A week ago, not long after I saw an ad for Oreo Thins in my latest copy of People, I found myself wandering though the cookie aisle of my local market (just what they wanted, huh?). I was looking for the newest (and slimmest!) member of the Oreo family, but darn it, they were entirely sold out! Curiosity unsatisfied, I went home later that day to create a greener, fancier, and tastier version of America’s Favorite Cookie.
I don’t usually buy Oreos because I don’t like the filling layer. Double Stuf? Not for me. I know this doesn’t make sense to many, but it’s true. The part I love most are the cookies themselves–super dark and slightly bitter–made from black cocoa powder instead of the regular. A while ago, I discovered Nabisco’s Famous Chocolate Wafers. It was like a revelation–all that great Oreo taste without the cloyingly sweet filling.

Famous Chocolate Wafers are sturdy and only slightly thinner and larger than the cookies on an Oreo, which makes the resulting sandwich cookies made from them a cross between thin and thick. The texture of these wafers is crisp, and it goes without saying that these make excellent dunkers, perfect for soaking up plenty of milk. After all, that’s the whole point of eating an Oreo…isn’t it?
Now, in comes matcha, always there to take any sweet treat to the next level of culinary fabulousness. I think Japan has their own version of Matcha Oreos, but since a trip to Japan isn’t on the schedule anytime soon and my matcha cravings are getting the best of me, I decided to make a semi-homemade version of Matcha Oreos…all that Japanese ingenuity with a minimal amount of effort.
This filling takes a max of 5 minutes to make. Since I don’t like the filling too sweet, I thicken the butter-based matcha layer with both powdered sugar and cornstarch. This is a trick I often use when I want to create a thicker consistency to a frosting without continuing to add more sweetness. The pure taste of green tea comes shining through in these cookies. The richness of the cocoa powder and matcha are both prominent, adding bold, bittersweet flavor reminiscent of caramels or creme brûlée. Usually, this is the time I would suggest a tea pairing, but for this recipe I’m going to make an exception. A tall glass (or teacup) of warm or cold milk is really the only drink worth pairing with these Easy Matcha Oreos. Serve these on the day you make them for a harder, crunchier cookie, or on the days after for a slightly softer one.Easy Matcha Oreos

Makes 20 sandwich cookies. 

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temp

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 Tbsp culinary matcha powder, sifted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt

1 box Famous Chocolate Wafers

Equipment:

mixing bowl

mesh sieve

spoon or spatula

large zip bag

scissors

Directions:

1.  Mix the butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the cornstarch, sifted matcha powder, vanilla, and salt until everything is evenly mixed.

2.  Transfer the matcha filling into a large zip bag. Snip off a 1/2″ from one corner of the bag. Lay out pairs of cookies, with every other cookie’s rough side facing up. Pipe a blob of frosting, about a 1 1/4″ circle, 1/4″ thick into the center of each cookie with the rough side facing up.

3.  Top the frosting blobs with another cookie and apply slow, even pressure so that the filling gets evenly distributed to the edges of the cookies. Store these in airtight containers in the fridge. Serve with milk and enjoy!