Delicious Bites: Homemade Oreo Cakesters

I was searching around the web for a new recipe to try out for Valentine's Day. Instead of giving a box of chocolates I like to make some homemade sweet treats for loved ones. My search led me to a blog post by Chloe of the Every Craving blog and her sweet recipe for "Better than Oreo Cakesters." I tried my hand at baking these Oreo-like whoopie pies and have to say they are definitely better than name brand Oreos!

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The following recipe is an adapted version from The Every Craving's "Better than Oreo Cakesters" recipe.

Ingredients: (makes 12 cookies, 6 large sandwiches)

Cookies-
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant coffee
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Filling-
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

{I found the filling to be incredibly delicious, but also a bit runny. When sandwiching the cookies together, I had a hard time stopping them from sliding apart. I compromised a bit by adding a 1/3 cup of flour. However, even then it seemed to be not as thick and fluffy as I had imagined. In the future I may look into a different cream filling recipe. Still, the added cream cheese made for a to-die-for combo!} 

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Whisk together all of the dry ingredients for the cake mix (the first 8 on the list) in a large bowl until it’s all combined. Beat in the oil and eggs until it forms a rough, semi-crumbly dough. Scoop out the dough with a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and place about 2-inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I used my hands to roll the dough into balls, but didn't worry if they weren't perfect). Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the cookies are set (they will seem underdone but they will continue to bake when cooling). Let cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add in the sugar by the 1/2 cup, beating will after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract until combined. I also added 3 drops of red food coloring to the mix in celebration of Valentine's Day, of course! Lastly, spread the filling mixture onto the cookies once the cookies have completely cooled and sandwich them together. 

I put the cakesters in the refrigerator to let the filling set and slightly harden . I was amazed at the delicious taste and texture of the soft and moist cake portion. I had my roommates give it a test, and the recipe was a huge hit!

If you decide to give the recipe a try, leave a comment below letting me know how your trial run went. :) Happy Baking! 

xo,

Elissa