Homemade Whole Wheat Oreos

I'm allergic to chocolate so I couldn't eat these but I thought the kids at church might enjoy them. THEY WERE A HIT!

All this came about because Dj wanted homemade cookies and cream ice cream (which I still haven't made). I adapted this from the recipe posted on the Cupcake Project. 

Ingredients

2.55 oz whole wheat bread flour (hard wheat)

2.55 oz whole wheat pastry flour (soft wheat)

2  oz unsweetened cocoa

6.75 oz white sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp softened butter

Directions:

Mix together dry ingredients

Add wet ingredients (doesn't look too great does it)

Divide dough into equal portions and place on a lined baking sheet about an inch apart, they spead A LOT, and flatten. (I'm a perfectionist so I actually weighted mine. Each cookie was exactly 1 oz).

Bake at 375 F for exactly 9 minutes. After baking set on rack to cool. The cookies need to be COMPLETELY COOL before adding filling. I was impatient and made a horrible mess. 

Filling:

1.75 oz shortening

9.15 oz powdered sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk butter, shortening and vanilla extract together (I would suggest using a stand mixer or hand beater). Slowly add in powdered sugar a little at a time until it's all incorporated. The picture is from when I attempted this by hand = not smart.

The easiest way to add the filling is to put it in a zip top bag and use it like a pastry bag.

Put filling on half the cookies and top with remaining cookies. 

This is the result:

As I stated earlier I was impatient and didn't wait for the cookies to fully cool before adding the filling. 

That's it!

THOUGHTS:

I didn't actually taste these because I can't but the kids LOVED them. My mid-20 friends told me that they were ridiculously sweet. They loved the cookies but thought the filling was too much. Next time I'll use a cream cheese filling. 

Until next time, 

Kellan

I love Auntie Anne's Pretzels But They're Not Whole Wheat

Auntie Anne and I have a love affair but in my attempt to 1) spend money wisely and 2) eat better I cannot continue to go there. Although that saddens me, it's for the best. So I attempted to make a whole wheat version of those delicious pretzels, here's how it went:

Whole Wheat Pretzels

Pretzel
1 1/2 cup warm water
0.25 oz active dry yeast
0.90 oz  brown sugar
0.20 oz salt
9.85 oz whole wheat bread flour (hard wheat)
5.85 oz  whole wheat pastry flour

Baking Soda Mixture
2 cups Warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda

Dipping
to taste coarse salt
4 tablespoons butter (melted)


Directions
Dissolve brown sugar in water, then mix in yeast. After yeast starts to bubble, pour into mixing bowl. Mix salt into flour and slowly add to wet ingredients. Mix until a smooth, elastic dough forms. 
Knead for about 5 minutes. (Clearly I didn't knead this long enough but it was late and I honestly didn't care)

Cover and let dough double in size.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 Tbsp baking soda. Then shape. Now because I failed to adequately knead my dough I couldn't make those nice, thin, neat pretzels at Aunt Anne's but I was more concerned with taste than appearance.

 Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Bake in 450 oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. Dip in melted butter and sprinkle on your favorite topping! 

Thoughts:

I wish I hadn't been so lazy and properly kneaded my dough. The pretzel were DELICIOUS but I would have liked for them to be delicious and pretty. There's always next time. 

Until next time,

Kellan