green tea shortbread with cocoa nibs

I made a batch of these over the weekend for our company potluck. Many of my coworkers asked if it was food coloring! Gasp! How uncouth. Surprisingly, a little bit of green tea powder goes a long way, both in terms of flavor and color.

As most of you know, I am a big fan of cocoa nibs; if I could, I would probably add a dash of it to everything I ate. It imparts a crunchy textural quality as well as a deep, earthy, chocolaty finish to any food it flavors.

These little treats are delicate and subtly sweet. The sugary crust around the edge gives a bit more of a crunch, along with the nibs too. Next time, I will use a couple more tablespoons of butter and may even try to incorporate the nibs into the dough itself before rolling out.


Green Tea Shortbread with Cocoa Nibs
makes 36-40 1-inch cookies

2.5 oz (~1 cup) confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp matcha powder
6 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 large egg yolks

cocoa nibs, for topping
sugar, for rolling

1. Cream butter with confectioner's sugar and matcha powder until smooth and evenly mixed, about 2 minutes. Slowly mix in the flour until well incorporated. Add the yolks one by one, mixing after each addition. The dough will start to come together when large clumps form. Turn out the dough onto your board and form into a disc. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 min.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Roll out the dough into 1/4" thick disc. Cut the dough with cookie cutters. Gently lift out each cookie, roll the edges in sugar and place on the prepared pans. Add a pinch of cocoa nibs to each cookie and press down into the dough.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges, but not brown. (You want a tender, buttery cookie.)