tko's (thomas keller oreos)

I kind of really love Oreo's. Eating them now reminds me of many an afternoon watching Hallmark after-school specials, backpack tossed asunder, with a glass of OJ (damn that lactose intolerant thing!). There's something about the Oreo, not quite fully "chocolate-y", more muddy and black, and a bit gritty, but paired with that chalky vanilla cream, has made a name for itself. When I came across this recipe in John Scharffenberger's The Essence of Chocolate, I decided I had to recreate it. The cookies are available only at Keller's Bouchon Bakery.


This is the perfect sandwich cookie. Who can resist a grown-up version of the Oreo, with no grittiness, artificial sugars and flavors, and preservatives? The filling is so simple and rich, I found myself licking the bowls and the piping bags (shhh!). It's altogether a versatile recipe; you can add any flavorings you want to the cream. I made a second version of the TKO, with a matcha cream filling. I think I shall name it the CRO, the Curiously Ravenous Oreo. Haha, how clever of me...

Matcha cream-filled Oreos

I prefer to use a smaller cookie cutter with these cookies, as the resulting cookie becomes the perfect bitesize morsel. Not only delicious, they are beautiful, and a great gift-giving cookie for the holidays!



TKO's
from The Essence of Chocolate
makes about 3 dozen sandwich cookies

Cookie:
1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
15 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 3/4" cubes, at room temperature

Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz. white chocolate, chopped

1. For the Filling: In a small pan, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute, then whisk to melt the chocolate until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, and let stand for 6 hours to thicken up.

2. For the Cookies: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed. With the mixer running, add the butter, a piece at a time. The mixture will be dry and sandy at first, but over 2 minutes, will form pebble-sie pieces that start to cling together. Stop the mixer and transfer the dough to your board.

3. Preheat oven to 350F. Seperate dough into 2 pieces. Roll each piece of dough between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper to 1/8" inch thick. Using a fluted cutter, cut into rounds. Scraps can be pieced together and rolled out again. Place 1/2" apart on baking sheets lined with Silpat liners or parchment paper.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Remove and cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to a cooling rack. Cool completely.


5. To Assemble: Lightly whip the white chocolate cream to aerate and fluff up. Transfer filling to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4" plain tip. Pipe about 1 1/2 tsp in the center of half the cookies. Top with another cookie to sandwich. Gently press down until the cream comes to the edges.

6. Cookies can be stored in a container for up to 3 days. Loosely cover.