These cute Christmas tree shortbread cookies are easy to make and perfect for the holidays. The cookies are buttery, not too sweet and this version has matcha green tea powder which gives the cookies a unique flavor and beautiful green color. You can make and bake the cookies right away or you can make the dough in advance and bake the cookies later.
Green tea shortbread cookies are one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes because I like matcha flavored desserts and the pretty green color is perfect for the holidays. I’ve baked a lot with matcha powder and I especially like using it in cookie recipes like these shortbread cookies.
If you’re looking for a unique Christmas cookie to try this year this is a great recipe to try. The cookies are buttery, not too sweet, and have a deep match flavor. Plus, the color is perfect for the holidays and you can decorate the cookies however you like.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Matcha green tea powder
- Granulated sugar
What is the best matcha powder for baking?
The best matcha powder for baking is ceremonial grade matcha. I wrote a whole post about the best matcha powder for baking, so check it out for more tips and other matcha recipes you might like try.
How to Make Green Tea Shortbread Cookies
I love shortbread cookies because they’re easy to make, you don’t have to chill the dough, and you can cut them into pretty much any shape you like.
- Whisk the flour and salt together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter, matcha, and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the flour to the wet ingredients in batches, stirring between each addition, just until the dough is combined.
- The dough will be very crumbly, but if you squeeze some in your hand it should stick and hold together. Gather the dough into a ball and place it on a piece of parchment paper on your work surface.
- Place another piece of parchment on top of the dough and roll the dough out to a thickness of ½”.
- Remove the top piece of parchment and cut your dough out using a cookie cutter. Cut as many shapes as you can, gather up the remaining dough, and roll it out again. Keep cutting out cookies and re-rolling until you don’t have any dough left.
- Bake the cookies for 15 to 17 minutes at 350°F. Depending on the size of your cookies you may need to add more or less baking time.
Can you make the shortbread cookie dough ahead?
Yes, you can make this dough ahead of time.
- Refrigerator: Tightly wrap the dough and it will keep well in the refrigerator for up to two days. If you want to roll out the dough, you will need to leave it out at room temperature to warm it up before cutting out the cookies.
- Freezer: You can also freeze the dough in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. To thaw, transfer it to the refrigerator at least a day in advance of baking the cookies.
How do you store shortbread cookies?
Store them in an airtight container and shortbread cookies will keep well for up to a week at room temperature. Or, you can freeze baked shortbread cookies for up to three months. Just be sure to cool them completely before freezing.
Matcha Green Tea Shortbread Tree Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- a pinch of salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter cut into small pieces
- 2 1/2 tbsp high quality matcha green tea powder
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Whisk flour and salt together in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter, matcha powder and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add about half of the flour, then mix on low speed. Gradually add remaining flour, mixing just until blended. The mixture should look crumbly; but if you squeeze it between your fingers, it will come together. Gather the dough into a large ball.
- Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness between two pieces of parchment paper. Peel off top parchment paper.
- Cut out as many cookies as possible using cookie cutter and place on cookie sheets 1-inch apart. Re-roll remaining dough and repeat until all of the dough is used up.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the cookies are dry and firm to the touch. The edges might just start turning brown.
Notes
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
This sounds like a great green tea recipe. Will definitely try this one. I’ve been in search for green tea cookie recipes for a while now. Glad I found this website. Thanks for sharing!
I have a couple of green tea cookies recipes on the site. But this one is definitely my favorite =)
How many cookies does this yield?
Well it really depends on how big your cookie cutters are. I did big ones and small ones. It was about 2 dozen.
These trees are precious and look fabulous. I am your newest follower.
Thank you!
What a good idea. I love just about anything with matcha, but the idea of using the coloring for Christmas is really clever. Shortbread is such a fun thing to make!
I love everything matcha too! And with shortbread, the color really comes out. A lot of other things with matcha can turn brown.
Those sprinkles are totally cute!
I got them from Do It With Icing! I loaded up on all sorts of sprinkles…more than I need this year.
What a delightful and clever way to get real green cookies without resorting to artificial colorings. I love matcha, too. The flavor is just so haunting.
I hate using food coloring. My one exception is for red velvet things because it just isnt red velvet unless it’s red, but even then, I feel so bad when I’m putting the red food coloring in. So I love baking with matcha during the holidays so I can avoid food coloring and still have green desserts.
These look so good! I haven’t made green tea shortbread yet. Actually, i don’t think i’ve made any green tea cookies yet! The horror…….
You have a lot more patience than I do. I don’t think I would have had the patience to strategically place all those sprinkles on like that.
Hehee. I didn’t plan on it. But I sat down with them and suddenly started doing all this decorating. Ended up spending a lot more time on these cookies than I had expected.
These are really pretty! i love how evenly spaced each of the mini stars are!
Thanks..it took a while to place them one by one, but I love how they turned out!
Very elegant festive looking cookies!
Thanks!