Over The Top & In The Middle

It would have been wrong for the cookie baker to have a cooking camp and not bake cookies. So it was that for the last edition of cooking camp, we made cookies. And since it was the last one, we went all out, making cookie-stuffed cookies.

Short Friend was once again camping, (what is it with this obsession with camping? Nature is fine in it's place - outdoors. That doesn't mean that we need to be in it's place. But I digress.) so Tall Friend again brought his little sister to share in the fun.

These outrageous cookies caught my eye on Pinterest. They're basically a stiff chocolate chip cookie dough wrapped around oreos. The result? A mammoth cookie that's got great taste, contrasting textures, and a fun surprise in the middle. Really, what's not to love? Plus, as a bonus, shaping the cookies involves playing with your food. It's like playdoh that you're allowed to eat. (But we did have to cover that once you lick your hands, you MUST go wash them. I think we had to cover that several times.)

We also covered some cookie-making basics (stuff that I covered in this post). It was all pretty simple stuff. The only tough part was keeping the kids from snacking on the oreos. I'd gone to great trouble to search out and purchase sandwich cookie without hydrogenated fats (well, it wasn't great trouble. They were on an end cap at Whole Foods. I saw them and grabbed them.) Another member of my family had already found the package and opened them and before I killed him, I hastily counted the cookies remaining. Ah, just enough with none to spare (but the family member's life was spared). I put the precious remaining cookies in a zip-loc bag and hid them. Yes, sometimes a baker has to do that to protect the ingredients.

Forming the cookies was everyone's favorite part. You take two balls of dough, sandwich the oreo in between, and smoosh (a highly technical baking term), then add dough as necessary to cover and seal in the sandwich cookie. The resulting dough mounds are plopped onto baking sheets, cooked, and tasted, I mean cooled on wire racks.

The verdict? Thumbs up! We ate cookies with our lunch and watched an educational baking video, Tangled, which covers the importance of cast iron frying pans.

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (preferably without hydrogenated fats) (or 24 cookies, if your husband finds the package and snacks on them)

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.

2- In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugars with a mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

3- In a medium bowl mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Add the chocolate chips when there are still traces of flour showing.

4- With a medium cookie scoop, form balls of dough. Place a ball on either side of a chocolate sandwich cookie. Smoosh together and seal up the edges so the cookie is totally encased in cookie dough.

5- Place the dough balls on the prepared baking baking sheets and bake for 13 minutes, or until the tops are set and the edges begin to brown.

6- Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.