Peppermint O's

How is everyone doing on their New Year's Resolutions? Still going strong? Good for you! I'm proud of you! And I totally apologize for this post.

I made you Peppermint Oreos. Well, they're not exactly like Oreos, so we'll just call them O's. And O-my are they delicious. (See what I did there?)

Oreos aren't safe in my house. I can't tell you how many packages I've bought with the intent to make something, only to end up devouring the whole package before they ever make it to the baking stage. One here, one there, and suddenly I'm reaching in to find only crumbs. I can't be alone on this, right?

This homemade version doesn't have quite the crispy-crunch of regular Oreos, but that won't stop you from twisting the tops off and licking the peppermint cream from centers (because we all know that's the proper way to eat an Oreo.)

These come from the gorgeous Bouchon Bakery cookbook by Thomas Keller and Sebastian Rouxel. Part cookbook, part coffee table book, this thing is a sight to behold. I spent quite a while just turning through the pages in awe of the beauty within. With so many delicious sounding things, it was hard to choose what to make first--but I finally settled on the famous TKOs.

I'm not sure where the blame lies on this, but for me, my initial attempt at the recipe as it's written did not work. I don't know if it's error on my part or from within in the recipe, but my original dough was completely unworkable. It bore more of a resemblance to sand than cookie dough. We're talking arid Sahara desert level dry. The directions of pushing the dough together into a block to chill was laughable; it wouldn't even hold together when I squeezed it! It just crumbled into a million pieces. There was no way it was going to hold together enough to roll out and cut. Luckily I've done enough baking to be able to think on my feet and try to remedy the situation on my own. With the addition of an egg to bind it, the dough came together at last. From that point on, it was smooth sailing. The tweaked dough rolled and cut beautifully and turned into the most delectable little cookies, even without the filling!

Maybe it's because my house is desert-like in the winter, or maybe it's because I measure by volume rather than weight. Maybe I was just having a bad day--or maybe I was just trying a faulty recipe. Who knows why the original recipe didn't work, but I'm more than pleased with my adaptation, so we'll call it even. It's still a gorgeous book, and I'm going to give it another shot with another recipe before I write it off as a book that's a bit beyond me.

But until then, I'm going to enjoy dunking some of my Peppermint O's into a big glass of milk.

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Peppermint O's
Adapted from Bouchon Bakery and Martha Stewart's Cookies
Makes 3 dozen 2-inch sandwiches



Cookies:
1 3/4 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Pinch of salt

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating to combine, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Add dry ingredients, beating until combined.
3. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and press dough into a 6-inch square block. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 325F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats; set aside.
5. When dough has chilled, on a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out rounds. Press any scraps together and reroll and cut until all dough is used. Place rounds on prepared baking sheets, an inch apart.
6. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, for 9 to 11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on pan for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
7. While cookies are cooling, make filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and shortening until well combined and smooth. Reduce speed to low and gradually add confectioner's sugar, beating until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla and peppermint extracts, and salt, beating to combine.
8. When cookies have cooled, assemble: Place filling in a pastry bag fitted with a large round or star tip and pipe about a tablespoon onto the flat side of half the cookies. (You can also spread filling on with a spatula if you don't have a piping bag/tip) Top with remaining cookies, pressing gently together to spread filling to the edges.