How to Make Homemade Oreo Cookies

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 10, 2022 References

Oreos are a classic favorite, but did you know that you could make them at home? Homemade Oreos don’t taste exactly the same as the kind you find in the store, but they are delicious nonetheless. With some basic baking ingredients and a simple batch of buttercream frosting, you can make your own homemade Oreos any time you want!

Ingredients

Cookies

3 cups of flour
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
3 sticks of butter (softened)
2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
extra granulated sugar for topping the cookie dough

Frosting

2 sticks of butter (softened)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Making the Cookies

1
Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Your oven will need to be nice and hot when you put the cookies in, so start heating it up right before you prep your cookie dough. This will help to ensure that it is ready to go when you are ready to bake your cookies.
2
Combine the dry ingredients (except sugar) in a large bowl. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and baking powder to one of your large mixing bowls. Then, take a spoon or a whisk and use it to combine the dry ingredients in the bowl until they are all mixed together.^{[1]
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3
Mix the butter and sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, add the three sticks of butter and the two cups of sugar. Then, using your stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the ingredients on medium speed until they are well combined.^{[2]
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4
Add the eggs. After the butter and sugar are well combined, add in the eggs and mix the eggs with the butter and sugar until they are all well combined. Use your hand mixer or stand mixer to mix everything together.^{[3]
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- If you prefer not to use eggs, then you can always substitute the eggs with an egg replacer, such as Ener-G or ground flax seeds. One tablespoon of ground flaxseeds mixed with three tablespoons of water is equal to one egg.^{[4]
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5
Scoop in dry ingredients with the mixer running. Next, you will need to add the dry ingredients to the butter, sugar, and egg mixture while running the hand mixer. Add the dry ingredients slowly, such as a half a cup at a time.^{[5]
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- Keep the hand mixer or stand mixer on a low to medium speed as you do this to prevent the dry ingredients from flying out.
6
Line a cookie pan with parchment paper. To prevent the cookie dough from sticking to your pan, it is a good idea to line the cookie pan with a sheet of parchment paper, even if the pan is non-stick. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the entire surface of the pan.^{[6]
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- If you do not have parchment paper, then spray the pan with some non-stick cooking spray.
- You can also use a small amount of butter or oil if you do not have non-stick cooking spray.
7
Scoop the dough onto the parchment paper. Using a small ice cream scoop or melon baller, scoop out about a tablespoon of cookie dough at a time and place it on the pan. Leave about two inches between each ball and make sure that the cookie dough balls are evenly spaced.^{[7]
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- If you want to get more uniform cookies, then you can also flatten all of your dough on a clean surface and then cut out disks of dough with a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. If you do this, then you will need to sprinkle some flour onto the surface and onto the dough to help keep it from sticking.^{[8]
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8
Flatten the cookie dough balls. Flattening the cookies will make it easier to use them for sandwiches and it will also give the cookies a more Oreo-like appearance. You will need a clean drinking glass and a small bowl of granulated sugar to do this.^{[9]
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- To flatten the cookie dough balls, take a clean drinking glass and press it into one of the cookies to flatten it out.
- Then, peel off the cookie and press the stick glass bottom into the dish of granulated sugar.
- Press the sugar onto the top of the cookie you just flattened.
- Repeat this process for each of the cookies.
9
Bake the cookies for 15 to 17 minutes. When your cookies are all flat, place the tray into the heated oven and set a timer for 15 or 17 minutes. If you bake the cookies for 15 minutes, then you will end up with some chewy cookies. If you bake them for 17 minutes, then they will be crunchier cookies.^{[10]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Making the Frosting

1
Add butter and powdered sugar to a large bowl. Butter and powdered sugar are the main ingredients for your frosting. Place the butter and the powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl.^{[11]
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- Make sure that the butter is at room temperature or the frosting will be hard to mix.
- You can also use shortening as a substitute for part or all of the butter if you prefer.^{[12]
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2
Use a hand mixer to combine butter and sugar. Turn on your hand mixer or stand mixer to low speed to begin combining the butter and powdered sugar. If you turn it on a higher speed, some of the sugar may fly out of the bowl, so a low speed is best. Mix the butter and sugar until they are well combined and fluffy.^{[13]
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- You can turn the speed up a bit after the ingredients are well combined, but you may still want to keep it on the low side to prevent splattering.
3
Pour in 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract. After the butter and sugar are well combined, you can add in the vanilla extract. Pour the vanilla extract over the butter and sugar and then begin mixing the ingredients with your hand mixer or stand mixer again. Use a low to medium speed to mix in the vanilla.^{[14]
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- Keep mixing the ingredients until the frosting is fluffy.
- You may want to stop once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- If you want to add a different flavor to your frosting, just substitute a different extract instead of vanilla. For example, you could use almond extract, chocolate extract, or caramel extract if you prefer.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Assembling the Cookies

1
Wait for the cookies to cool. After the cookies have finished baking, take them out of the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Wait until the cookies are completely cool to do anything with them, otherwise, the frosting will melt.
- Try making the cookies first, setting them on the rack to cool, and then starting on the frosting. By the time you finish the frosting, the cookies should be cool.
2
Spoon about a tablespoon of frosting onto each cookie. When the cookies are cool, you can begin to add the frosting filling. Use a small ice cream scoop or melon baller to scoop about a tablespoon of frosting onto the center of half of your cookies.^{[15]
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- Don’t worry about spreading out the frosting or patting it down. Just scoop the frosting balls onto the cookies.
3
Place another cookie on top of the frosting. Next, you will need to place another cookie on the top of the frosting-topped cookies and press the two cookies together. This will cause the frosting to spread out and distribute evenly between the cookies.^{[16]
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- Do this for all of your cookies until they are all sandwiched together.
4
Enjoy your homemade Oreos! After you have finished sandwiching your cookies, they are ready to eat! Enjoy them alone or with a glass of milk.^{[17]
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- If you do not plan to serve the cookies right away, then you might want to place them in the fridge to help keep the frosting from melting.

Community Q&A

Question

How many cookies does this recipe make?

Qamar

Top Answerer

This recipe makes approx. a dozen large Oreo cookies.
Question

What if I just want to make 4 cookies?

Qamar

Top Answerer

You can lessen/halve the amount of each ingredient to make only four cookies.
Question

Do I need sweetened or unsweetened cocoa powder?

Community Answer

Unsweetened cocoa powder is best.