Faux-reos (Homemade Oreos) #FoodieReads

I am posting this after reading The Cypriot Mask by Scott McIntosh. It's the second in the Philip Chandler book series. Though I haven't posted for Foodie Reads since January - What!?? - I have actually been reading. Now I am just going to catch up on some favorites.

On the Page

Philip Chandler is a journalist who left the great Boston area when his engagement dissolved and he lost his job within a couple of weeks. He settled in Idaho and purchased a newspaper. In this book, Philip gets wrapped up in a murder mystery when he interviews a recluse about his massive gun collection. The man is murdered immediately after the story comes out; so Philip feels some culpability and sets out to unravel the mystery.

Add to this some fun characters in the form of his faithful employee, his reluctant sources within the police department, a crime photo journalist, and - then - rather unscrulous treasure hunters who are looking for a death mask from Cyprus, and you end up with a breezy page-turner that you can get through in an afternoon.

On the Plate

Though this isn't a foodie book per se. There is some food and I was inspired into the kitchen by this...

Well, now they spend six hours a day looking at videos of trad moms making homemade Oreo cookies and sharing misinformation from some anonymous Facebook account called American Patriot about how vaccines cause autism.

I hadn't actually heard, or registered the term 'trad wife' before Gloria Steinem's death. And it came up in conversation with my duo. Always learning. Then, that evening, it popped up in this novel. And while I definitely don't aspire to being a trad wife, I am always up for a cookie adventure and set out to make homemade Oreos, or Faux-reos!

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) organic butter, softened

• 1 cup organic granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups flour

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Filling

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) organic butter, softened

• 2 Tablespoons heavy cream

• 1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 3 to 3-1/2 cups organic powdered sugar

Procedure

Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated. In the mean time, whisk together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Slowly add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, beating on the lowest speed. Continue to mix on the lowest setting until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Press the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Between 2 pieces of parchment paper, roll the dough to approximately 1/4" thickness.

Use a small glass to cut out cookies and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Chill in the freezer for 5 minutes. Then bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely.

Once the cookies are cooled, prepare the filling. Combine the softened butter, heavy cream, and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the powdered sugar gradually, approximately 1/2 cup at a time, until the filling comes together. It should be slightly stiffer than a cupcake frosting. Spread the filling on one side of a pair. Then press the remaining cookie to form a faux-reo.

Click to see the rest of the posts for the September 2026 #FoodieReads link-up.