Why are Oreo Cookies black?
If you ask the German internet, people seem to think that Oreos are black because they are coloured with squid ink or activated charcoal. That seems pretty weird! I guess reading the ingredients on the package could clear up these misconceptions. But maybe some people don’t wanna know? Actually the ingredient responsible for the pitch black colour of oreos is a special kind of cocoa powder. Which as you probably already know, is called black cocoa.
Black cocoa is similar to Dutch process cocoa. Different than natural cocoa powder the first two are treated with an alkaline solution. This process intensifies the colour of cocoa powder and neutralises acid. The additive often used for this is called potassium carbonate, which is also a leavener for certain kinds of cookies. In Germany we call potassium carbonate potash and use it to make gingerbread.
In Germany you can buy two kinds of cocoa powder: The Dutch process kind and natural cocoa powder. Dutch process is much more common though and available at every grocery store. If you are looking for natural cocoa powder, you should look for it at health food stores. Black cocoa powder isn’t available anywhere but the internet. Above you can see a comparison of all three. Natural cocoa powder has the lightest colour, Dutch process has a lovely dark brown colour with a reddish hue. It has a more intense chocolate flavour and is milder compared to the natural kind. This is because of the treatment with alkaline solution. This treatment also helps with dissolving the cocoa in water, which is why Dutch process cocoa is often used for drinking chocolate powders.
How does black cocoa powder taste?
As you already know, Dutch process cocoa powder tastes different from natural cocoa powder. You might think that because black cocoa has been treated with a hefty dose of potassium carbonate it should taste even stronger of cocoa. But that is not the case. If you ask me, I don’t think it tastes like chocolate or cocoa at all. It has a very intense, savoury taste. I also think it’s a bit salty and there are liquorice notes to it. After all Oreo cookies have a very distinct taste which you cannot imitate with regular Dutch process cocoa powder.
Oreo Baking Tips
If you cannot find black cocoa powder, you can use Dutch process. Sure your cookies will taste differently but they are still delicious sandwich cookies! If you want to try something new, I recommend to make these without any filling and to use them as bottoms for my chocolate-coated marshmallow treats.
Generally you should keep in mind that black cocoa has a very low fat content and there is no acid in this cocoa powder. That means you may want to adapt your recipes if you use this instead of your usual cocoa powder. (For example this cocoa will not react with baking soda.)
Oreo filling: Personally I do not like the Oreo filling at all. I think it’s a very bland mix of fat and sugar. Sure, I did make these with a mixture of vegan margarine and powdered sugar for a more traditional recipe. But I would suggest to swap the margarine with some vegan cream cheese. Yes, it will alter the flavour but in a very nice and light way.
I did not come up with this recipe. Last year the really wonderful magazine Bake from Scratch published several recipes featuring black cocoa and this black cocoa sandwich cookie recipe was one of them. The magazine’s oreo-like recipe is not vegan but it’s easy to adapt.
If you make this recipe leave a comment below. This is very helpful to other readers. And please share your photos with me on Instagram, tag @seitanismymotor and #seitanismymotor. I love seeing your pictures and comments!
Vegan Oreo Cookies
These vegan oreo-like cookies are easy to make and with the help of black cocoa powder they look just like the original.
- 35 g black cocoa powder (¼ cup + 3 Tbsp)
- 110 g soft margarine (½ cup) (divided)
- 110 g dark brown sugar (½ cup)
- 1 envelope vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 2 tbsp soy milk
- 180 g all-purpose flour (1 ½ cups)
- ⅛ tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling
- 110 g soft margarine (½ cup)
- 240 g powdered sugar (2 cups)
- 1 envelope vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
Sift the cocoa powder into a bowl.
Measure out three tablespoons of margarine and place them in a small saucepan. Melt the margarine.
Add to cocoa powder and whisk well.
Combine remaining margarine, sugar and vanilla sugar and, with a hand-held mixer, beat until foamy, for about 3 minutes.
Add this mixture and the soy milk to the black cocoa mixture.
Add flour, baking powder and salt.
With your hands, knead the dough until smooth.
Shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic.
Refridgerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Roll out the dough between two layers of plastic wrap.
It should be around 0.2 to 0.4 cm thick.
Cut out cookies with a round cookie cutter (6 cm in diameter).
Gather the remaining dough, roll it out, and cut out more cookies until there is no more dough to roll out.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 7-9 minutes depending on the thickness.
To make the filling
With a hand-held mixer beat the margarine for one minute.
Add sugar and vanilla sugar in batches and beat until fluffy.
Transfer to a piping bag with a large round tip and pipe on half the cookies.
Press remaining cookies on top.
Recipe adapted from the Black Cocoa Sandwich Cookies courtesy of Bake from Scratch magazine.
4 comments
I’ve never seen black cocoa or realised that this is what makes oreos so dark.These look very interesting and striking. I was also interested that dutch cocoa is most common in Germany. I don’t see it so often here. I assume when you say „natural cocoa powder“ that is different from cacao.
I guess Dutch cocoa is what we use here because of trade ties with the Netherlands. I was under the assumption that „natural cocoa powder“ was the correct English translation for non-Dutched cocoa. It is definitely roasted and different from raw cocoa (cacao).
I have always been meaning to try and get some black cocoa online, certainly not found in any shops here, to make some lovely dramatic looking baked goods. I love your idea of a cream cheese-based filling, I would prefer than a million times above the original.
You could totally make these with regular cocoa powder and add some charcoal. After all isn’t that what we vegans do all the time? ;)
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