Matcha Shortbread Cookies

Matcha is a special form of  powdered Japanese green tea, used for centuries in Japan during ceremony. It is earthy, bitter, and a bit of a superfood darling in the culinary world these days. 
I was first introduced to it in a yummy matcha latte and was intrigued by the flavor and gorgeous bright green color. I ended up purchasing a cannister from Do Matcha. Oh, and the traditional bamboo whisk...makes it much easier to blend in water.

 It is high in antioxidants and amino acids....one cup of matcha has 10x the antioxidants of a regular cup of green tea. With matcha, you are actually getting the whole tea leaf ground up, not just an infusion of tea leaves in water. Not only does it make a nutrient dense cup of tea....it is fun to use in cooking and baking. Good quality matcha is not inexpensive, but a little bit goes a long way. It may feel like you are really dropping some serious $$ for a cannister, but it will last you quite a while {unless you are drinking matcha lattes on the daily!}
Some folks like the buzz you get from matcha {yep, it's caffeinated!} better than coffee, saying that it feels cleaner. 

I thought making a shortbread with matcha would be interesting and a nice way to showcase the flavor. It came out good, definitely full of matcha flavor and not too sweet. Not as buttery as I am used to with shortbread though. Bonus....these guys stayed fresh for several days after baking.

How else can you use matcha? What about in your morning smoothie, chia pudding, oatmeal, or guacamole! Check out some other ideas and recipes for using matcha:

http://www.prevention.com/food/matcha-tea-recipes

http://www.foodandwine.com/slideshows/matcha-recipes/end 

https://www.zenmatchatea.com/recipes/

https://www.jadeleafmatcha.com/blogs/matcha-recipes

http://domatcha.com/pages/how-to-prepare 

Matcha Tea Shortbread Cookies
Makes about 15
Adapted from Lovescool
3⁄4 cup confectioners' sugar
5 ounces unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 large egg yolks
1 1⁄2 tablespoons matcha green tea powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar (for coating)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
Whisk the confectioner’s sugar and green tea together in a bowl.
Add the butter and green tea/sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth and light in color. Add the flour and salt and mix until well combined.
Add the egg yolks and mix just until the eggs are fully incorporated and a mass forms.
Form the dough into a disk and chill in the refrigerator until firm (about 30 minutes).
Roll the dough out to 1/2” thickness. Cut the dough with a round cookie cutter. Roll each cookie in a bowl of granulated sugar to coat the edges.
Place the cookies on a parchment lined pan. Bake at for 12-13 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges.