Has this ever happened to you? Over the weekend I had a frustrating night that involved two big zip files, a remote server, and the slowest internet connection on earth. The next morning I was so tired that I overfilled the coffeemaker with water and flooded the kitchen counter, dumped salt instead of sugar in my coffee, then realized I had forgotten to put grounds in the machine in the first place.
Good thing that I baked the night before, and not when my brain was as smoggy as a Chinese city. I made these matcha almond icebox cookies for exactly these moments, when I wake up famished and in desperate need of baked goods. (The tea part lets me pretend my breakfast is healthy. That and also eating a banana.)
These are one of the easiest cookies to make, and they look elegant enough for parties. (In fact, I should have baked them for my alternative tea party two Saturdays ago.) The earthy matcha goes brilliantly with coffee, and the almonds add a roasted nuttiness. Just try not to finish them in one sitting.
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Related recipes:
Chocolate & Banana Dessert Wontons
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Matcha Almond Icebox Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon matcha powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup almond slivers
In a large bowl, sift together flour and matcha powder. In a separate large bowl (or in an electric mixer) cream together butter and sugar until light and airy. Add flour mixture in three doses, and mix together until well-combined. Stir in almond slivers. Halve the dough, and form each half into 1 1/2-inch-wide rectangular logs. Wrap each log and place it in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours. (If in a hurry, toss into the freezer for at least 30 minutes.) These can also be chilled overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Slice each log into 1/4-inch-thick rectangles. Line the cookies 1 inch apart. Bake cookies, rotating the top and bottom sheets halfway
through, for 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack.
Cookies will keep for 5 days in an air-tight container. The dough will keep 1 month in the freezer.
1/4 Cup matcha? that’s not too overpowering?
Aq – Fixed! Thanks for noticing. I had forgotten I reduced the original quantity by more than half.
I am definitely trying this — I have been trying to come up with interesting ideas for matcha, and these look amazing. Also, I’m with you — I’ve made a trifle the night before, only to forget about it and sneak some bites during a rough morning. :)
hehe no prob. I definitely want to make these! love your blog
Hi, i just baked a batch of these, and they turned out much much darker than yours, i was wondering if it was just the type of macha powder used, or if it’s because i used too much?
I also had trouble getting the almond into the dough, my dough was quite firm (a little harder than playdough), so i was also wondering if it was supposed to be more of a bready dough texture.
ps: still tasted great though :D