Sunday 4 December 2011

Green (tea) Christmas/ O Christmatcha tree

There are three things that I know for sure:


1. Shortbread is one of the most delicious culinary inventions (as a proud member of the Lamont Clan and Burns' Day Celebrator, I think the Scots invented quite a few tasty treats).


2. Young, urban would-be/soon-to-be yuppies love to consume foods that contain words like               "organic,""quinoa," and "Matcha" (and really, who can blame them, quinoa and matcha powder are both nutritious and delicious).


3. When studying with a laughter of ladies, one should always bring a baked offering (yes, I am making laughter a collective noun).


With those very important truths in mind, I set out to do some baking for a study session.  The Christmatcha Tree Shortbreads were a big hit, with many of the Laughter requesting the recipe. I adapted a Cardamom Shortbread recipe from Bravo! Best of Bridge Cookbook and added lemon glaze frosting. The lemon and green tea flavours complement each other nicely.


I feel that this recipe epitomizes the young, urban millennial. It simultaneously rejects the same-old stuff in favour of the taste of the day, but clings to tradition for security.




A little worse for wear after travelling, and being picked over at the study party. These are the "Charlie Brown Trees" of the bunch.


The Recipe:
Preheat Oven to 325°F 
Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven and the thickness of the cookie (edges should be just golden brown)


*1. 1 ½  to 1 ¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour, Divided
*2. ¼ Cups Rice Flour
  3. 1 ½ Tbsp Matcha Powder (I use this kind. $30 is expensive, but it goes a long way and makes for a  great treat)
  4. ¼  Tsp salt (if you are using unsalted butter)
  5. 1 Cup butter
  6.  1 Cup Icing Sugar (Confectioners' Sugar)




*I did not use rice flour for this study party, as I did not have it on-hand. It is cheap and available at most grocery stores. Rice flour will make the shortbread flakier, more like Scottish shortbread.




In a bowl, mix together the matcha, salt and 1 ¼  cups flour, set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter until soft and sumptuous-looking. Mix butter and sugar together. This is my favourite part. It looks delicious and tastes even better. Beat in flour mixture. Put dough on floured surface and knead the remaining flour into the mixture until the dough starts to crack. 


At this point I rolled the dough into a ball, wrapped it in wax paper and cling wrap, and froze it. The next day I removed the dough from my freezer to thaw enough to cut in half. Half remains in my freezer now for those December spur-of-the-moment invitations that I will (hopefully!) receive.  


Because I was not making my shortbread in round cake pans, in the traditional manner, I did not want my dough to be too dry.  Before rolling out the dough, I added  couple teaspoons of skim milk to make the dough a bit more malleable. 


I rolled out the dough with my rolling pin, and used my Grandma's vintage tree cookie cutter to make the tree shape.  I placed the little trees on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and baked for about 10 minutes, afterward cooling them on a wire rack.  



Recipe: The Lemon Glaze


I recommend only making the amount that you think you will need for your decorating purposes. Keep the ratios the same, and you will be fine.  I halved this recipe. 


1 Cup confectioners' Sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest (you can use any kind of citrus fruit for the juice and zest, it's up to your tastebuds)
1 tbsp milk


Mix the ingredients together, add liquid as necessary for your desired viscosity.


Decorate your COMPLETELY COOLED COOKIES. Let the icing dry completely before packing them in a cookie tin or container.


I hope you enjoy. I would love to hear about your revamped holiday recipes. Don't be afraid to share them here. I promise I will make each recipe posted.