Shortly after I published my new copycat recipe for Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix, one of my Facebook followers asked if I could adapt a Strawberry Cake Mix Heart-Shaped Ore-Style Cookie Recipe to gluten free. I found the same exact recipe published on Thirty Hand Made Days Blog. I immediately went to work on adapting my yellow cake mix into a strawberry cake mix.
To be honest, to get a true oreo cookie texture, a cake mix just isn’t going to cut it. In addition, there are many steps to achieving that texture, as you can see in my Gluten Free Oreo Cookie Recipe. However, to make things simple, I went ahead and used the ingredients listed in the original recipe with some changes to the method of making them. These cookies are more fragile than oreos, but I hope you enjoy them as much as my husband has. He loves oreo filling in just about any dessert! I prefer to fill mine with set Chocolate Ganache. Mmmm. However, it does over-power the strawberry flavor. Enjoy!
Note: Because this recipe makes 4 dozen sandwich cookies, I suggest freezing the cookies. Then defrost and fill them as needed. I’m sure I’ll be sharing most of ours with the neighborhood.
The perfect gluten free cookies for Valentine's Day or any day for those you love. Fill with creamy sugar or chocolate ganache.
Ingredients:
- 1 recipe Copycat Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries (Trader Joe's)
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup shortening (I used organic palm shortening)
- 2 large eggs
- Gluten free red food coloring: McCormick's (or Americolor - I used super red*), for color
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup shortening, melted (I used organic palm shortening)
- 1 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure/gluten free vanilla extract (or almond extract to prevent change in color) (optional)
Instructions:
- Add the cake mix to a medium-size bowl.
- Grind the freeze-dried strawberries to a coffee grinder or food processor and grind to fine crumbs; and add to cake mix.
- Add melted butter and shortening to your mixer. Add the sugar and beat until creamy and sugar dissolves completely, 3 - 5 minutes.
- Working in batches, add one-fourth of the cake mix at a time; and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
- Add the vanilla and beat on low to combine. Refrigerate dough until firm. (I chilled mine overnight and then left out at room temperature until the dough was scoopable/moldable/rollable).
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Cut the dough into two pieces and refrigerate or freeze the dough you are not working with until you are ready to work with it.
- Roll out the dough between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thickness.
- Cut out the dough using 1-3/4-inch wide cookie cookies, or about the size of an oreo cookie. (Frozen dough is the easiest to handle.) Transfer the dough to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Allow the dough to reach room temperature. (DO NOT BAKE CHILLED DOUGH. WHEN COLD, THIS DOUGH RISES TO HIGH.)
- Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.
- Gather the scraps of dough that were around the cut-out cookie dough, form into a ball, and re-chill for rolling out again.
- Transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- After cooling, if they are still too soft, rebake at 325°F for an additional 3 - 5 minutes. Cooling the cookies and rebaking them is the preferred method, to prevent brown edges.
- Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
- In the bowl of your mixer, add butter and shortening; beat on high (KitchenAid No. 10) until light and fluffy; add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on low speed and increase speed to medium-high; and beat until well combined. Refrigerate the filling until it is ready to use. Bring to near room temperature before using.
- Spread up to 1/2 tablespoon filling on cookie and top with another to create a sandwich. (Note: Too thick of filling overpowers the strawberry flavor of the cookie.)
Tips
I first tried coloring the dough naturally by adding 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of beet juice, but the color turned out mauve and when baked, the color did not hold. Then I added 3 drops of Americolor Super Red food coloring gel. (Gel is more vibrant than liquid.)