ways my younger self enjoyed oreos:

1. drop one into a glass of skim milk so that it's fully submerged, divert attention for a few moments, probably look up to watch a few scenes of arthur, use a spoon to fish it out of the milk and eat the soggy remains in one bite. repeat until belly ache.

2. put one on our front stoop, divert attention for a few moments, probably go inside to watch a few scenes of arthur, return outside and meet all of the millions of ants that would be swarming about the oreo.

3. carefully twist one open, carefully twist another one open, carefully extract the filling of one and place it on top of the filling of the other, reassemble that one, and enjoy an o.g. double stuffed oreo. and when double stuffed came out, make one quadruple stuffed. 

i didn't like the whole act of "twisting" with someone else. so much pressure, what if you don't get the filling? what if the filling breaks and you only get half? ugggh, i couldn't take it. 

it's so silly how one cookie can cause so much joy and stress and fascination and... ants. oh and dog names, so many dogs are called oreo. 

here are some oreos that would be fit for any st. patrick's day celebration! (or any other celebration???) the chocolate shortbread cookies are dainty and crispy and sandwiched with sweet buttercream that has just a hint of matcha. they are perfect with your afternoon coffee or anytime coffee, and they keep well in the fridge, so go ahead and make a double batch.

matcha oreos

makes about 18 sandwich cookies

ingredients

cookies:

2 c all-purpose flour

1 c unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting*

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 1/4 c unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract 

*dusting your work surface with cocoa powder will yield a beautiful, dark, chocolatey aesthetic, but using a lot of it could make the cookies taste a little bit bitter on their own since the cocoa powder is unsweetened. when they're paired with the super sweet buttercream, i love it. but if you know you'll prefer a sweeter cookie, dust your work surface with powdered sugar or a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa powder. 

filling:

3/4 c unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 c powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp aiya cooking grade matcha

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

a pinch of kosher salt

clues

make the cookies:

preheat oven to 325. line two baking sheets with parchment and set them aside.

in a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.

in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. mix in the extracts. slowly add the dry ingredient mixture and beat until just combined. it will still be a bit crumbly.

pour the mixture out onto your work surface and give it a few kneads to bring it all together. if needed, dust your surface with cocoa powder and/or powdered sugar, and working swiftly and carefully, roll out your dough and cut out 2-inch circles. transfer them to your baking sheet, about an inch apart (using a small offset spatula really helps with this step). re-roll scraps and cut out remaining circles.

this is a super delicate dough, so try not to handle it more than you need to, and if it gets too soft, stick it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to firm up.

bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are no longer shiny. let them cool.

make the filling:

beat together all ingredients. taste and add a bit more matcha, if you'd like.

assemble:

fill a piping bag with the filling and pipe a blob onto the center of half the cookies. top them with the rest of the cookies to make little sandwiches. place them in the fridge for a few minutes to allow the filling to firm up before serving. store in the fridge.

enjoy!

-yeh!

this post is sponsored by aiya matcha! all opinions are my own.