For an unbelievably long time I have bookmarked Nicoles recipe for matcha cookies with lime. The recipe this one is based on is already from 2007 and is traveling through the worldwide web of food blogs since, “uniting people around the world” – and finally reaching my kitchen!
My late affinity to Japanese cuisine now gave me the last kick I needed to buy some matcha tea powder at my favourite online spice and tea shop “Madavanilla” and start baking. I love Nicoles idea to add some lime zest to those green tea cookies – a perfect combination of flavours.
Instead of round or flower shaped cookies I decided to go for the traditional shortbread shape, about 1 cm thick. A funny thing I added is the lettering on top – made with the cookie letter stamps I possess, one of those kitchen gadgets that come in handy about once a year … but then you don’t want to miss them. Don’t the shortbread fingers look super cute? – ♥ MATCHA
What to say more about those cookies? – Can so many people that have baked this recipe before be wrong? I know, it’s still unbelievable that I made these cookies for the first time, but it won’t be for the last time, that’s for sure!
Matcha lime shortbread fingers (makes about 40)
[adapted from lovescool and Nicole Stichs book “delicious days”]
ingredients
70 g icing sugar, 150 g butter, 250 g flour, 3 egg yolks, 2 teaspoons matcha tea powder, grated zest of 2 limes (organic), 70 g sugar
preparation
Whisk icing sugar and green tea together in a bowl. Add half of lime zest. Add butter and mix until smooth and of bright green colour. You can use your kitchen machine, but it works as well with a simple spatula. Add flour and mix until well combined. Finall add egg yolks. Form the dough into two balls.
Roll out both of them to retangles of 1 cm thickness, each about 18x15cm. This works best if you line your dough between two sheets of plastic wrap while rolling. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Grind remaining lime zest and 1 tablespoon sugar with mortar and pestle; add remaining sugar and pour lime sugar on a plate.
Halfen dough retangles lengthwise and cut into equal shaped fingers (about 2 cm wide). If dough gets too warm, just put it back into the fridge for a few minutes. Roll the small retangles carefully in sugar until coated on both sides. (At this point you can stamp your cookies if you wish.) Put on baking tray lined out with baking paper or silicon mat and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. (You will need two baking trays.)
Watch carefully during the last minutes of baking. The shortbread should be done, but not have browned corners. Cool on cooling rack and store in airtight container. To preserve the colour, Kelli suggests to store in a tin that blocks out sunlight.
Leftovers?
– Keep leftover lime sugar in a clean jar and use in your next cup of tea or for your next baking project.
– No idea what to do with three egg whites? Wait, recipe is upcoming…
nadel&gabel 
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