Matcha Shortbread Cookies Dipped in Dark Chocolate

In these Matcha Shortbread Cookies, we combine matcha, shortbread, and rich dark chocolate is a match made in heaven. That’s why I have taken my classic buttery shortbread recipe and created this decadent matcha chocolate version! These cookies look gorgeous and taste even better, perfect for boxing up and giving to friends and loved ones.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Shortbread cookies are so popular because they’re easy to make, and have a simple, sweet flavor profile. All you need is sugar, butter, and flour to make shortbread. Their simplicity also means you can easily add other flavors (like matcha) to shortbread without altering the base flavor.

Shortbread cookie dough is made with either granulated or powdered sugar. This recipe uses both, which achieves the perfect balance of chewiness and melt-in-your-mouth softness.

Matcha has an earthy, slightly bitter flavor profile which pairs excellently with sweet, richer flavors like butter and sugar. Matcha shortbread is sweet with a delicate hint of matcha woven in, making for a light, tasty cookie. Dipping the cookies in dark chocolate adds a bite of rich bitterness to cut through the flaky, buttery cookie.

Ingredients & Substitutions

granulated sugar – this sugar provides the chewiness in the recipe.

powdered sugar – this sugar provides the melt-in-your-mouth texture in the recipe.

butter – use unsalted butter and add your own salt for consistency. Butter should be at room temperature so it creams together well with the sugars.

matcha – use culinary-grade matcha powder for this recipe. Make sure to find a brand that does not contain any additional ingredients. Here is a matcha I like on Amazon, and here is the brand of Matcha I usually use.

dark chocolate – dark chocolate tastes really good with the matcha, but you can use white chocolate and it tastes equally good

How to Make this Recipe

You can make these cookies with or without the dark chocolate glaze, and they are delicious both ways.

Matcha Shortbread Cookies

First, cream together the butter and types of sugar until light and fluffy. You can do this with a hand mixer or stand mixer.

Gradually add in the dry ingredients: 2 cups flour, 1.5 tbsp matcha powder (culinary grade), and 1/4 teaspoon salt. It’s not required to mix the ingredients in a bowl in advance, but you can if you’d like. Mix the dry ingredients until incorporated well.

Next, divide the dough in half. Form each half into an 8-inch log. Wrap in parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350F. In the meantime, slice each lot into 1/4-inch discs. Place the discs 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets or silicone baking mats.

Note: Refrigerate the cookies until the oven is preheated. If the butter isn’t solid when the cookies go into the oven, the edges of the cookies will spread. Chilling the batter before baking helps because it prevents the dough from spreading too much when baked, making a neat cookie.

Bake the cookies for 11-13 minutes, until the edges begin to turn light brown. Cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Dark Chocolate Dip

Melt the dark chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil over a bain-marie. You could also melt the chocolate chips with coconut oil in the microwave. Do this by microwaving for 15 seconds at a time, stirring well in between, until fully melted.

Prepare a sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on the bottom, or you can use a wire rack. Dip the cookies up to halfway in the melted dark chocolate and place them on the sheet pan to harden. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Now, enjoy some tasty cookies!

Note: Before the chocolate hardens, you can give the cookies a light sprinkle of sea salt. Once the chocolate sets, it will be too late for the salt to stick.

Note: You can use white chocolate in place of the dark chocolate and mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons of culinary-grade matcha powder to transform this recipe into a double matcha version. See this post for detailed instructions on the matcha white chocolate dip.

More Matcha Treats

If you are a matcha-love and want to infuse more matcha into your treats, cookies, or tea time, here are some of my favorite recipes for you.

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