Matcha and Pistachio Cookies

Today February 19 is Chinese New Year. Happy New Year to all my readers who are celebrating. May this year of the Goat or Sheep bring you lots of happiness, health and prosperity. I decided to make some cookies for the occasion as I am going out for a celebratory meal with some friends so I wanted to make little gift bags. These are not traditional chinese new year cookies but I thought they would suit the occasion. It's a recipe that I saw online and I was intrigued by the flavour combination of matcha and pistachio. I also wanted something that was easy to transport and give as gifts. 

I love this recipe as it's so quick and easy to make and the results are fantastic. It's a mix all in one recipe (with a food processor) and you can keep the dough in the fridge until you are ready to bake. You can also freeze the dough and bake cookies when needed. I added a sprinkling of sesame seeds for aesthetic reasons and was really pleased with how it turned out. I also experimented with chia seeds but the sesame seeds looked better. 

The cookies are really buttery and crunchy and the predominant flavour is of the matcha powder. The pistachio complements the green tea flavour well and added a layer of texture to the cookie. The cookies are not sweet at all which helps the green tea flavour shine through. 

I'm sending this to Foodie Friday hosted by Helen from Casa Costello.

#FoodYearLinkup hosted by Charlotte from My Recipe Book. The link up is open to any foodie posts related to events in the Food Bloggers Calendar for February. These are for Chinese New Year. 

 plain flour, icing sugar, matcha powder , pistachips, butter, egg 

 dough wrapped in cling film. It should be a square shape but mine is quite uneven! 

 Optional toppings - sesame seeds or chia seeds 

 I love the vibrant green colour of the dough 

 I love how the sesame seeds look 

 little gift bags 

Makes 40-45 cookies depending on the size of your cookies

350g plain flour

15g Japanese matcha powder

250g unsalted butter, cut in cubes

150g icing sugar, sifted

1 egg, lightly beaten

50g pistachios nuts, lighty toasted - I'd suggest increasing the amount if you want a nuttier bake

Optional - sesame seeds or chia seeds 

• In a food processor, mix the flour, matcha powder, icing sugar and butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
• Add in the egg slowly and continue mixing. 
• Finally add in the pistachio nuts and blitx until a smooth dough forms.
• Roll the dough in a log or square shape and wrap in cling film.
• Refrigerate for a few hours or preferably overnight to allow the flavours to develop. 
• When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200C.
• Slice the dough and arrange on a lined baking tray.
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
• Bake for approximately 13-15 minutes or until just brown.
• Allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.