Chocolate chip cookies immediately bring you back to your wonder years as a little tyke with few larger concerns than if that boy in third grade actually had cooties or not. They’re familiar, dependably delicious and are guaranteed to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
So what could be better than a traditional chocolate chip cookie? How about a chocolate chip cookie filled with another cookie of your childhood: I’m talking Oreos. It’s a match made in nostalgic sugar heaven. The Oreo melts slightly inside the cookie so the equation becomes warm chocolate chip cookie + even warmer Oreo = cookie coma.
I adapted Cherry Tea Cake’s cookie recipe, but feel free to use any chocolate chip cookie recipe you prefer; they all work well. You can choose to use regular-sized Oreos and make these gargantuan (which is a great idea), but I shrunk these down and used Mini Oreos so the recipe yielded more and it felt a little more okay to eat three at a time. Great as a holiday present, the special surprise inside will have people bowing down to your magical baking skills. Let’s get the magic started.
Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes to chill
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
Total Time: at least 72 minutes
Servings: about 24-32 cookies
Ingredients:
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 2/3 cups minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 – 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (depending on how chip-y you like your cookies)
1 box mini Oreos
Directions:
1. Combine butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Photo: Rae Steinbach
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
3. Add eggs one at a time to the sugar and butter mixture, beating well between each addition.
4. Add vanilla and beat until incorporated.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture, being sure to mix until just combined.
Photo: Rae Steinbach
6. Using a wooden spoon or other sturdy utensil, fold in chocolate chips until distributed evenly throughout the dough.
7. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the dough then place in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
8. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease or line with parchment paper two baking pans; this is when we begin to assemble!
9. Using your hands or a spoon, scoop about a tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball.
10. Using your thumb, press into the dough, creating a well to place the Oreo.
Photo: Rae Steinbach
11. Place the Oreo inside of the indent and fold remaining dough over the Oreo.
Photo: Rae Steinbach
12. Roll the entire creation into a ball in order to seal the edges.
Photo: Rae Steinbach
13. Place cookies on a baking sheet, about 1 inch apart.
14. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Keep in mind that the cookie will continue to bake on the pan once out of the oven so it’s okay if the center looks or feels a bit underdone (but still shouldn’t be gooey when you remove it from the oven).
Photo: Rae Steinbach
15. Let cookies cool on the pan for at least 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack (this would be the time to taste one of your creations. Go ahead).
Photo: Rae Steinbach