I like St. Patrick’s day because it gives me an excuse to make and eat green food. Other than that, I don’t really celebrate it — in fact I’ve never even seen a green beer! These cookies are naturally colored with some beautiful sencha green tea powder gifted to me by Sugimoto America. This sencha powder had a nice strong earthy taste that paired naturally with the honey cream cheese filling.
The recipe for these cookies came from my co-worker who had brought them into the office but I never got to try them. I usually avoid making sandwich cookies since they’re twice the amount of work for one cookie, but these just might be worth it. Not as much work as linzer cookies, but a little more work than whoopie pies. I also got to try out my new rolling pin so that I could make sure the dough was uniform in thickness.
If you’re in the mood for a seasonal treat that isn’t tooth-achingly sweet, these are right up your alley. I’ve stuck a few in the freezer to give to my friend this weekend when we meet up for the NYC Coffee & Tea Festival; I’ll report back on how they fared.
This recipe is very easy and has a limited number of ingredients. I added heaping tablespoons of green tea powder because I had only a little left in my container (total amount = 227 grams). The cookie is a little dense, but lighter than shortbread. When eaten fresh, the filling will ooze out a bit. I stuck them in the fridge overnight and the filling firmed up for easier chomping.
Green Tea Sandwich Cookies with Honey Cream Cheese Filling ♣ Recipe
By Published: March 17, 2015
- Yield: 16 cookie sandwiches
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Ready In: 50 mins
From Amy, via Snixy Kitchen
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter plus 2 tablespoons
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons white vinegar
- 2⅓ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons matcha powder if you like a strong flavor, make these heaping tbsp
- ¼ cup butter FOR THE FILLING
- ½ cup cream cheese room temp
- ¼ cup honey
Instructions
- Whip the butter and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and mix until combined.
- Dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar, and add it to the butter mixture. Mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and matcha powder.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter, mixing until a crumbly dough forms.
- Use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and flatten to form a disk. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and roll out to ¼-inch thickness. I found the best combination was a silipat on the bottom and plastic wrap on top to avoid over-flouring the dough.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut your favorite shapes and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet., leaving about ½-inch between cookies. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just beginning to turn golden brown. Let cool before frosting.
- While the cookies cool, combine the butter, cream cheese, and honey in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until well mixed.
- Spread just under a tablespoon of frosting between two cookies. If not eating immediately, place in covered container in the fridge overnight.
- Cuisine: Cookies