Bready or Not Original: Matcha (Green Tea) Almond Cookies
The second edition in our baked-goods-with-matcha book release celebration features sliced cookies: Matcha Almond Cookies!
I found a base recipe for this that produced a very small amount of cookies. I doubled the amounts, added vanilla, rewrote everything… and here we are.
These are essentially shortbread cookies with a vibrant green hue and fresh matcha flavor. The almonds add a sporadic, wonderful crunch.
I found this dough surprisingly easy to work with. As I sliced cookies, some of them crumbled–an inevitable hazard, with nuts in there–but it was easy to shape the dough into a cookie again.
The type of green tea you use may produce different results. I used a Rishi sweet green tea blend that includes sugar, making it ideal for lattes or baked goods.
Like most shortbreads this just begs to be accompanied by a nice hot cup of coffee or tea. Perhaps a book, too. Might I recommend Call of Fire? It’s out next Tuesday! (Was that smooth?)
Bready or Not Original: Matcha (Green Tea) Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons sweet matcha powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2/3 cup sliced almonds lightly chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, sift together the flour, matcha powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar until it becomes light and fluffy.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture until dough is formed. Stir in the almonds.
- Stretch out a long piece of plastic wrap. Place dough in the middle to form a 1 1/2 inch log, then wrap well with the plastic. Repeat again so that all of the dough is in logs. Place them in the fridge to chill for at least an hour, or a day or two.
- Pre-heat oven at 325-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the dough into 1/4-inch thick rounds. If the dough crumbles, compress it to reshape. Arrange cookies about 2 inches apart on the pan.
- Bake for 14 to 16 minutes; set cookies on wire rack to completely cool. Store in a sealed container.
- OM NOM NOM!
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Sunday Quote has a cookie recipe for Wednesday
Read More“Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon.”
~ Bertolt Brecht
Schedule for Gen Con
In just a few weeks, I will be traveling to Gen Con in Indianapolis! I have wanted to attend Gen Con for years, so I am geeking out at this opportunity. The book vendor should have copies of my Clockwork Dagger duology as well as Breath of Earth and the just-released-that-week Call of Fire; follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on the stock on hand.
I have events throughout the day on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. If you’re there, I hope you can take a brief break from gaming and drop into a panel or two! I will have cookies, though I don’t know how long they’ll last. If you partake in a cookie, you can also get one of my brand new ribbons to add to your badge.
Thursday
10:00am – 11:00am: Writer’s Craft: Characters with Disabilities Westin/Caucus
Explore ways to include characters with disabilities in your stories in a respectful and realistic way. With Gail Z. Martin, Beth Cato, Mary Robinette Kowal
3:00pm – 4:00pm: Writer’s Craft: Are You Overthinking the Story? Westin/Caucus
Climb out of the rabbit hole of self-doubt and get back to writing! Learn to identify when you’re overthinking the story. Featuring Beth Cato, Kelly McCullough, Richard Lee Byers, Toiya Finley
Friday
11:00 – 12:00pm: Writer’s Craft: Creating True Leaders Westin/Chamber
Learn to craft inspirational characters that embody the traits of a great leader! Featuring Stephen P. Kelner, Jr., Beth Cato, Richard Lee Byers, Geoffrey Girard
12:00pm – 1:00pm: Writer’s Craft: Writing a First Draft Westin/Chamber
Most writers begin with a draft. Learn how to get that first draft down, what a draft looks like, and what to do with it. Features Beth Cato, Christopher Husberg, Kelly McCullough, Toiya Finley
3:00pm – 3:45pm: The Once and Future Podcast LIVE! Westin/Chamber
Join host Anton Strout with Mercedes Lackey and Beth Cato for a live recording of this weekly geeky podcast for readers and writers that focuses on all things fantasy and SF. (Note that I need to dash out a few minutes early to make sure I make my signing at 4pm.)
4:00pm – 5:00pm: Signing (Exhibit Hall)
Saturday
12:00 – 1:00pm: Writing 101: Themes—What’s a Theme and Do You Need One? Westin/Chamber
Educators and experts always go on and on about the theme of a story, but what is it and should you worry about it? Featuring Beth Cato, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Howard Andrew Jones, Karen Bovenmyer
3:00pm – 4:00pm: Reading: Kelly McCullough & Beth Cato Westin/Congress I
Writer’s Symposium authors read from their latest works in an intimate small-room setting. Join us for this unique opportunity to experience the authors’ personal interpretations of their own works.
4:00pm – 5:00pm: Writer’s Craft: Alternate History Westin/Capitol I
Want to write a story where Rome never fell? Or where a time traveler saves Kennedy? Learn tips for writing awesome alternate history stories! Featuring Charlaine Harris, Eric Flint, Beth Cato
#SFWAPro
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Bready or Not: Matcha Green Tea Bundt Cake
During my book release months, I typically follow a theme of cakes and pies. This time around, we’re doing something different: baked goods featuring matcha powder, aka green tea!
My first recipe can’t help but follow the traditional cake theme, though: Matcha Bundt Cake.
The America in my books Breath of Earth and Call of Fire is heavily influenced by Japanese culture. That’s evident in architecture, nickel cinemas, the vernacular–and in baked goods, too.
Of course, in our timeline, the phenomenon of green tea in leavened sweets is a contemporary innovation.
The type of green tea you use may produce different results. I used a Rishi sweet green tea blend that includes sugar, making it ideal for lattes or baked goods.
This bundt cake naturally baked up with a lovely light green tint, but as you’ll see, in some of the forthcoming cookie recipes, the green is barely visible. If you want things to turn out VERY green, just add some food dye.
This is essentially a tender pound cake in both taste and texture, with a unique fresh flavor from the tea.
In other words, DELICIOUS.
Modified from Week of Menus.
Bready or Not: Matcha Green Tea Bundt Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons sweet matcha powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
- 1 3/4 cups white sugar
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream 8 ounces
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon sweet matcha powder sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 10-or 12-inch bundt pan.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, matcha powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter creamy. Gradually add sugar; continue to mix until it is light in texture and color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, followed by the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add the dry mix and sour cream into the big bowl, going back and forth between the two, until everything is combined. Scoop batter into the ready pan.
- Bake cake for 50 to 60 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test in the middle. Cool the cake for about 10 minutes, then invert it onto a rack to completely cool.
- Sift the confectioners' sugar on top of the cake, followed by the matcha. Slice and serve. Keep covered on counter.
- OM NOM NOM!
Sunday Quote is not ready for August
Read More“Sometimes you read a book so special that you want to carry it around with you for months after you’ve finished just to stay near it.”
~ Markus Zusak
