Halloween Oreo Cookies – Skip the packaged variety and make these cookies into a super fun Halloween activity with your kids!
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I really don’t think I’m unlike many food bloggers.  I make my way through the grocery store on the outer edges, starting with produce and ending with dairy with only a few random dips into the center aisles for things like dried pasta, canned tomatoes, sugar, and flour.

We’re increasingly using less and less packaged and bottled items since I’ve found it so easy to make my own dressings and bbq sauce (ketchup is next on my list). But for some reason, when I don’t feel like making cookies, I can’t pass up Oreos. It’s so rare that I buy them that this usually only happens when the fun holiday colors show up or my hankering for a Double Stuf completely consumes me.

That said, I decided it was time to make my own and being that the Halloween Oreos have been taunting me for weeks, my timing was right.

Homemade Halloween Oreo Cookies

An unconventional cookie-making method

These Oreos may have been some of the easiest cookies I’ve ever made.  In a stand mixer or food processor in an unorthodox cookie-making manner, you’ll add the dry ingredients first (including the sugar), then beat in the butter and then the egg.  It’s almost like making a pastry dough but you’ll end up with a firm dough that will be scooped into 1/2-inch balls, lightly flattened, and baked.

And inside of about 17.5 minutes (give or take) you will have homemade Oreo cookies!  The recipe states that you can vary the amount of sugar but for these cookies, I feel like less is more where next time I’ll use closer to 1 cup of sugar rather than 1 1/4 cups since I feel like they were just a tad too sweet – if you think about it, those chocolate wafers on their own aren’t all that sweet.

Regarding the colored cream filling, I split the white filling into three bowls and added enough color gel to achieve my desired colors then piped them on the cookie halves.  Really easy and such a cute effect for any of those upcoming Halloween parties or potlucks – you’ll definitely turn some heads if you show up with these Halloween Oreos!

Homemade Halloween Oreo Cookies

  • Prep Time: 15min (cookie dough) + 10min (filling) + 10min (assembly)
  • Cook Time: 9-11min
  • Yield: 20-30 cookies

Notes

Feel free to color the filling for these cookies however you’d like or leave it with for the classic Oreo look!

Ingredients

For the cookies:
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened or Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 to 1 ½ cups sugar (Use 1 cup for a truer-to-original Oreo wafer or more sugar for a sweeter chocolate cookie)
10 tbsp (1 stick + 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg

For the cream filling:
4 tbsp (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable shortening
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • 01

    Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.  Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

  • 02

    In a food processor or the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  Mix briefly to combine.  Add the butter to the bowl and pulse or mix briefly to incorporate.  Add in the egg and mix until the dough forms a cohesive mass.

  • 03

    Scoop between 2 tsp to a scant tbsp of batter (depending on how large you want them) onto the baking sheet. Continue scooping, spacing the dough balls a couple of inches apart.  With moistened fingers, gently press down on the dough balls to flatten slightly.

  • 04

    Bake for 9 to 11 minutes (closer to 9 minutes for smaller cookies), rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack and let cool completely until the cookies are firm and set.  Be sure the cookies are completely cooled before filling.

  • 05

    To make the filling, combine the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Beat on medium-high speed until smooth.  Add the confectioners’ sugar to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the vanilla extract.

  • 06

    To assemble the cookies, pair them up by size.  Use a pastry bag fitted with a plain round tip to pipe a swirl of filling onto the flat side of one cookie of each pair.  Sandwich together with the remaining cookie and press down so that the filling reaches the edges.

Retro Desserts by Wayne Bachman, as adapted by Smitten Kitchen and as seen on Annie’s Eats

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Leave a Comment

  • October 5, 2011 at 7:06 AM

    I need to make my own! I too only by them on a rare occasion. I’ve learned to make almost everything we used to buy in boxes, cans, or bottles. If I don’t make it my mother does (she’s big into canning) she does her own katchup… you need to try doing your own its so much better!

  • October 5, 2011 at 7:50 AM

    I’ve always wanted to make my own- these look nice and soft, more like those oreo cakesters!

    • October 5, 2011 at 8:18 AM

      Liz: Actually, they start out really crispy like regular Oreos and over the course of a day, they will soften. I’ve never had a Cakester so I can’t compare the texture.

  • October 5, 2011 at 7:54 AM

    How cool is this?! Love it!

  • Cindy B.
    October 5, 2011 at 8:16 AM

    They look great!!!!!!!!!!!

  • October 5, 2011 at 9:05 AM

    What a fun idea-these are so pretty!

  • October 5, 2011 at 10:12 AM

    I love the different color fillings you used! These look great.

  • October 5, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    Homemade oreos have been on my “to-do” list forever. Maybe I will finally get around to making them this fall!

  • October 5, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    The last time I bought Oreos my husband and I ate the entire package in one shameful day. I haven’t bought them since, and I’m a little scared to try making this recipe!

  • October 5, 2011 at 1:46 PM

    This recipe looks great! Trying to convince our editor to cook these up and bring to the office to sample!

  • October 5, 2011 at 3:19 PM

    So cool and creative!

  • October 5, 2011 at 4:10 PM

    It’s so true about the shopping adventure being on the outside edges. And it’s usually healthier to stay out of those middle aisles too. Good thing the ice cream freezers are on the outside edges at my grocery store ;-).

    I really love these oreos! I made homemade once, but it’s so cool that you colored them for Halloween! Especially since I search for the holiday ones every year, now I can just make them myself!

  • October 5, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    Cute! I love the colors you used.

  • October 5, 2011 at 5:43 PM

    I love the colors of these, I need to make these soon, they have been on my to-bake list for too long!

  • October 5, 2011 at 7:22 PM

    So fun, Tara! I love the colors you used, too!

  • October 5, 2011 at 10:56 PM

    so cute, love the colors you’ve used! Nice to be featured together today on FG 🙂

  • October 5, 2011 at 11:18 PM

    Oh my gosh! These are the cutest darn things ever!

  • October 5, 2011 at 11:27 PM

    Cute cookies! It is time that Halloween evolved into more than just black and orange hues. Welcome the new colors of Halloween!

  • October 6, 2011 at 10:29 AM

    I love these homemade oreos!! They are some of my favorite treat to make! I love that you made the filling multi-colored-so pretty & fun!

  • October 6, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    These are simply beautiful. I love all of the colors and the pictures are very creative. Great job!

  • October 6, 2011 at 11:08 AM

    I love oreos and it’s so rare that I’ll buy them as the hubby can’t help but eat them all lol. 🙂 I need to make my own oreos these look like so much fun.

  • October 6, 2011 at 1:09 PM

    I didn’t even know you could make homemade oreos!! LOL! These rock!

  • Beth
    October 6, 2011 at 7:38 PM

    I have to make these…tonight!

  • October 6, 2011 at 8:15 PM

    My grocery trips sound just like yours. I don’t like to get oreos because I cannot help myself when they are in easy access. I am frightened to ever make a recipe for homemade. I bet they are 100 times better. These are super cute for Halloween. Love them!

  • October 6, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    My goodness are these cookies FABULOUS!!! The frosting colors are super fun for Halloween! 🙂

  • Jennifer Hubbs
    October 6, 2011 at 8:46 PM

    These looks fabulous! I thinks I need to make them for book club this month! Question though…my insane husband does not like chocolate and will only eat the golden oreos- would they flop if I left out the cocoa and try to make them vanilla?

  • October 6, 2011 at 9:44 PM

    Oh my they look so good!! WAY better than a store bought Oreo! I’m with you on the less sugar, thanks for that note – I’ll heed it when I make these myself. Tomorrow 🙂 I’ve got some black cocoa that I can’t wait to use in the chocolate wafer. Great blog, so glad I found it!

  • October 6, 2011 at 10:25 PM

    Great photos! These would definitely be fun to bring to a Halloween party.

  • October 6, 2011 at 11:04 PM

    How cute are those!!! Making Oreo’s are on my list of must make soon! Now I am going to have to color the cream – such a cute idea!

  • October 7, 2011 at 2:02 AM

    My husband loves Oreos, and I’ve been meaning to try making them from scratch. I love this holiday version!!

  • October 7, 2011 at 10:55 AM

    We have a Fall Festival coming up and this looks like the perfect treat to make!

  • October 8, 2011 at 2:54 PM

    Your oreos are beautiful! You did such a great job and they look delicious. What a perfect trat for Halloween. I am having a Halloween party and I think these just may have to be on my list of things to bake!

  • Pam
    October 9, 2011 at 12:13 PM

    These sound like they taste a lot better than the store-bought ones, and they are adorable with those great colors!

  • October 10, 2011 at 11:37 AM

    These are rocking. Love the color choices. I often walk down the cookie aisle tempted to throw a box in just so I can munch on something when I get home too.

  • October 10, 2011 at 11:42 AM

    Look how cute these cookies are! And I love all the colors. Yum!

  • October 11, 2011 at 9:28 PM

    These look so cute! Love that they are homemade and so much better than the store-bought ones. Yum!

  • Karen
    October 4, 2012 at 11:32 AM

    I tried these out last night after thinking about them since I first saw this.. And my coworkers LOVE them! 🙂 I’ve gotten quite a few “yuuuummmmm”s, a couple “AWESOME”s and “Need the recipe”s and even a “BEST cookie I’ve ever eaten”. 😀
    Since I have a lot of coworkers I doubled the recipe hoping to get twice the number, but then think I made them too big. But they are delicious! More soft and cake/cookie than the regular oreos, and dont *quite* taste like them, but still AMAZING. Everytime I step away from my desk and come back more are missing.

    • October 4, 2012 at 11:47 AM

      So great to hear – thanks for coming back to let me know! Yes, they are a little bit softer than regular Oreos but a stellar recipe nonetheless. 🙂

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