Matcha Sablés

made these in order to take a break from macaron making (also to preserve my sanity). be it simple or complicated, rustic or modern, i think my life revolves around french patisserie alot. when i don't hv time to make multi-component entremets, i find myself drawn to french bakes still. even simple ones like financiers, madeleines & eclairs can be so satisfying.

i got this recipe from my newly acquired cookbook - okashi treats by keiko ishida. frankly speaking, i wasn't very drawn to the book. i find the recipes too simple and rustic for my liking and while i know that i wouldn't attempt 80% of the recipes in there, i just couldn't resist the macha and goma black sesame ones.

anyway these cookies turned out great, crisp and buttery and the sugar coating on the sides provided an extra crunch. i like them! i only wish the macha taste was abit stronger. sablés (read : sa-blay) are french butter cookies originated from the normandy region in france. i've always had this impression that sable = sand therefore ground almonds are added to give that sandy texture as with the case of pâte sablée tart dough, but not these. i guess the sugar itself gave the sandy texture.

whoever says that when you give cookies away they have to be in bags? :D

recipe source : okashi treats by keiko ishida

ingredients :

240g cake flour, chilled

15g macha green tea powder

150g unsalted butter, room temp

130g icing sugar

pinch of salt

2 egg yolks

granulated sugar, for coating

1 egg white

green tea leaves or powder for decor, optional

directions :

1. sift flour and macha powder together twice. set aside.

2. beat butter, icing sugar and salt together until soft & creamy. add egg yolks and mix well. add flour & macha powder mixture and fold in with spatula. transfer dough to cling wrap and chill for 15 mins.

3. divide dough in two portions and shape into logs about 3.5cm in diameter. refrigerate until firm then slice into 7mm thick rounds.

4. coat sides with sugar and brush the top with egg white and top with leaves or powder, if using. place rounds at least 1/2 inch apart from each other on baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven of 150C for 25 mins. leave to cool completely before storing in airtight container.

notes :

* i find it easier to roll the dough out and cut using cookie cutter instead of shaping them into logs and slicing.

* to roll out dough evenly, i placed two wooden sticks at each side of the dough. you can purchase these sticks from either art friend or the craft/DIY section of daiso if you cant find the guidesticks meant for baking.

* the cookies will spread at least 1/2 inch during baking so take note of the spacing in between when you place the cookies on the tray. if you like your cookies small, then you'll hv to shape/cut them even smaller.

* they become alot lighter in color after baking so if you'd like a more vibrant green, you may consider adding a drop or two of green food color to the butter/icing sugar mixture before mixing in the flour.