Chocolate Oreo Cut-Outs

Sooooo there's a few holidays coming up...

ya know...halloween, thanksgiving, christmas and the sort. 

Annnnd there's sorta kinda one today.  It's Annabelle's birthday.  Who's Annabelle you ask?  This cutie:

My pup.  She turns the big 7 (that's 49 in dog years and I can only hope I'm still as bouncy and playful as her when I turn 49), and you know how much of a sucker I am for celebrating birthdays (see Ben's birthday and Mel's birthday) so I'm at it again.  This time with some chocolate bone oreos.  Yeahhhhh....

Here's the sweet part (other than the cookie itself, of course): I filled these little guys with orange frosting making for a Halloween Bone Oreo- yup, that's right.  Bone as in dog treat, or bone as in halloween skeleton!  Killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.  Because that's how I roll.

As for the cookie:  this is a softer cookie rather than the crisp sugar version you usually see; however, it doesn't disappoint.  And with a thin layer of creamy orange icing- in the spirit of halloween- devilishly perfect :)

Oh, and speaking of Halloween and Oreos...did you hear?  Candy Corn Oreos.  I'm on the lookout!

Chocolate Oreo Cut-Outs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

Whisk flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. (It does disappear once baked, though, so don’t worry if they go into the oven looking white.) Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.