Green Tea Shortbread Food

GREEN TEA SHORTBREAD LEAVES

Steps:

• Sift flour, tea powder, and salt into a small bowl; set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar; continue to beat until very light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes more. Add flour mixture; combine on low, scraping sides of bowl with a spatula if necessary, until flour is just incorporated and dough sticks together when squeezed with fingers.
• Place a piece of parchment on a clean surface; dust with flour. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness; chill in refrigerator or freezer until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Cut chilled dough with 2-inch leaf cutters. Using a wide spatula, transfer to baking sheets. Chill until firm. Gather scraps together, re-roll, chill, and cut shapes. Bake until firm and barely starting to color, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool completely on wire rack; store in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 weeks.

GREEN TEA SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place a sheet of parchment paper or plastic wrap on a work surface and dust with flour. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Beat butter in a bowl using an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 3/4 cup sugar and continue beating until mixture is lighter in color, about 2 minutes more.
• Mix flour, green tea powder, and salt together in a separate bowl; gradually add to creamed butter mixture, beating on low speed until dough sticks together. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on the floured parchment paper; cut into 2-inch cookies or bars. Roll remaining dough and cut into more cookies until all the dough is used. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Carefully transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle sugar over each cookie.
• Bake in the preheated oven until firm and barely starting to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

MATCHA (GREEN TEA) SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Sift the flour, powdered tea and salt into a bowl.
• In a mixer bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar until fluffy.
• Add flour mixture to mixer bowl and mix slowly until dough just comes together.
• Pull dough together carefully in a log, approximately 2 inches in diameter.
• Wrap dough log and place in freezer for 30 minutes or until dough has firmed to the touch.
• Slice dough into 1/4 inch rounds and place on a parchment or Silpat lined cookie sheet, approximately 1 inch apart.
• Bake in a preheated 325 degree F oven for 16 to 18 minutes (or until the cookies are just starting to turn golden around the edges), turning the pan halfway through the baking time.
• Remove cookies immediately from the cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.
• Store in an airtight container or wrap well and freeze.
• The well-chilled cookie dough can also be rolled out and cut into desired shapes before baking.
• NOTE 1-- powdered green tea is not merely green tea that has been pulverized in a food processor or food mill, it's a special kind of tea that has been prepared to dissolve nicely.
• NOTE 2-- don't use the microwave to soften the butter, room temperature butter is the correct consistency for this recipe.

GREEN TEA SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter in the bowl of an electric standing mixer using the paddle attachment; add confectioner's sugar and salt.
• Sift together the tea and flour and add to the butter mixture; mix until just incorporated.
• Roll the dough out to about 1/3-inch thick between 2 pieces of plastic wrap; transfer to a baking sheet and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees.
• Remove top piece of plastic and cut into desired shapes; re-roll excess dough as necessary; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 16 minutes; rotate pan and bake for another 16 minutes, or until they feel firm when scratched with a fingernail; take care not to let the edges brown; matcha shortbread cookies should maintain their green color.
• Cool, and serve with green-tea or ginger ice cream.

GREEN-TEA SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 275 degrees. Place two racks in the oven. Beat the butter on medium-low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Beat in sugar and vanilla on medium. Sift together flour, salt, and green tea. Gradually beat into butter mixture on low. Transfer dough onto a piece of plastic. Pat into 8-inch disk. Wrap with plastic; chill 1 hour. May be made a day in advance.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick; cut into 1-to- 2 1/2-inch rounds. Reroll until all dough is used. Press each round with tines of fork or bowl of spoon to create decoration. Transfer to two unlined baking sheets. Chill 15 minutes before baking. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until firm but not brown; let cool. Cookies can be made 2 to 3 days ahead, and stored in an airtight container.

GREEN TEA-GINGER MARSHMALLOW SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor fitted with a blade, pulse together flour, sugar and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Add the butter and pulse to fine crumbs. Pulse a few more times until some crumbs start to come together, but do not overprocess. Dough should not be smooth. Press dough into an ungreased 9-by-13-inch baking pan. (It won't look as if you have enough, but keep pressing and it will cover the pan in a thin layer.) Prick dough all over with a fork. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
• In a small bowl, whisk the gelatin and matcha together. Stir in 1 cup cold water. Rest the mixture until it thickens.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt on medium speed, until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Stop the mixer.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the granulated sugar, honey and 1 cup water, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Start the mixer on medium-high and carefully pour the hot syrup down the side of the mixing bowl into the whites in a slow and steady drizzle. Continue mixing until the mixture has cooled slightly, about 2 minutes. Scrape in the gelatin mixture. Continue mixing on medium-high speed until the mixture begins to thicken and quadruples in volume, about 10 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the pan with the shortbread, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Rub together the candied ginger and superfine sugar to break up any clumps. Sprinkle over the top of the marshmallows. Let marshmallows set for 4 hours or overnight at room temperature. Cut into squares.

GREEN-TEA SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 275 degrees F. Place two racks in the oven. Beat the butter on medium-low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Beat in sugar and vanilla on medium. Sift together flour, salt, and green tea. Gradually beat into butter mixture on low. Transfer dough onto a piece of plastic. Pat into 8-inch disk. Wrap with plastic; chill 1 hour. May be made a day in advance.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick; cut into 1-to- 2 1/2-inch rounds. Reroll until all dough is used. Press each round with tines of fork or bowl of spoon to create decoration. Transfer to two unlined baking sheets. Chill 15 minutes before baking. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until firm but not brown; let cool. Cookies can be made 2 to 3 days ahead, and stored in an airtight container.