Upgrade Your Holiday Exchange With Matcha Cookie Recipes.
It'll start to feel like the holidays the moment you turn the oven on and start baking! We’re giving "cookie exchanges" an upgrade this year with two festive takes on the holiday classic, shortbread, made better with matcha green tea.
Try the Matcha + White Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that not only looks like it was made for holidays with its green coloring and cute white polka dots, but tastes amazing with the creamy, subtle addition of white chocolate that compliments the subtle earthy flavor of matcha. The other is a simple Matcha Shortbread Cookie recipe, best rolled out then, with a cookie cutter, create shapes of a holiday tree or wreath — both perfect for this time of year because of its beautiful green color from the matcha. With either recipe, your home will be filled with a delicious matcha vanilla-like scent while baking + the people you share them with, will feel the love. So, warm up your ovens and let the holidays begin!
Chef's Notes:
In both recipes, using the highest grade matcha powder will help your cookies turn out greener, and more vibrantly colored. We recommend a Premium Japanese Ceremonial Grade that you can find on online or in most supermarkets. Less expensive versions tend to come out lighter rather than bright, holiday green.
Set butter out a couple of hours before you start baking so it’s soft and at room temperature. The key to getting the right texture for your cookies is to first cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
When combining, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar and mix until just combined. This helps cookies bake up crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
Matcha White Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
(Gift Tip: Once cooled, place in clear container or clear wrap and tie with red and white twine)
Ingredients:
•2 cups all-purpose flour (Tip: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.)
•2½ tbsp Premium Grade Matcha Powder
•¾ cup softened, unsalted butter
•1 cup + 2 tsp confectioners’ sugar/powdered sugar
•pinch kosher salt
•2 large egg yolks (at room temperature)
•¼ cup white chocolate chips
Directions:
•Combine the all-purpose flour and the matcha green tea powder in a large bowl.
Sift the flour and the matcha powder.
•On a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the unsalted butter until smooth and creamy. It’s important to soften the butter ahead of time.
•Add a pinch of salt and blend.
•Add the powdered sugar and beat well until soft and light. As you blend, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl occasionally.
•Add the egg yolks and mix well until combined.
•Gradually add the flour and matcha mixture and mix until just combined.
•Add the white chocolate chips and mix until just incorporated.
•Cut the dough in half (if you're making 24 cookies.) Shape into cylinders about 1½ inches in diameter and 7 inches long.
•Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours.
Before baking: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and unwrap the plastic wrap. Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into rounds about ⅓ inch thick. If the dough is too hard to slice, wait 5 minutes or so before slicing. Place the sliced dough on the baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch of space between the rounds.
Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes; then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack and let them cool completely.
Note: Well wrapped dough can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, remove from freezer, let stand for about 15-20 minutes, (dont let them fully defrost as they’ll be too soft) slice and bake.
Merry Matcha Shortbread Trees
Ingredients:
1 cup butter cut into small pieces
2 1/2 tbsp high quality matcha green tea powder (see note)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Holiday Sprinkles for Decorating
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
•In a large bowl, beat butter, matcha powder and sugar until light and fluffy. Whisk flour and salt together in a separate small bowl.
•Add about half of the flour mixture to the matcha mixture and mix on low speed. Gradually add the remaining flour, mixing until just blended. The mixture should look crumbly but if you squeeze it between your fingers, it will come together. Gather the dough into a large ball.
•Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Peel off top parchment paper.
•Cut out as many cookies as possible using cookie cutter and place on cookie sheets 1-inch apart. Re-roll remaining dough and repeat until all of the dough is used up. Decorate with sprinkles before baking.
•Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the cookies are dry and firm to the touch and the edges are just starting to turn brown. Store in a cool dry place and airtight container.
