Football Oreo Cookies: Sweet Treats for Sports Fans You Can Make at Home
I've lived in Boston ever since I was married to my former husband twelve years ago. Sports are a major part of Boston. We Boston sports fans are known for our fanatical devotion to the Red Sox and the Patriots. My children and I love watching sports. My girl Amber's favorite song is "Sweet Caroline," which is played at every Red Sox game. We are lucky fans because our teams rock. Since the turn of the century, the Patriots have won six Super Bowls. We can't wait to see Tom Brady bring us another Super Bowl this year!
Do you know what the best pastry is to make during the football season? Football Oreo cookies! But be cautious—these cookies are dangerous. Once you start to eat them, it's impossible to stop. Believe it or not, I did not learn how to make any American cookies, such as chocolate chip cookies or whoopie pies when I was a pastry student at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. Why? Because I was trained by the French master pastry chef, Delphin Gomes. He likes tarts, not pies. Delicate French macaroons, not American cookies.
Fortunately, I learned how to make all different kinds of American cookies when I worked at Flour bakery under the great Chef Joanne. Handmade Oreo cookies were one of our best sellers. They usually sold out by noon! Our regular Oreo had Vanilla filling. We also had seasonal fillings with fun twists such as an Aztec spicy chocolate filling.
Even though I liked the Oreo cookies at Flour, they were too sweet for my taste. (Sorry! Chef Joanne!) I was still looking for my "perfect" homemade Oreo when I learned a recipe that inspired my new recipe Football Oreo Cookies.
This year, I took Master Chef Lincoln Carson's workshop "Inspiration from Sweet to Savory" at Valrhona L'ecole. During the workshop, Chef Lincoln shared crossover techniques, ingredients, and theory that can work in both pastry and savory applications.
During the Chef Lincoln's workshop, I found "the one," my perfect Oreo cookie dough recipe. I was assigned to make "chocolate crumble," one dessert component for our plating dessert "Dulcey Delice." Chef Lincoln shared his recipe of dark chocolate crumble and told me his top secret about this recipe. "This dough is versatile. You can use it to make chocolate crumbles or cookies or chocolate tarts." Since my daughter Amber loves Oreo cookies, the idea of using this dough to make Football Oreos came to me right away.
Okay! We've got the cookies covered. What about the fillings? Since Italian food is big in Boston, I decided to give the cookies an Italian twist. Instead of Chef Joanne's magic vanilla frosting, I use mascarpone cream. I love my mascarpone cream because it's so well balanced with the Oreo cookies! This frosting is easy to make, and it goes well not only with Oreo cookies, but also carrot cupcakes, banana cupcakes, and chocolate cupcakes! If you ever find yourself wandering around the streets in the North End of Boston, you must try some Italian treats such as cannoli or lobster tails. Lobster tails are pastry dough filled with Chantilly cream, a custard folded with whipped cream.
Melissa's Football Oreo Cookie
Ingredients
Oreo Cookie
- 225 grams Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 225 grams Sugar
- 55 grams Whole Eggs
- 140 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 225 grams Valrhona Cocoa Powder
- 60 grams Water
Mascarpone Cream
- 1 pound Mascarpone Cheese
- 8 ounces Sour Cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 5 ounces Powdered Sugar
Instructions
To make the cookies: (Adapted from Chef Lincoln Carson, Bon Temps)
- In an electric mixer, beat the butter and the sugar with a paddle attachment on low speed. Do not incorporate any air into the mixer. If you have a kitchen aid stand-up mixer, turn to "stir." It is very important to keep the speed low, so when you roll out the cookie dough, it will not crumble easily.
- Add the egg and scrape until well blended.
- Add the cocoa powder, then water, and scrape until well blended
- Add the flour and mix until the dough comes together evenly. The finished dough should feel like Play-Doh. Do not over mix. Cover the dough with plastic, and set aside for 1 hour or until firm.
- Place the dough on a long sheet of parchment paper. Use your hands to shape it into a rough log, about 10 inches long and 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the log at the edge of the parchment. Roll the parchment around the log. With your hands on the paper, roll the dough into a disc.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours. Place the dough between two parchment papers. Use a French rolling pin to roll out the dough between the parchment paper until the dough is a quarter-inch thin. Use a football-shaped cookie cutter to cut out cookies.
- Set the oven at 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Set the cookies on the baking sheets 1 inch apart.
- Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, checking them often after 15 minutes. Flip the cookies and keep baking them until they are firm when touched in the center.
- Cool completely on the sheets.
To make the filling mascarpone cream:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat all the ingredients until smooth.
- To assemble the cookies:
- Place 2 tablespoon of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Press the remaining half cookies on the filling, flat sides against the cream, to evenly distribute the filling. You can also use a piping bag to pipe the filling on the flat side of half of the cookies.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days
Notes
Chef's note:
you can find Valrhona Cocoa Powder at Sur La Table and some specialty stores. Try NOT to use Hershey's Cocoa Powder. The flavor profile of the cookies will not as good. If you're making the effort to make those cookies, it is worth investing in the good cocoa powder, so your cookies will come out tastier!Time management tip:
To make the football Oreos, allow 1 hour for the dough to firm before shaping. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 1 week or freeze it for 1 month (defrost in the refrigerator). The filling will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Let it come to room temperature before using.
Melissa Lee
Chief Entertainment Officer
Melissa is 100% MIT (Made in Taiwan), where she worked as a food writer. She’s also worked alongside renowned chefs like Ming Tsai and Joanne Chang, honing her craft and gathering stories along the way. Part story-teller, part educator, and part food lover, Melissa brings a special blend of experience, skill, and enthusiasm to her work. She blends her Asian background, her new home of New England, and love of food and culture to bring joy, optimism, and inspiration to food lovers and fun-seekers everywhere.
What sparked your passion for the industry?
The desire to make things by hand. The joy of sharing delicious, hearty food with students. The opportunity for people to get connected via cooking and baking. When a child smiled broadly and told me it’s the best scone he has ever made and eaten, it really made my day!
In your opinion, what’s the most important course?
Well, I usually take a peek at the wine list first. I like tapas style, so the course doesn’t really matter. Cheese and charcuterie are always a good place to start. And since I’m a pastry chef, there is always room for dessert!
Bill Gates is picking up your tab, where would you go?
Noma, Copenhagen.