I grew up inhaling Oreos. Plus, when they invented Double Stuf, I just about lost my eight year old mind. I couldn’t understand how anyone could ever go back to the original. Flash forward to adulthood and Oreos’ taste has changed a bit. I started looking for other sandwich cookies with less preservatives and more taste. They are hard to find unless you make them yourself.
Introduced in 1898, the merging of several companies formed the National Biscuit Company, or as we know it today, Nabisco. After rolling out the very successful Barnum’s Animal Crackers in 1902, Nabisco had an idea for a new cookie…well, it was sort of their idea. The two chocolate disk cookie with creme filling had already been made by the Sunshine Biscuit Company in 1908 called Hydrox. Four years after, Nabisco introduced their version, the Oreo, It quickly surpassed the popularity of its predecessor and in 1912, Nabisco filed for a trademark.
Why the name Oreo? Well, the cookie first appeared as the Oreo Biscuit, then the Oreo Sandwich, then the Oreo Creme Sandwich…then in 1974, right before I lost my eight year old mind over Double Stuf, they settled on the Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie. It would be the public who decided it was just the “Oreo”.
If you ask Nabisco, no one seems to know where the name originally came from. Some believe the name is from a French word for gold, taken from the original color on the packaging. Others claim it was the hill-shaped prototype that never made it to the shelves to be named Oreo, the Greek word for mountain. Or, it could be a combination of letters from “cream” and “chocolate”.
No matter where the name originated, as of last year, an estimated 450 billion Oreo cookies have been sold since 1912. I may have eaten about half of those.
In my recipe, the chocolate cookies are not super sweet. I held back on the sugar because the vanilla creme and jam are packed with sweetness. I was looking for balance and I think I nailed it. Please leave a comment after you try the recipe. I’d love to get your feedback and any changes you might make. Make sure to tag me on Instagram.
Bonnie’s Jams has become my new favorite. She really knows how to balance the flavors. I could eat a case of the Peach Ginger. Not kidding. I ate it in the cookies, on roasted chicken, toast, mixed it into a salad dressing… You can find out more about Bonnie’s Jams by reading about her in our latest edition of Nourish & Flourish. Visit her website and order jam for family and friends this holiday season. Don’t wait because I know she will be very busy!