is her name.
Needless to say, I haven’t had time for any recipe that involves more effort than opening a box of cereal, a can of beans, or a bag of pre-washed, chopped kale (thank you, TJ’s).
That is, until I created a puppy schedule for Olive that fully embraces her dog crate. No, I’m not leaving her in there for hours on end, but I’m going to attempt to give myself an hour or two here and there so I can do things like take a shower AND wash my hair. I know you’re not supposed to wash your hair every day, but it’s getting a little out of hand.
I used a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, as well as a chia egg, for the chocolate cookies. But let’s not kid ourselves – these are not healthy vegan food. Especially since I ended up adding a second layer of mint filling. The double-stuffed Oreos were always my favorite.
You certainly don’t need to cover them in chocolate and sprinkles, although I highly recommend it. And if you’re not a fan of mint and chocolate? Well, that’s crazy talk, but you can easily sub out the mint extract for a little more vanilla.
Over-Sized, Double-Stuffed, Chocolate-Dipped Oreos
- For the filling:
- 2 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 Tbs. Agave
- 1 1/2 Tbs. Water
- 1 1/2 Tbs. Shortening (I used Earth Balance brand)
- 1/2 Tsp. Peppermint Extract
- 1/2 Tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
- For the cookies:
- 3/4 C. All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
- 1/2 C. Cocoa Powder
- 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
- 1/4 Tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 C. Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 C. Earth Balance (or other buttery spread)
- 1 Chia Egg (2 Tsp. ground chia seeds, 3 Tbs. water)
- For the chocolate dip:
- 3/4 C. Vegan Chocolate Chips
- 1 Tsp. Coconut Oil
- To make the filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, add powdered sugar, agave, water, shortening, peppermint and vanilla extracts. Blend with an electric mixer until a dough forms.
- Lightly dust your counter or work surface with powdered sugar, then transfer your peppermint dough and roll it out until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. I also put a little powdered sugar on the rolling pin to keep it from sticking.
- Place dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to allow to harden.
- Remove from freezer and cut oreo-cookie-sized circles using a cookie cutter or a small glass (a shot glass would work well).
- Continue this process with any leftover dough (form into a ball, roll out, freeze, and cut circles).
- Place the circles of dough on the cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator (NOT the freezer) while you prepare your cookies.
- While the filling is firming up, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and begin making your cookie dough.
- Cream together sugar and buttery spread, then mix in chia egg.
- Sift in flours, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda, and salt. Mix until well-combined. The dough will be very thick.
- Form cookie dough into a ball, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for half an hour.
- Once dough has chilled, scoop out small balls of dough (about 1/2 Tbs. at a time), and flatten onto a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool completely. The cookies will be slightly puffy when you first take them out of the oven, but will flatten and harden as they cool.
- Place a circle or two of the mint filling between two sandwich cookies.
- Prepare the chocolate for dipping by melting chocolate chips and coconut oil, stirring until no lumps remain.
- Dip cookies into chocolate, then place on a lined baking sheet. Add sprinkles if you like.
- Place cookies in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to allow the chocolate to set.
- Store in the fridge or freezer.
If you don’t have agave, honey would also work well in the filling.
You can certainly use a double boiler to melt the chocolate for dipping, but I simply microwaved mine for 30 second intervals and then stirred. Just be sure to keep a close eye on it, as chocolate burns awfully fast!
These cookies would make a great holiday gift…if you can bear to part with them. Maybe just make a double batch if you decide to share.
