Red Velvet Oreo Style Sandwich Cookies
Red Velvet Oreo Style Sandwich Cookies
By Caro
Made with heart shaped cutters, my Red Velvet Oreo Style Sandwich Cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day. Super simple to make and with less additives & preservatives than the shop bought cookie. Made with a clarified butter vanilla filling, that won’t squish out when you take a bite!
So these are my version of a certain chocolate sandwich cookie but this time dressed up for Valentine’s Day! (You know it’s Oreos right ? ?)
My original chocolate version was on the old site, and I have still to upload here, but since it’s coming to Valentine’s Day, I thought it good timing to add the Red velvet cookies now.
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Why Use This Recipe?
1.Quick & Easy Recipe
These Red Velvet sandwich cookies are made from a simple chocolate cookie recipe, made red with some food colouring. They are sandwiched together with a buttercream, made using clarified butter. This is really easy to make & only takes 5 minutes, resulting in a firmer filling that doesn’t squeeze out when you take a bite. No special tools or experience required. The longest stage is the chilling of the cookies before baking.
2. Thorough Instructions & Photos
As always my recipes include thorough instructions, and photos to guide you. leaving nothing uncertain. Children could even make them or certainly help with them.
3.Thoroughly Tested Before Publishing
Like all my recipes, they are thoroughly tested till just right, as well as often a final test by another baker.
4. Less Additives & Preservatives
Home baking always reduces the amount of additives and preservatives you are consuming, which can be harmful to our health. You also know exactly what you are eating.
5. Home-made Is Always Better
Home baked ‘anything’ ALWAYS tastes better than processed foods. Baked with love and also no additives, to take away from the taste. Show your Valentine some love with these heart shape red velvet sandwich cookies.
6. Easily Customized
st cookies, you can customize with any shaped cookie cutter. I have you chill the cookies before baking, so good for keeping their shape. Use for Valentines, Sprin-time, Halloween or even at Christmas time.
7. Can Be Used with Other Flour
These cookies can also be used with Gluten free flour, by also adding 1/2 tsp of Xanthan Gum to every 125g/1 cup Gluten free flour. So this recipe would need 1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp. (Make sure to check your Gluten Free flour does not already have this in it). They have also successfully been made using Spelt flour (see Maureen’s photo above & below).
Feedback
“I used your recipe to make your Red Velvet cookies atthe cafe where I work this afternoon. Really pleased with how they turned out. Fingers crossed our customers enjoy them (I am sure they will!).”
Maureen Weston, Facebook, 2020
See also Sally Newton’s photo of these Red Velvet Oreo cookies below, but with a strawberry flavoured filling. (See Sally’s feedback, after the recipe card below). Also check out Sally’s blog – Bewitchingkitchen.com
Ingredients In Red Velvet Oreo Style Cookies
Here’s some notes on what’s in the Oreo style red Velvet Sandwich cookies.
The cookie dough is made from granulated sugar, unsalted butter (you should always use unsalted for baking unless specified. Not only will you be able to control salt levels, but salted contains a higher percentage of water which can affect a bake). Plain/All Purpose flour, Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda), cocoa powder, Golden syrup & red food colouring.
Egg-Free
The Red Velvet sandwich cookies are also egg-free!
Golden Syrup
Now Golden Syrup, is not the same as Corn Syrup. I have more on that, and where you can buy Golden Syrup in the States & Canada, on my Gingerbread recipe. However, depending on the purpose of the syrup and what you are making, you might be able to use a substitute. In this case for these cookies, you can easily use Maple syrup or honey for this recipe with the same result.
Best Food Colouring To Use
Most bakers will recommend using Gel colouring, as it adds a lot less moisture than liquid food colouring, which might always be something you want. But I actually recommend Sugarflair brand, which is in the form of a paste. So this includes even less moisture. They have so many different colours and shades to choose from, but they are also very concentrated and pigmented, so you only need to use tiny amounts. I tend to buy from eBay or Amazon and can often work out less expensive in sets.
Tips For Using Food Colouring
1. Always wear gloves or put down some protection when using food colouring. It stains so badly and can ruin some things. I see too many people on tv not using gloves.
2. Use a disposable cocktail stick to add small amounts of the paste or gel coloring to whatever your dying. This will help reduce chances of colouring your mixing bowl too.
3. Add in small amounts, mix through & then wait 30 seconds before deciding if any more colouring is needed. Most better food colouring brands, take time to develop. Better to use not enough than too much.
4. Keep coloured items such as fondant away from direct sunlight as it will fade the colouring.
Cookie Cutters To Use
I used a slightly larger heart cookie cutter that was 5.5cm (2″) at its widest area, and the round cutters were 4.5cm (1 3/4″). But you can use any size cutter you have or even use some glasses to cut out cookies. Just know that the baking times will vary.
For the cut-out centre of some of the sandwich cookies, I used a small heart cutter, that was about 3/4″ wide (2cm). Just test it next to the bigger cutter to make sure not too big. But also don’t use too small a cutter, as it will close up a little on baking. You can also use the opposite end of a small piping nozzle if you want to make small round cut-outs.
Recipe At A Glance
The recipe begins with softened butter being ‘creamed’ together with the sugar, before adding the food colouring. After this you add in the flour, raising agent and cocoa powder. This comes together as a dough, that’s rolled out and cookie cut.
These cut cookies are then chilled for 1 hour for them to hold their shape good. After that they are simply baked for about 10 minutes.
While the cookies are cooling, (or whenever you want to fill them), you prepare the buttercream filling with clarified butter. (More on that below). The cookies are then filled & sandwiched together.
What Is Clarified Butter?
Clarified butter basically just means separating the milk solids. Doesn’t squish out and can set nicely at room temperature.
How Do I Clarify Butter?
Clarifying butter is a very simple process to do. Just melting & heating butter until the milk solids separate from the liquid. Only takes about 10 minutes & can be done while the cookies bake or cool.
On to the recipe!
Red Velvet Oreo Style Sandwich Cookies
Equipment
- Scales or measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Stand or hand-held mixer (or by hand with a mixing bowl)
- Other mixing bowl for dry ingredients
- Red Food Colouring (preferably paste or gel, see above & notes).
- Baking sheets/trays x 2 or 3
- Baking paper/parchment
- Rolling Pin
- Small bowl of icing/powdered sugar or cocoa
- Cookie cutters (5.5cm (2") heart cutter & 4.5cm (1.75") round cutter used, or use a glass or lid of similar size.)
- Cooling rack
- Timer or Phone Timer
- Small Cooking Pot
- Sieve
- Pastry bag (optional) or spoon/butter knife
Ingredients
For The Cookie Dough
- 113 grams Butter, unsalted, cubed & softened. (½ cup, 1 stick, 4 oz)
- 100 grams Granulated Sugar (½ cup, 3½ oz)
- 3 tbsp Golden Syrup (60g, ⅓ cup, 2 oz. See link for where to buy Golden Syrup. Honey or Maple syrup can be used)
- ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda)
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- 157 grams Plain Flour (1 ¼ cup. 5 ½ oz All Purpose Flour)
- 30 grams Cocoa Powder (¼ cup, 1 oz)
- Red Food Colouring (Paste or Gel rather than liquid recommended)
For The Filling
- 128 grams Butter, unsalted (4½ oz, ½ cup + 1 tbsp, no need to soften)
- ¾ tsp Vanilla Extract (see Notes for link to make your own Vanilla Extract.
- Sprinkle of Salt
- 187 grams Icing Sugar, sieved (1½ cup, 6½ oz Powdered Sugar)
Instructions
To Make The Cookie Dough
- Begin by cubing your butter & letting it soften & come to room temperature. Cubing roughly to about 1cm (less than ½”) cubes as a smaller surface area will soften faster. If you forget to take the butter out to soften, here’s a hack I reviewed to soften butter in about 10 minutes.
- Once softened enough (see my video of how to check if it's soft enough), combine the butter, sugar, syrup, baking soda (bicarb) & salt in a large bowl and mix on low (or by hand) until it starts to become moistened. Then increase the speed to medium & beat until light & fluffy (approx. 3 minutes depending on the power of your hand/stand-mixer.) See Photo 1 below.
- Next add very small amounts of the colouring paste by using a cocktail stick. (See notes for recommendations on what food colouring to use). I find it easiest to scrape onto the ends of the mixer's beaters. (That way you don't stain your bowl). Then simply mix thoroughly & leave 30 seconds for the colour to develop, before adding another small amount until you get a shade like in Photo 2. (Kind of a peach colour with a red tinge to it. You don’t want it to be a true ‘red’ at this point & that would require more colouring). Best to always add small drops & get the exact shade you want, than add too much. Be sure to place the used cocktail stick on some paper & wear gloves if needed, as it does stain badly.
- In a separate bowl, sieve the flour & cocoa powder & mix together to combine. With the mixer on low, slowly sprinkle in the dry ingredients until it forms a relatively thick, stiff dough. See Photo 3. Using your hands, knead against the insides of the bowl to form a smooth ball of dough.
- Line the baking sheets/trays with baking/parchment paper. If it's a tray with no lips, I hold the paper in place with some baking spray. I have learned the hard way, that without it, the paper & dough or baked cookies can fall off and we don't want that!
- On a worktop/counter, place some baking/parchment paper down & a little icing/powdered sugar if needed. Flatten the dough into a disc. Dust the rolling pin too (you can even use cocoa powder) & roll out the dough to a 4-5mm (⅙- ⅕ “) thickness. (Alternatively roll out between 2 sheets of the paper). I used a £2 coin and 1p to get a minimum thickness. Brush off any excess sugar/cocoa. Photo 4.
- Dust the cookie cutter in icing/powdered sugar or cocoa & cut out as many cookies as you can, re-rolling the scraps and repeating until all used up. Remember to try to make pairs of cookies to sandwich together. See Photo 5 for some ideas of shape you can out. Just make sure you have enough ‘pairs’ to match up.
- Next, place the cookies on the baking sheets with a little gap in-between. See Photo 5 above. If doing different sizes of cookies, or ones with cut-outs, please be sure to keep smaller ones on the same tray as there will be a very slight difference in baking times.
- Chill for 1 hr before baking, to ensure they keep their shape and don’t spread out much. This is key and helps not end up with a tough cookie.
- Heat up the oven up to 180/160c Fan Oven/350f/Gas Mark 4, to coincide with the 1-hour chilling time ending.
- Pop in the oven & bake for 8-12 minutes until firm enough that you can make them move a little, when gently pushed with a spatula. They should still be soft. Remember to turn & rotate the baking sheets during cooking. With the 3 different shapes I baked them for 8 -9 minutes. See Photo 6 below.
- Leave to cool for 5 minutes on the tray, on top of a colling rack, before transferring, paper & all to the cooling rack to cool down completely.
To Make The Filling
- While the cookies are cooling down, make up the filling by preparing the butter. (You can take the butter straight from the fridge, no need to soften as we are melting it). You will clarify it, and basically it just means separating the milk solids.
- Place the butter in the pan & melt on a medium heat (roughly chop it up for a quicker melt). Once melted, leave to bubble & hiss, mixing occasionally with a wooden spoon. Leave until the hissing sound stops or is much quieter. During this time, you will see the solids separating and surfacing to the top & to the sides of the pan. At this point, turn off the heat, remove from the stove and add in the splash of vanilla (be careful it will sizzle) & mix through. Now pour the butter through a sieve & into a small sized bowl to cool a little. See Photo 7 above.
- Add in the sieved icing/powdered sugar & mix by hand until all sugar is incorporated & a smooth paste is formed. See Photo 8 above. This will only take a minute, so no need to get the mixer out again. Leave till it cools (Don’t make too far ahead or it will be too firm to spread). See Photo 9.
Assembling The Cookies
- Begin by matching up your ‘pairs’ of cookies, making sure they match as best as possible. Then separate them & turn upside down. Have a row of bottoms with the corresponding top cookie in a row above.
- Using a regular tea making spoon spread a good amount of filling on top of one cookie. Place a second cookie on top & squeeze together until the filling comes out of the edges. Then use the end of a small spoon or something similar, & scrape around the edges, removing the excess. Alternatively apply with a piping bag. You might have to thin the filling down a bit to do this. You can also leave a little border when adding the filling, & just squeeze gently together, not letting the filling come out. Any way is fine. The filling will firm up. See the pics in Photo 11 & 12.
- Repeat with all cookie ‘pairs’ till done. Store in a tin or airtight container. These will last at least 3 days.
Notes
More Reader Feedback
Here is more feedback from my friend, and baker from the American version of The Great British Bake Off (Great British Baking Show – Holiday Edition 2019) – Sally Newton:
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DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Easy, beginner
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Caro xx
Leave some feedback if you would like 🙂
Thank you so much for including my cookies and for the link love!
You are very welcome friend!
These cookies are great so easy to make and the step by step instructions are brilliant. Thank you.
So pleased, thanks Diana.